Why is a grape or raisin deadly to a Goldendoodle? Many canine doodle trainers and owners have traditionally given them grapes and raisins as a tasty treat. However, given in large amounts, they've been known to be deadly and lethal. It has been said that just a handful can kill a Goldendoodle. I personally have given my own dogs grapes and they really do love the taste. I've never had a problem but I don't allow them to eat alot of them. Maybe just a couple. The following was written by a veterinarian:
Recently, there was a letter in the AVMA Journal from Dr. Gwaltney-Brant and others at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center discussing grape and raisin poisoning in dogs. Apparently, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities. The grapes and raisins came from varied sources, including being eaten off the vine directly. The dogs exhibited gastrointestinal signs including vomiting and diarrhea and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion of the grapes or raisins. The amount of grapes eaten varied between 9oz. and 2 lbs., which worked out to be between 0.41 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight. Two dogs died directly from the toxicity, three were euthanized due to poor response to treatment and five dogs lived. Due to the severity of the signs and the potential for death, the veterinarians at the poison control center advocate aggressive treatment for any dogs suggested of ingesting excessive amounts of grapes or raisins, including inducing vomiting, stomach lavage (stomach pumping) and administration of activated charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy for at least 48 hours or as indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney damage.
I have fed my dogs a few grapes every now and then for years, so I don't think there is a need to panic if a dog eats three or four grapes but if the whole bunch is missing from the table one day, it would be good to think about watching for any signs of a toxic reaction. Michael Richards, DVM
6/5/2001 What is known:
Dogs and Goldendoodles affected will vomit with a few hours of eating either raisins or grapes. Then within 24 hours they may become anorexic and have diarrhea. These clinical signs can last for days to weeks.
Some dogs or doodles will develop kidney damage in the first day after exposure. As this damage progresses the dogs will produce less and less urine until they stop producing urine all together. Once that happens death will follow.
Dogs and Goldendoodles that are treated early and aggressively have a reasonable chance of recovery. If treatment is delayed the prognosis becomes very poor.
What is not known:
It is yet to be discovered what the actual toxin is. There has been speculation that it may be the grape itself, or possibly pesticides, heavy metals (zinc or lead), or perhaps fungal contaminants.
There does not seem to be a critical dose that the dogs need to be exposed to before seeing signs of toxicity. Some dogs eating a few grapes regularly can be affected, as can dogs that consume a large amount one time. There seems to be equal cases in dogs eating grapes as there are dogs eating raisins.
There does not seem to be a breed, age, or sex of dog that is more affected.
Just to be on the safe side, don't feed your Goldendoodle or any dog, for that matter grapes or raisins.
In a recent letter to the editor of the Journal of the American Veterinary Association*, experts recommended that any dog who has eaten a large quantity of grapes or raisins should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. If the ingestion was recent, medications should be given to get the dog to vomit. Gastrointestinal lavage (giving large amounts of fluids, either orally or by stomach tube, to flush the digestive tract) should be performed, and activated charcoal administered. The dogs should also be treated with fluids and their serum chemistry values monitored for several days.
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The following was sent to me via email from a past Goldendoodle customer:
Written by:> > Laurinda Morris, DVM> > Danville Veterinary Clinic> > Danville, Ohio
This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1 AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM. I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me had heard something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 ½ times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours. The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care. He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize. This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.
Laurinda Morris, DVM> > Danville Veterinary Clinic> > Danville, Ohio
