Many fruits make healthy snacks for your pooch, if they'll eat them, but other fruits -- among them grapes and raisins -- are toxic to your canine companion. While the toxic nature of these fruits is unknown, grape toxicity can be fatal. If your dog eats grapes, consult your veterinarian immediately.
Grape Toxicity and Symptom Development
The amount of grapes that's toxic for an individual dog depends on his size. The estimated toxic dose for grapes is 0.5 ounce of grapes per pound of body weight. For example, a toxic dose of grapes for a 15-pound dog would be 7.5 ounces of grapes. Grape toxicity causes vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, excessive urination and lethargy. These symptoms begin within a few hours of ingestion. Without treatment, kidney failure develops within one to three days.
Immediate Veterinary Care
If your dog ingests grapes, immediate veterinarian care is essential. No specific treatment exists to counteract the toxins in the grapes. Care within the first two hours of ingestion is necessary to reduce the toxin levels in your dog’s system. A veterinarian will induce vomiting to expel the grapes from your dog’s stomach and administer activated charcoal to bind with the remaining toxins. Intravenous fluids help to flush the toxins out of your dog’s system. These measures help minimize damage to the kidneys. With immediate treatment, the prognosis is good. Once kidney function declines, the prognosis for a full recovery is poor.
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Writer Bio
Deborah Lundin is a professional writer with more than 20 years of experience in the medical field and as a small business owner. She studied medical science and sociology at Northern Illinois University. Her passions and interests include fitness, health, healthy eating, children and pets.