This is a gardening blog, but it's the only public forum available to me to discuss a very dangerous health hazard to dogs.Several days ago my daughter and I brought home a large bag of red grapes from the supermarket. I put them in the fruit bowl on my kitchen counter, as with all fruit and vegetables that I bring home.
My two dogs, Rufus and Ari, were off kilter that evening, as the leader of the pack (aka, my husband) was out of town. Some time in the middle of the night Rufus awakened me and encouraged me to go downstairs (not exactly sure how this happened...). I found the empty bag of grapes on the floor. It took me more than an hour to remember that grapes are toxic to dogs. Some quick Internet research indicated that Ari had consumed more than the fatal dose of grapes (although not much is known about the amount that can be tolerated).
I rushed him to the animal emergency hospital, where they induced GI emptying, and admitted him to flush his kidneys. They told me that it would be touch and go for several days. Thankfully, we brought him home this morning.
My plan is to begin a grass-roots communication about the hazards of grapes. This is a perplexing toxin, as no one knows how much is fatal, or whether early intervention can be helpful. The public is not aware of this danger, but every dog lover needs to be. In addition to grapes, other common foods are also highly toxic: raisins (dehydrated grapes), onions, garlic, chocolate, and macadamia nuts.
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