Vet issues alert to anyone who gives common fruit to dogs

A vet has issued a stark warning to anyone who feeds their dog a common fruit as it could have devastating consequences. Ben The Vet, who uses social media to educate owners on anything and everything to do with their pet's health and wellbeing, has shared a warning about the dangers of grapes and raisins.

He said: "Grapes, raisins (dried grapes) and especially products such as mince pies containing lots of raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. Until recently however we didn’t really understand why many dogs were fine after eating these items, while others became very poorly - it was previously thought the toxicity was idiosyncratic - basically meaning it just affected some individuals seemingly at random."

He went on to explain how it is thought the toxin found in grapes is tartaric acid - and as its concentration levels vary between grapes, some dogs end up being worse affected than others.

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He added: "Ingestion of even small quantities can post a risk, especially to small dogs.

"So if your dog manages to eat any grapes/raisins contact your vet ASAP for advice, and they will likely advise you to bring your dog in for emesis induction (for an injection to be given to make them vomit)."

Commenting on his post, one user said: "Listen all I know is my golden retriever growing up loved grapes and he never had any problems. bloodwork came back fabulous every time."

Another user added: "I used to feed my Chihuahua grapes all of the time before I learned that they are not good for dogs. I’m so thankful that she didn’t get sick or die from them."

A third user said: "I felt so bad when I found out about this because my childhood dog used to eat the grapes in the garden but was always fine, so I thought he must has been poorly but we never understood. I’m glad to know he was probably actually fine."

One more user said: "Remember an old dog in a vineyard who ate so many grapes each year the fur round his mouth was stiff with sugar. He was 18 when he died. Must have been different grapes."

Foods that contain grapes

Dried grapes - such as raisins, sultanas or currants - are all considered to be more harmful than fresh grapes so it's important for owners to keep their pets away from fruit commonly used in baking:

• Hot-cross buns
• Simnel cake
• Christmas cake
• Christmas pudding
• Mince pies
• Stollen
• Fruit panettone
• Fruit cake
• Fruit scones
• Muesli, granolas and other cereals that contain dried fruit

Symptoms of grape poisoning in dogs

Grape poisoning can cause your dog to:

• Vomit
• Have diarrhoea
• Have tummy pain
• Seem tired or weak
• Become thirsty
• Have changes in how often they wee
• Seem dehydrated (panting or a dry nose)
• Collapse