Can a Dog Live After Eating Raisins?

Plenty of everyday food items can poison your sweet dog, perhaps the most well-known among them being chocolate, the onion family and grapes. Raisins, being grapes, are potentially deadly to your beloved Buster. Keep raisins away.

Raisins are made out of dried grapes. With moisture gone, the dehydrated raisin's toxic potency is concentrated. The Merck Veterinary Manual indicates that by weight, raisins are more hazardous than grapes. If a dog eats a high amount of raisins, it may lead to life-threatening kidney failure, although the exact fatal levels are uncertain. Because of the uncertainty of the degree of raisin toxicity to dogs, it is crucial not to allow your pet to eat even the most minimal amount of it -- no matter what. According to the ASPCA Poison Control Center, the minimum verified poisonous raisin dosage is between 0.32 ounce and 0.65 ounce.

Be alert for signs of raisin toxicity in your pet. If you have any reason to believe your dog may have ingested any amount of raisins, waste no time in getting veterinary help. Symptoms of raisin poisoning include exhaustion, dehydration, bad breath, frequent urination, loss of appetite, diarrhea, stomach pain, increased thirst and throwing up. The symptoms are essentially the same as those that come from eating grapes. Signs of raisin poisoning are also similar to indications of many other illnesses, so never make any assumptions about what is ailing your pet.

The outcome of a dog's consumption of raisins depends on a variety of things. A dog may survive and recover after eating raisins if he receives prompt supportive therapy and his kidneys' basement membrane continues functioning properly. This is especially possible if a dog consumed only a minimal amount of raisins relative to his size. One dangerous sign is difficulty with urination. When a dog loses his ability to pass urine due to a condition known as "anuria," he may not survive.

Because of the importance of immediate supportive assistance, from diuretic therapy to decontamination procedures, it's crucial to seek emergency veterinary care for any dog who has eaten raisins or grapes -- whether one or a bowlful of them. Immediate medical attention for halting kidney destruction may save a canine's life -- especially if conducted no more than two hours after ingestion, according to the VCA Animal Hospitals website.