vet receptionist- bit of a rant!

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LBF

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One thing after another!

Pepe picked up something on a walk yesterday, looked like something unpleasant but when I got closer and on further inspection it looks like cake and not just any cake but fruit cake :frown3: He probably had half a slice (that I could see)

Annoyed at myself for not watching him closer and also at the inconsiderate/stupid person that threw it down on a well-walked footpath! (Maybe time to invest in a muzzle for my scavenger of a dog!)

So, rang vets from the woods to see if I should make a visit.
First of all she (receptionist) told me to give him some charcoal to make him sick :confused3: As far as I'm aware it absorbs poison not makes them sick? Also she said any charcoal would be fine, I can just imagine someone giving their dog coal from a BBQ which potentially has lighter fluid on it!
She then said watch for the next hour and if he deteriorates in the next few hours then to bring him, again I thought raisin poisoning could take up to 48 hours before any effects start to show?

Please tell me if I'm wrong and over-worrying as I got off the phone feeling no better than before I rang! Maybe I should have asked to speak to my vet personally?
At home he has had some really burnt toast as I don't have any activated charcoal and I mixed an egg with water to encourage him to drink and keep his fluids up.

I know I won't be able to relax for the next few days!
 
Well there's no way I would take advice from the receptionist one of the vet nurses perhaps but a receptionist never.
 
What weight dog is Pepe?
You have to eat a hugh amount of raisins to get toxicity if that makes you feel better,though it is weight dependent chances are he wont have got anywhere near the dose from a slice of fruit cake.
 
Are you sure you were speaking to a receptionist? The nurses answer the phone occasionally at our place (and then spout incorrect information about various things just the same :p )
 
regardless of who you were speaking to if you are not happy phone to speak to someone who's advise you trust.
Aru a friend of mine has been to recent seminars about dried fruit poisoning in pets and the advice that was given is that for some reason some animals only need a relatively tiny amount for severe problems to occur and some will consume very large amounts will no detrimental effects. the reason is unknown at present but lots of research is being carried out.
 
VIN,the american veterinary site did studies and surveys on this topic and summarised that only 7.4 percent of vets have ever seen a case of raisin/grape toxicity.

Official line is that Ingested amounts in cases have varied from 0.41 to 1.1 oz/kg. The lowest recorded amount that caused acute renal failure was 0.7 oz/kg for grapes and 0.11 oz/kg for raisins. But there seems to be a hugh amount of individual varience and things like mycotoxins found on grape skins and tannins etc may be playing a role.


http://test.vin.com/Tests_Template/Query.plx?Action=ViewPast&QuizID=37 mentions some of the results and cases(cant link the full thing from vin for some reason)

Still a relatively large amount of raisins :)
Id still advise vomiting and charcoal but in the vast majority of cases a small amount of fruit cake should be fine.
 
my friends dog was seriously ill from poisoning- think it was raisins or grapes she stole! she was at the vets for a few days and very sick. but she is a very small dog (not sure what breed but not much bigger than a Chihuahua) but like Aru said they have to eat quite a lot to get properly ill. but if not happy go to the vets any way
 
Some very interesting points and I think next time I will be asking to speak to my vet - Pepe seems happy enough no distended tummy or anything and we are nearly at 48 hours so it seems lucky escape!

Tiddlypom & blackcob, I have seen the vet nurses sat @ the reception desk before so it may have been one of them- scary if so!

Aru-dog is question is 6.5kg so relatively small, that VIN link is interesting reading. I had always thought it didn't depend on size, only your dog is either going to react or not i.e Chi could eat a bucket and be fine yet a great dane could eat a small dose but suffer from renal failure.

Also, I read somewhere once that the toxicity stays in the system and can build up to a fatal level over time, anyone know anything about this?
 
not sure how old that survey is but as I said a study is being carried out by the poisons unit and that survey has a question about that at the bottom so must pre date current study.
 
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