Cashew loves to eat. Eat, eat, and eat. He likes everything from green bell peppers to watermelon (and everything in between). Well, he discovered something else he likes to eat... raisins. Craig mistakenly gave him raisins from the trail mix he was eating. I looked up and asked Craig what Cashew is eating. He said raisins. “No! You're not supposed to give him raisins,” I exclaimed. Well, too late.
I went to research how bad raisins are for dogs. This is what I found:
Some dogs can eat raisins with no problems.
The Culprit - Those Darn Raisins
Some dogs can eat a small amount and die of kidney disease or kidney failure.
Researchers don't know why.
One raisin, few raisins, small dog, big dog... there are no constants between dogs when it comes to who is affected and how.
Symptoms can include: vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, dehydration, diarrhea, abdominal tenderness, increased thirst, decreased urination or not urinating, and ammonia smelling breath. Signs could show up 24 to 36 hours later.
I tried calling poison control. Here are the numbers:
Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435
I called the ASPCA line and it took about 45 minutes for them to answer. Way too long. It would've been better to take him to the emergency vet instead. They will give you a case number. You can call back after you have the case number and get through much faster (only a few minutes). Cost was $75 for the call.
I was given instructions on how to induce vomiting with 3% hydrogen peroxide and peanut butter. MAKE SURE YOUR HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IS 3% ONLY. The peroxide you use to color your hair is TOXIC. 3 % hydrogen peroxide is the stuff used to clean wounds. Read the label carefully. The peroxide has to be active. Pour a little in your sink. If it bubbles, then it's active. Cashew's dose was 1 Tablespoon 3% hydrogen peroxide to 1 tsp peanut butter, smeared on a plate. Cashew was supposed to lick it off the plate. This kind of worked the first time. The second time, he was being difficult. He didn't want anything to do with the peroxide. I syringe fed it to him with coconut yogurt, instead of the peanut butter.
Poison control told me that I could try this method TWICE ONLY. If done any more times, it could harm the animal. So, don't do it more than twice. Well, some dogs have an iron stomach, like Cashew. No vomiting.
In the meantime, my friends, Liz and Curt, were helping me get information. Thank you both!!! They contacted the emergency vet's office in my area and found that I could take Cashew in. With COVID, there has been a shortage of vet techs and appointments are hard to come by. I was lucky, that All Creatures in Newhall could accommodate us. They charged $100 for the emergency visit (not too outrageous).
I packed up the pups and off to All Creatures. Toby & Suzie went along for emotional support. But they ended up being disturbed. They thought they were going to see the doctor.
Once we arrived, they took Cashew to the back and induced vomiting. They found 5 whole raisins and 1 partial raisin. Craig said he ate around 5 raisins. Unfortunately, it was 4 hours later, so Cashew may have ingested some. The vet wanted to keep Cashew overnight for observation and hook him up to a drip to keep him hydrated. The bill was up to $180 for the office visit and inducing vomit. He looked fine, so I opted out and took him home. It was a long night (remember I'm a nervous doggie mom). Cashew slept and woke up the next morning fine. Same ole self, full of life with tons of personality.
It was recommended by poison control and the emergency vet to take Cashew to get blood work the next day. I found a vet's office that would do a walk in. Little Paws Dog and Cat Hospital to the rescue. I packed up the pups and got there at 2 pm, as instructed (not exactly 2, but in reality it was more like 2:30). We waited outside until after 5 pm. Thankfully, we walked around and around. It would've been a nightmare if we were stuck in the office the entire time.
They took Cashew's blood and the vet showed us the results. They have an in office testing facility, so the results were in quick. Yeah!!! His readings were all fine. We dodged a bullet. The visit was $55 and the blood work was about $125. This has become an expensive mistake. But, the important thing is that Cashew is fine.
Learn from my mistakes.
It is best to get the raisins out in less than an hour after ingestion. Easier on the dog and your pocketbook. Won't have to go through a stressful night.
I need to put up a foods that are toxic to dogs chart on the frig. Include where these foods might be found. (i.e. raisins in trail mix, breakfast cereal, cinnamon rolls, stuffing, etc.)
Poison control may take a long time to answer (but I may have hit a busy time). Some dogs won't vomit and need to be taken in to the vet to induce vomiting. It would've been better to have gotten Cashew to All Creatures right away.
Have a list of emergency vets on hand. I knew about All Creatures, but was hesitant to take Cashew there. They had their license revoked recently, but it was reinstated. They did a fine job with Cashew that night.
Have poison control's number on hand. 911 won't help you, since it's not a human emergency.
Cost to induce vomiting at All Creatures $190. Total cost because I acted too slow $455.
Cashew survived the raisin ordeal. Thankfully, he never showed signs of kidney damage. The entire time and to this day, he is full of energy and active. Didn't miss a step. He was lucky that either he's not affected by raisins or the vet was able to get almost all of the raisins out.
Remember - I'm not a doctor or a medical practitioner, so contact your vet, fact check me, and research, research, research. Just wanted to get the story out, so it may help someone.
Note: I called my herbalist. He told me I could've done this Korean technique he had learned in Korea. He said it would make him poop out the raisins right away. The technique works on dogs with seizures too. I told my herbalist to video himself performing the technique, so everyone could see it done properly. I'm hoping he'll tape it soon. Until then, I'd like to find out more about the technique. I'll let you in on it when I find something. xxx ooo
