Although not all dogs are sensitive to the toxic effects of grapes and raisins, there is no way to predict whether your dog may be affected. As susceptible dogs can experience gastrointestinal upset followed by life-threatening kidney failure, all grape and raisin ingestion should be considered a serious potential threat.

Despite research done by the Animal Poison Control Center team and others (Morrow, 2003), the toxin in grapes and raisins remains unknown. It has been determined that all grapes should be considered a risk; whether they are home-grown, commercially-grown, seeded, seedless, or even right off the vine.

Dogs must ingest a fairly large quantity of fruit to become ill. The lowest documented amount of grapes or raisins to cause kidney failure is 0.32 ounces per kilogram of body weight (Mazzaferro, 2004). This equates to approximately 1 grape or 10 raisins per pound of your dog’s body weight. There have been no cases of kidney failure documented by the ingestion of just one grape.

Susceptible dogs usually experience vomiting or diarrhea within two hours after eating grapes or raisins. Signs of acute kidney failure develop within 24 hours to several days after ingestion and include lethargy, depression, increased drinking, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and death.

The best treatment is prevention—keep grapes and raisins out of dogs’ reach. If you observe your dog eating grapes or raisins, seek veterinary attention immediately. Your veterinarian will induce vomiting to remove as many grapes or raisins as possible and then administer activated charcoal to help inactivate any remaining toxin. Depending on your dog’s condition, intravenous fluids may be recommended for 48 to 72 hours to help prevent acute kidney failure from developing.

Your dog’s prognosis will depend on how many grapes or raisins they eat, how sensitive they are to the toxin, and how quickly supportive care is initiated.

If you think that your dog is suffering from grape and raisin toxicity visit www.aspca.org/apcc for more information.

References:

Mazzaferro EM, Eubig PA, Hackett TB, Legare M, Miller C, Wingfield WE, Wise L. Acute renal failure associated with raisin or grape ingestions in 4 dogs. Vet Emerg Crit Care 14(3): 196-202, 2004.

Morrow C, Valli V, Volmer P, Eubig P. Canine renal pathology associated with grapes or raisin ingestion: 10 cases (abstract). Annual Meeting Am Assoc Vet Lab Diagn: 128, 2003.

Dr. Donna Spector , DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Donna Spector is a board-certified veterinary internist who practices in New York City. She has written and lectured extensively on nutrition, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and other animal health issues.

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

Is your cat gaining weight or eating more than usual? Overweight cats are at high risk for feline diabetes.Obesity, indoor confinement, decreased physical activity and a diet high in carbohydrates are directly associated with diabetes in cats.

Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to regulate blood sugar levels due to a lack of insulin or insulin action. Most cats (and people) suffer from type 2 diabetes, or “insulin resistance.” The body produces insulin, but does not respond to it properly. As a result, the body’s cells shut down, causing other health problems.

Why do cats get diabetes?

Cats are true carnivores. They need meat to survive. There are proteins and fats in meat that cats need and cannot produce on their own. The problem begins when high levels of carbohydrates are introduced into a cat’s diet. For people, carbohydrates are transformed into glucose (sugar) which is the energy source of the body. For cats, glucose comes not from carbohydrates, but from high dietary protein and fat.

Most commercial cat food is moderate to high in carbohydrates. In susceptible cats, long-term feeding of these foods can lead to feline diabetes. Cats should be fed a holistic natural cat food formulated with high-protein foods.

What can we do about feline diabetes?

You can manage your cat’s diabetes with dietary therapy, weight loss and increased exercise—without insulin. Feed your cat high-protein, low-carbohydrate, canned cat food twice a day. Canned cat food contains much lower carbohydrate levels than dry forms of the same food.

If your cat continues to be diabetic, insulin therapy may be the next step. But make a commitment to monitor your cat’s diabetes at home. Your vet can show you how. Most cats with diabetes go into remission with home monitoring.

Dr. Donna Spector , DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Donna Spector is a board-certified veterinary internist who practices in New York City. She has written and lectured extensively on nutrition, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and other animal health issues.

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

I have a 20 pound dog who thinks she weighs 100 lbs.  Phoebe isn’t an overweight dog by any stretch of the imagination.  She has an overabundance of energy, partially because she eats healthy dog food and partially because Jack Russell Terriers are incapable of sitting still. In fact, it’s safe to say that she’s either asleep or running… Nowhere in-between. 

I guess that’s why every time I take her out for a dog walk, I assume, foolishly, that things will be different.  I’m wrong every single time. It seems whatever is happening at the end of our walk is better than the beginning. When Phoebe gets to the end, she looks back at me as if to say, “What’s TAKING you so long???”  I do my best to keep up.  Of course, she is attached (against her will) to me via a 20-foot lead rather than a standard dog leash.  It’s the illusion of freedom for her.  Since my dog loves running so much, I really believe that without the lead, she would send me a postcard from somewhere out West. The other day we were moving along at our standard pace – Phoebe dragging me behind -when she suddenly stopped to smell something.  (That’s not a new thing)  The whole dynamic changed.  She saw a small child, who CLEARLY required licking, roughly 100 feet away.  You would think my dog had never seen a person before.  She raced forward pulling me behind her.  We were both panting by the time we reached the little boy, who then received a greeting from Phoebe that was as though she found a long lost relative.  

After some time they said their goodbyes and we headed home.  I was sweating but somewhat relieved that I now didn’t have to go to the gym. As we walked in the house, she looked at me with her, “Thank you for taking me mommy” face.  A face all dog lovers understand and cannot resist! I am now beginning to wonder if my Jack Russell Terrier understands that if she takes me out on the walk I will stay home with her instead of going to the gym myself… Humm… better get her some healthy dog treats for her next time.