"Magoo was a big, playful Labrador retriever who often got himself into sticky situations ..."
So begins the story in the latest report from the ASPCA on foods that can be toxic to dogs. It turns out that Magoo got into the pantry and steal himself about a pound of grapes. He ate the whole thing, of course.
ASPCA never mentions Magoo fate. But they do not tell us that as little as a few raisins may affect the health of the dogs is fatal for some. Ditto for the grape.
Who knew?
Growing up, I considered our family dogs as "the first cycle of the dishwasher." They were good about waiting their turn to what we left on our plates, and we are not too concerned about offering them "people food". It never crosses our minds that our dogs health can affect a few measly table scraps. What is safe for us, we figured, was safe for our pets.
Moreover, whenever I ate grapes, I liked to give one or two to our German Shepherd "Tiffany". The grapes always popped out of his mouth when he tried to bite into them and Tiffany, always a good sport, refused to give up until be flattened on each submission. It is certainly not less than 60 seconds harmless fun.
Tiffany was also fond of chewing gum (chewed it - wrapper and all - but not to swallow). We had the sugarless kind, which is often sweetened these days with xylitol
Little did I know that I might have been poisoning our family pet! (More on xylitol below ).
Why are grapes harmful?
As far as grapes and raisins go, no one is sure why they are harmful. It was confirmed that even grapes grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides can be toxic to dogs. But not every dog, and not every time. It also does not know whether to eat small amounts over a long period of time can have a cumulative effect.
What I know is that the end result in nearly all reported cases of grape or raisin toxicity is acute kidney failure. (. The term "acute" means that the situation is severe and comes on quickly) dog ultimately can not produce urine, which means that you can not filter toxins out of your system -. Process essential for life
During the twelve months in which the effects of grapes were studied, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center handled 140 cases involving one or more dogs. More than a third of dogs developed symptoms ranging from vomiting to kidney failure, and seven dogs umro.ASPCA based their study on reported cases, and of course, there May be cases in which dogs health is entirely unaffected by eating grapes. But they know all the facts, Society advises against feeding pets grapes or raisins in any amount .
ounce of prevention
So, your dog just scored himself a big box of raisins. As a pet owner to do?
the first line of defense, if the grapes or raisins were eaten recently, is to induce vomiting or use activated charcoal (it absorbs toxins in the digestive system). Vomiting is the first sign that your dog is in trouble, so skip right to the activated charcoal if vomiting has already occurred. (In a pinch you can make your own activated charcoal by charring a piece of toast while the blackened and crumbles easily.) Then call your veterinarian immediately.
can not get to the vet? Call the ASPCA Poison Control: 888-426-4435
vet will keep your dog on intravenous fluids for at least 48 hours and monitor blood chemistry daily. Normal blood work after 3 days usually means that your dog is clear.
Having a watchful eye out, of course, is the best way to keep your pet out of trouble. Like children, dogs (and other pets) have a knack for getting into evil when not required.
is not just grapes ...
There are other foods your dog should be kept away from, and some of them may surprise you.
Here are some other foods that can put a dogs health harms way:
Chocolate
Who can resist chocolate? As your not, your dog.
Chocolate is made with cocoa and cocoa contain a chemical called Theobromine, which is toxic to dogs. Different types of chocolate have different effects on the health of dogs. Dark chocolate has the highest theobromine, which come in at a whopping 450mg (as compared to 1 mg for white chocolate). So, on Valentine's Day, actually you are kind to your best friend, if you eat all the chocolates yourself!
cocoa mulch
Cocoa bean shells are a byproduct of chocolate production (which is how mulch made it into the "food" category), and are popular as mulch for landscaping. Houses like the attractive color and scent, and the fact that the mulch breaks down into organic fertilizer. However, some dogs like to eat, and it contains Theobromine.
fatty foods
fatty foods difficult for dogs to digest and can overtax the pancreas, leading to pancreatitis. This may jeopardize the health of your pet, and is potentially fatal.
Nuts
Macadamia nuts should be avoided. In fact most nuts are not good for dogs health since their high phosporus content is said to lead to bladder stones.
mulch
Mulch is not food, but there's one type tempting enough for dogs to eat. Some dogs are attracted to cocoa mulch, and will eat it in different količinama.Coca bean shells can contain from 0.2% to 3% theobromine (the toxin) as compaired to 1-4% in unprocessed beans.
Onions
Onions, especially raw onions, have been shown to trigger hemolytic anemia in dogs. (Stephen J Ettinger, DVM and Edward C. Fieldman, DVM is a book: .. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine Vol 2 p. 1884). Stay away from onion powder too
Potatoes
Potato poisonings among people and dogs are rare, but they dogodili.Toksin, solanine, is poorly absorbed and can only be found in green sprouts (these occur in tubers exposed to sunlight) and green potato skin. This explains why incidents rarely occur. Note that cooked, mashed potatoes are fine for dogs health, actually quite nutritious and digestible.
Artificial sweeteners
Xylitol is used as a sweetener in many products, especially sugarless gum and candy. Ingesting large amounts of products sweetened with Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar in dogs, resulting depression, loss of coordination and seizures. According to Dr. Eric K. Dunayer, consulting veterinarian in clinical toxicology for the poison control center, "These signs can develop quite rapidly, from time to time less than 30 minutes after taking the product" states Dr. Dunayer, "... therefore, it is important that pet owners seek veterinary treatment immediately ."
Turkey
Turkey skin is currently thought to cause acute pancreatis in dogs, partly because of its high fat content.
Other foods listed ASPCA as harmful:
Alcoholic Beverages
avocado (only "fatty" member of the family of vegetables)
Coffee (all forms of coffee)
moldy or spoiled food
salt
dough
Garlic
Bottom Line
Thanks to a more educated public, fewer fatalities from foods like chocolate are reported these days. However, it is important to keep up with what is currently known about foods and their effect on the health of dogs. Grapes and cocoa mulch, for example, only discovered very recently to have harmful consequences.
Check frequently with sources like the ASPCA, or sign up for "Cold Nose News", and we'll let you know. (You'll also get a bunch of cool dog stuff along with their free registration ).
Of course, as a warning and get your pet to the vet right away will help ensure a happy outcome if something unfortunate happens.
Here's to your dogs health and good nutrition!
No comments:
Post a Comment