Though nutritious and flavorful for humans, raisins are toxic for dogs and should never be given to them.
Learn if certain quantities and preparations are safe, what can happen if your dog ingests them, and possible treatments for it.
If you’ve been contemplating giving your dog raisins as a snack, treat, or as a healthy addition to its meals, then asking can my dog eat raisins is a smart move. There are many foods that are healthy for humans but toxic for dogs. Raisins are one of them.
Since it’s up to us as responsible dog owners to protect our pets and warn our family members about potentially dangerous food, why don’t we learn more about how raisins affect dogs and their dangers?
Unfortunately no. Raisins are not good for your dog’s health. Though considered a healthy and scrumptious snack for people, raisins can have fatal effects on a dog. Even when combined with other foods, the toxicity of raisins can add up and harm your pet.
While researchers have looked into the exact reason why raisins are harmful to dogs, there has yet to be sufficient information that sheds light on the subject.
Though still inconclusive, it’s long been suspected that the salicylate or the mycotoxins present in dried grapes are the reason for their toxicity. These substances reduce the blood flow to a dog’s kidneys and can lead to renal failure and a host of other troubling symptoms.
Additionally, dogs may be unable to metabolize the tannins, flavonoids, and monosaccharides in raisins. More recently, reasons for toxicity have shifted to the tartaric acid in raisins.
Yes, this includes cooked raisins as well as seedless, skinned, unskinned, baked, and all manners of raisins you can find.
Aside from death and renal failure, you’ll understand why it’s better to deprive your four-legged friend of this tasty treat when you see the full list of symptoms that your dog can suffer.
Another related question is do all dogs get sick from raisins? While it’s always safer not to give any raisins at all, some dogs tolerate raisins better than others. However, it must be stressed that knowing what a toxic amount would be and knowing which dogs are less likely to have adverse reactions is impossible.
Can one raisin kill a dog? We recommend not taking a chance and just omitting raisins from your dog’s diet completely.
That’s why veterinarians treat most dogs who’ve eaten grapes or raisins very aggressively. In a small dog, like a Chihuahua, one grape could be enough to cause a problem.
The new dog owner sees the dog eat some raisins, the dog gets sick, and they had no idea they were causing the problem. They feel terrible because they were the ones to cause harm to their dog. – Ahna Brutlag, DVM
Read More: Can Dogs Eat Grapes?
By allowing your dog to ingest raisins, you expose it to a myriad of risks that include:
Tip: A quick way to check for dehydration is to check for pale gums or if your dog’s mouth and nose are dry.
If left untreated and your dog’s system cannot handle it, these symptoms can lead to kidney failure. Once the kidneys stop functioning, the build-up of substances inside your dog’s body can also lead to a coma.
Even if your dog ate raisins and is fine, it’s better not to take any chances. If your dog displays any of these symptoms, contact your vet or an animal poison control service immediately.
Some common symptoms and signs when a dog eats raisins or grapes:
– Appetite loss
– Lethargy, unusual stillness
– Vomiting / diarrhea
– Abdominal pain (tender when touched)
– Dehydration
– Increase / reduction in thirst / urine production
– Kidney failure (which can be fatal) pic.twitter.com/OfQ5YLxkxv— Pawmeal (@pawmeal) May 13, 2019
With raisin and grape poisoning, animals are going to develop kidney failure within eight hours of ingestion. By the time a dog is drinking more and urinating more, that means the kidneys are impacted. The damage may be irreversible. – Ahna Brutlag, DVM
If your dog ingests raisins and you need to bring them to the vet, it will be given treatment for poison ingestion that starts with a decontamination process. In decontamination, your vet will try to induce vomiting to get the raisins out of your dog’s stomach.
One of the methods for inducing vomiting is giving your dog a solution with 3% hydrogen peroxide. The exact quantity will be adjusted according to your dog’s age and weight. Unless advised by your vet, you should not try to do this yourself especially in cases where there is a breathing problem or your dog becomes unconscious.
After your dog vomits, your vet will attempt to clear the remaining raisins by giving your dog activated charcoal.
In extreme cases, your vet may recommend hospitalization for up to 48 hours. During hospitalization, your dog will be given intravenous fluid therapy to monitor the functioning of your dog’s kidneys. Additionally, blood work might be required for one to two days after taking your pet home.
With their pleading puppy-dog eyes and great enthusiasm for food, particularly human food, it’s understandable that we often want to share the food we enjoy with our beloved pets. However, it’s also easy to overlook the fact that our stomachs and bodies are wired differently than dogs.
What may be nourishing and healthy for us humans may be toxic for our pets. If you are only beginning to become familiar with what is safe and not safe for dogs, it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution and restrict your dog’s diet to kibble until you can check out if certain foods are okay to give them.
A digital marketing expert by profession, Andrews is a gifted writer and animal lover at heart. A self-confessed "pawrent", Andrews is well-versed in all things dogs. He uses his years of experience of raising puppies into show-quality dogs to help guide first-time pet parents. He believes in spreading the joy that comes with being a dog dad and advocates more families to adopt pets.
