I got one of those dreaded FW.FW Emails today. I usually delete (witout even opening) cause I don't like to consider bad things happening if I don't "pass it on to 5 of my closest friends"!
This one was from a good friend, so thinking there may be a privaate mesage attached (there wasn't), I opened it.... I will admit there was information worth sharing.
(information verified by Snopes)
The subject of the email was a 56 lb. 5 year old Male Lab/mix who had eaten half a canister of raisins. A few hours later he started vomiting and shaking and he had diarreha. His owners ended up calling the Animal Emergency Service at 7 AM.
They were told to bring the dog in immediately. The Vet called the ASPCA National Poison Control Center and they said to watch kidney function and give the dog IV fluids. The dogs condition continued to deteriorate and the Vet felt he was in Acute Renal Failure. Over several days his condition fluctuated but when the blood pressure skyrocketed to 220 and he continued to vomit...the owners elected to euthanize.
The Poison Control Center said as few as 7 - yes- 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic.
Owner beware....do not use raisins as treats! Any exposure could be fatal!
Some other common substances to be careful of:
- Chocolate
- Caffeine
- Tobacco
- Macadamia Nuts
- Onions & Garlic
- Some Plants (Lily family, azalea and yews)-especially harmful to cats
- Anti-freeze
ANIMAL POISON CONTROL 888-4ANI-HELP
CONCORD NEW HAMPSHIRE REALTOR INTERESTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joan Mirantz - Joni is a Realtor® with Keeler Family Realtors, a locally owned, Customer Service oriented Firm.
Joan Publishes a monthly Newsletter "Food For Thought" under the pen name Realtor Sherpa.
(Joan also answers to Miz Maven and Miss Joni.)
Joan works in Buyer and Seller Representation with concentrations in the Merrimack Valley Area and towns surrounding Concord NH - the Capital City.
"I love what I do, and it shows in how I do it"
Good info for the pet owner to know, Joan. I feel very badly for the poor dog and his owners. I hadn't realized that raisins were poisonous to dogs although I knew about chocolate. Potatoes are very bad for dogs too.
I love that graphic !
Jo
That is an unbelievable story! I wouldn't even begin to think that raisins were toxic! Thanks for the info; I went through something similar to that earlier this year. My golden retriever broker the door to our closet and got out his leash. Not only did he get his nice blue leash out, but he chewed and ate the entire thing except the metal clasp.
I took him directly to the Pet ER the next morning (because this was during the night time and I was sleeping), and they said that they would like to have him "pass" the leash prior to doing anything. Yeah, wrong move on their part. We waited for 3 days. Small bits and pieces were digested, but Riley stopped eating and drinking. We took him back to the Pet ER, they operated on him and took out 18 inches of his small intestine (granted there is over 30 feet there, but still...not kosher in my book).
Needless to say, I keep his leash and anything else that he could chew high on countertops and cabinets. I never would have thought that he would have broken the door to get to his leash! I guess I know now!
Joan - these are excellent tips. I have seen them around the net for a while, but they are very much worth repeating. I had a dog eat half a bag of Hershey's Kisses - foil and all - and he was one sick dog. Cost me almost $1,000 in vet bills just to get the mooch back home. But it was worth it. He was a good dog. Lived another 9 years after that round.
Love the graphics, too! Those little noses are just too cute!
Hi Joan,
Always a good reminder of things to keep away from our pets. You should add cocoa mulch to the list. It's sold at garden supply stores and used in the garden like any other mulch. It's made out of cooca bean shells so smells like chocolate which attracts dogs to eat it. It contains the chemical theobromine which is in all chocolate and is toxic to dogs and cats. If they eat enough of it, it can be lethal and several dogs have died from ingesting it. This is verified true at Snopes.
Funny you should mention this right now, Joan - I was just reading a National Geographic article on just this very thing. And if you select the 'continue' button on the link above, it will take you to a page showing the very same food mentioned above. I always thought garlic was good for dogs, too, but here is the information they have posted about it:
"Garlic, in any form, breaks down a dog's red blood cells, and large amounts over time can lead to anemia and possible kidney failure from leaking hemoglobin.
The reason: dogs don't have the necessary enzyme to properly breakdown the compound thiosulphate.
According to ASPCA, if a dog eats 0.5 percent of its body weight in garlic, it can show signs of poison. In other words, five grams (0.18 ounces) of garlic per kilogram (2.2 pounds), or two grams (0.07 ounces) of garlic per pound can mean an emergency trip to the vet. "
Oh, silly me... here's the one on grapes as well:
"Toxicologists have found that grapes and raisins can cause acute renal and kidney failure.
Though there is ongoing research, some suspect the cause may be a compound soluble in water indigestible to dogs or a possible fungal toxin.
However, toxicologists do know that as few as ten raisins or grapes, anywhere from nine ounces (255 grams) to two pounds (0.9 kilograms), could be fatal."
I am surprised at the garlic as they add that to a homemade pet food my vet recommends for sick picky eaters.
T hanks for the info - we love all our pets!
Yikes that's too bad. I knew about choclate being bad for dogs but I did not know about the rest.
Hi Joan, Perhaps because I'm so involved in dogs I've seen the information about grapes, raisins, chocolate, etc. many times before so I just think everyone knows about it. Someone asked for a comprehensive list of things to not give your dog, so here's a link to the ASPCA's Animal Poision Control Center list:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_poisonsafe
One of the more interesting things on the list is "Post 1982 Pennies". Dogs are curious by nature and will "look" at things with their mouths & noses. Small items like coins dropped on the floor are tasted and often swallowed. Those post 1982 pennies contain a high concentration of zinc which is poisionus to dogs and often have to be removed surgically. If you suspect your dog has ingested any coin, make sure to get them to the vet asap to be checked out. Peace of mind is worth the cost of a vet exam.
Now that's one for the books Rose!! Pennies!! Thanks for that link...i' sure a lot of people will appreciate it!
One of my dogs is basically food oriented but the other...she has a "thing" for shredding and eating paper(especially kleenex & napkins)...go figure!
Victoria...glad she's OK. We seem to think of dogs as "wild" creatures able to survive anything!
They are really very vulnerable.
My dog got some into some nicorette gum packs (nictotine replacement gum for quitting smoking). He chewed thru the plastic and swallowed the gum. He had lesions in his mouth (from chewing the hard plastic wrapper the gum comes in) then he drooled excessively and I mean buckets of drool for 2 days. I had not idea what was wrong with him (didn't see him do it) and took him to the vet. Vet had no idea what it was. He stopped drooling after 2 days and the sores in his mouth cleared up. I finally figured it out when I caught him trying to chew up one again. I quess it could have been really bad - if he had gotten too much.
Yes, there are many things which are toxic to animals - food items, plants and medications. Many people enjoy giving their pets treats from the table - a little left-over roast beef...what's the harm? Well, if you add onions to the roast - that's the harm right there.
How about pets with arthritic problems? Many people feel giving a them an Aleve will work just as well for them...it certainly works for most humans. Over-the-counter pain relievers like Ibuprofen can have serious side effects for a dog. They can poison a dog or cause serious or deadly complications such as heart failure, liver failure, kidney disease, dehydration, diarrhea or urinary obstruction - and in LOW doses!
Never give a dog ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin), naproxen (Aleve), or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
ALWAYS check with your veternarian BEFORE giving medications to your pets.
Debbie...I'd say you were very lucky! i know concentrated nicotine will kill people so I would imagine it would be lethal for dogs!
Were you able to finally quit?
Thanks Patti...that a good heads up on the over the counter drugs which most of us think of as harmless!
Hmmmm....onions on the roast never considered that! I cook it that way all the time!
Obviously a lot of pet lovers here and I too am one of you. They are members of our families without a doubt, personalities unique to each and every one of them. No matter how much we know, no matter how much we try, there is still the chance that we miss the mark through no fault of our own. I lost my oldest cat to the pet food crisis early in this year and my other three were sick as well. Our second oldest cat lost a lot of weight but battled her way back to health once we knew what was going on. We need to be ever vigilant to their sometimes subtle signs of distress, cats in particular. Who can tell if they are under the weather when they sleep sixteen hours and don't come when they are called? Wow! Just like teenagers!
I'd forgotten how toxic Oleander is. And I apologize up front for this lengthy post. In August 2004, a good friend of mine had a dog die from eating just a couple of oleander leaves. Below is a letter she wrote to warn others and hopefully save a life. I know she'd be happy I passed this on to you all.
"On Tuesday afternoon I lost my lovely "Skyler" Ch. Bonney Bendacht Irish Sky. Skyler was eight years old, very healthy and full of herself. Monday evening we returned from dinner to find Skyler had vomited all her food, thinking she ate too fast and upchucked her meal (which she had done in the past) I gave her a pepcid and a reglin to settle her stomach and went to bed. In the morning her crate was full of vomit and she was very limp and would not stand nor drink anything. I put her in the car and took her to my vet...they immediately started her on fluids and antibiotic drips. She seemed to come around and stood up and her eyes looked bright again. Her blood work came back that her eosinophils were elevated and they asked me if there was any snail or rat poison around, which of course I never have around. It was very curious. We x-rayed every part of her, and nothing was found. Her heart rate became of concern and they suggested that I leave her there for the day and we continue to give her fluids and monitor her. I was to return at 6:00 to bring her home.
At 3:00 in the afternoon I received a call that her heart rate was going crazy and that I best come and bring her to a 24 hr. hospital or home to monitor her until we could get her to a cardiologist in the a.m. By the time I got to the Dr.'s office within one hour, she was gone, her heart stopped. We were in shock! How did this happen!
My vet performed a necropsy and two hours later I received another call from my vet telling me that all her organs were normal but they found two oleander leaves in her stomach which are highly poisonous and that is what killed her.
There are so many of us who have oleander trees, on or close to our property. Mine are on the opposite side of a 6 foot block wall and are at least four feet away from the wall itself. We've been living at this house for almost eight years...never in my wildest dreams would I think that a leaf that fell over my wall would kill my dog. These bushes were immediately cut down, but the damage has been done , I lost my beautiful girl. Our grief in unimaginable.
Please use this as a warning to all that think a dry leaf is not toxic, it is. Don't let this happen to you."
As a hobby breeder, I can't tell you how often we take seemingly minor veterinary issues to task. This story is absolutely true. I personally know the dog in question. She is related to my dogs and the owner/breeder a very close friend and I echo her sentiments "Don't let this happen to you."
Joan & all, Sorry I didn't leave my name on the post about Skylar, the dog that died after eating 2 dried oleander leafs. I thought the system added your name automatically and it was about midnight when I posted :-(. I'm somewhat new to Active Rain and still learning.
Rose