Last night at 9PM I took my dog out for a walk. We were in our town and someone had discarded a fruit salad on the ground. She went for it. I grabbed her and shoved my hand in her mouth to pull everything out. There was some melon a few strawberries, and grapes.
I do not know if she swallowed anything, but if she did it was an extremely small amount. If grapes were ingested, it was no more than one or two. She weighs 47lbs.
Nonetheless, I had called poison control previously for a previous dog my family owns who ate raisins, and they had told me that in situations of grape/raisin consumption, you need to induce vomiting using hydrogen peroxide, so I went directly home and tried to do this.
It did not work. I called my vet's office, which has 24 hour technicians to answer the phones. She told me that the amount of hydrogen peroxide I had given would not harm Honey (about 2-3 tablespoons total over two attempts, but definitely not all of it made it to her stomach since she resisted). Also, she said that one or two grapes (if that) was probably not something to worry too much about.
So, I watched her overnight and nothing happened. She has been acting totally normal. This morning, she peed and pooped normally.
Still, I am very nervous about these things, so I brought her into my vet first thing this morning and they checked her kidney values and administered subcutaneous fluids.
He said her kidney values were "beautiful", and sent us home. He said to watch out for vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, increased drinking, and changes in her urination (more/less), and that if nothing happens over the next 48 hours, we are in the clear.
On the way home (we walked) she pooped again. It was a very small amount and it was soft and orange tinged. I called the vet and he said that did not sound like it was related to her kidneys, and that it was probably due to the stress of the vet visit (she gets very anxious at the vet). He said to keep an eye on her and if it continues, to bring her back in but it didn't seem to be an immediate cause for concern.
So, my question is, do you think the protocol followed was adequate? Should we get her kidney values checked again in a few days? My vet said that if she is acting normally that this shouldn't be necessary, because if a dog is sensitive to raisins/grapes the effects will appear on the blood work very soon after ingestion, even if the dog is not yet showing symptoms (her blood work was done about 11 hours after the possible ingestion). Do you agree with this?
I'm sorry this is so long. Grape toxicity scares me and I really love this dog.
It sounds like you have been very thorough with your treatment of Honey.
Grapes are tough to figure out! It is definitely possible for dogs to develop a very serious kidney problem after eating grapes. But, unfortunately we don't know why that is. The other important factor is that grapes only seem to affect some dogs. In my experience the vast majority of dogs can eat grapes and have no ill effects.
I can't tell you how often I have had a conversation like this with a client:
Client: Are there any foods that my dog should not eat?
Me: I would definitely avoid chocolate, onions and grapes.
Client: GRAPES? Oh no, my dog eats grapes all the time! Have we damaged her kidneys?
I have heard of so many dogs that eat grapes very often and never have kidney problems. And then, I've read of stories where a dog ate one grape and went into kidney failure. This is the rarity though. My point is that the odds are in your favor. The vast majority of dogs can handle grapes just fine. (In saying that I wouldn't go giving grapes to a dog on purpose.)
I don't think you need to do anything further with Honey. However, if by some chance you notice any of the following then I would take her back in:
-extreme thirst and urination
-lack of appetite lasting more than 24 hours
-vomiting several times per day
It sounds like she will be just fine though.
Dr. Marie
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Customer reply:
Thank you so much for your reply - it really helped to put my mind at ease.
We were just out and she peed a couple of times (this is normal for her - she usually pees once and then "marks" a couple of times on a longer walk, which is what she did).
The first pee was pale yellow, but the "marking pees" - which were just small sprinkles at a time were extremely diluted. They almost looked like water.
She has not been very thirsty at all today, and has been sleeping a bit more than usual but is still playful, so I think she is just tired from all of the excitement at the vet. She still has a very good appetite.
But I am now nervous about the clear urine. Is it possible that this is from the subcutaneous fluids they gave her this morning, which has diluted her urine, or is it something more concerning?
Again, I really appreciate your help.
Dr. Marie replied:
I'm so sorry for the delay in getting back to you. From what you have described I wouldn't be worried about some clear urine. This may be too much information, but think about your own urine throughout the day...sometimes it is very concentrated and sometimes it will be dilute depending on how much water you have consumed. The SQ fluids could definitely be contributing.
Now, if she had dilute urine and was extremely thirsty then this would be a different story.
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