Health and Safety Tips

Let His Sniffer Be His Eyes
Blind dogs rely on smelling and hearing to make their way in the world. Here's how you can take advantage of Fido's keenest sense.

Bumping into things and having trouble navigating is not uncommon for dogs who are vision-impaired. You can minimize mishaps and make getting around a lot easier by marking each area of the house with a different scent, using pinecones, candles, or air fresheners to create a sniffable map of his surroundings. Try a drop of vanilla extract by his food and water dishes, a spot of peppermint essential oil on his bed, and your favorite potpourri by the door you use when taking him out for walks.


RAISIN POISONING IN DOGS

(Below written by a vet)

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 who 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 1AM 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

http://www.snopes .com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp


 

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