tacit | Today is the day Dex can reach the back of the countertop

Eeek. Oh, puppy...! And, oh, you poor thing. *hugs*

You got to him really soon after he ate them, and he's at the vet's and they're getting all of it out of him, so it's not harming him anymore. And he was asymptomatic when you took him in, so that's a good sign, right?

*holds*

*snuggles up*

I hope so! I am so glad I read all those dog books now - if I hadn't known raisins were toxic it would've been way worse.

The vets rang - he puked up a kilo of stomach contents including a lot of raisins. They're hopeful he didn't digest too much. But kidney failure takes between 24 and 72 hours to make itself known, so I won't know until tomorrow at the earliest. But... yeah, it was caught pretty early. I can't bring myself to google it, but if you throw up within a couple of hours of eating something toxic you're usually ok... right?

Frank just took me out for lunch to distract me, bless him. ♥

I miss Dex's doggy chin on my knee! :(

*snuggles* Oh, sweetie. 24-72 hours? That's a long, long time to wait in uncertainty... But it really does sound like you got him to the vet's before he had time to digest them, and they're taking good care of him over there, I'm sure.

Do you have any other distractions? You've done all you can for Dex, now - you should look after yourself, too! You did good, noticing what had happened and taking him to the vet straight away. I know you're probably blaming yourself for the raisins, but - it's not like you left them on the floor or anything! Accidents happen, and you reacted in the absolutely best way possible after the fact.

*hugs*

That's a long, long time to wait in uncertainty...

It really, really is! :(

R is taking me to see two movies at the cinema tonight. And I'm gonna go to lunch with Frank again tomorrow. Also, Frank's oven has broken, so I'm going to entertain myself this afternoon cooking up meals I can give him to microwave for the next few evenings. Also - I could varnish the wood in the kitchen/dining room that Dex would normally be obstructing. But that just makes me feel sad, and kinda wishing for the obstruction... I'm being such a whiner about the whole thing! I can't believe how upset this has got me.

I am totally blaming myself for the raisins... but it's not like him to be quite so destructive after a long walk. I paid Scott to walk him this morning while I was off collecting Alfredo from the airport, in to order to take the edge off Dex's crazy morning energy. But sometimes if I don't stick around long enough after a walk for him to settle, he stays crazy. I guess that's what happened today. He also ate today's post and a chocolate wrapper.

It's all because I overslept this morning. I woke up at 7.30 and I should've left the house at 6.30. I only woke up because Scott showed up. So, Dex didn't get breakfast - I was back by 9.30, which is when he usually eats. But, apparently he didn't want to wait...

Ugh! Poor little guy. The thing that makes me feel worst is that he's got to spend two days cooped up in a strange place without getting any exercise, because of the IVs. He's going to go nuts, and will whine and yip and bark pathetically the whole time. :(

I'm glad your friends are keeping you busy! And the vet's taking care of Dex, so even if he's unhappy, he'll be in good hands. Poor puppy. What a weird couple of weeks it must seem like to him! It's too bad dogs aren't good with the concept of consequences, because this sort of thing would have been a great lesson to him to not eat everything he can reach. Ah, well. You'll just have to keep working on that when you get him back. ♥

He might not have learnt his lesson, I certainly have.

He has been at the vets a lot, hasn't he! When I went in with him this morning the nurse found it deeply amusing to see him - before she learnt how bad raisins are! (Even the vet didn't think it was that big of a deal, until she rang the toxins helpline. Suddenly they all moved a lot faster.) He's been there - *counts* - Monday for the neutering, Wednesday for a wound check, Thursday to get some steroid cream, and again later on that day to get a collar that fit better... I promised them as I left then that they wouldn't see us until tmrw, which is when his stitches are supposed to come out, but... no.

It's not a complete coincidence, though. He hasn't been getting as much exercise as usual, because he's not allowed to run for fear of his stomach muscles failing to knit properly. So, he's got crazy energy, and when he's energetic he's destructive...

I feel a little better - I don't think I can maintain that level of stressed-out-fear for more than a few hours at a time. I'm gonna cook, and then R is picking me up at 1630 for the evening's entertainment. I'll call the vets later on and get an update, but I'm sure they'd call me if anything changed.

I do still have the shakes, though!

You poor thing! *hugs*

How could the vet not know how bad raisins are? See, you're a very good dog owner! You knew more than the vet, in this case, and did the exact right thing! ♥

Take care, okay? And let us know as soon as you have any news. I'll keep thinking of you until I know you've got your little (well, not so little anymore) guy back home with you.

The vet knew they were a problem, but I don't think she knew how much of a problem. There can't be many dogs out there who'll eat half a kilo. R pointed out that he'd have needed his own stomach pumped if he ate that many.

I wanted to jam my fingers down his throat myself, while the staff were fannying about at the desk and not getting immediately on the phone. I think after this I'm going to buy something that'll make him puke if I ever need it again. I could have given it to him before I set off for the vets, and saved 20 minutes. You can buy stuff - I can't remember what it's called, but I know you can. And Labs are the worst for eating anything they can find, so it's probably a good idea.

Really, the moral of this story is that healthy snacks are bad. I should stick to the biscuit barrel!

The moral of the story is that your little Dex is a brat, and should learn not to eat everything he can get his teeth on! You said he also ate your mail? Does he snack on furniture, too?

How frustrating to know the situation was much more pressing than the vet made it out to be... But he's there now, and all raisin-free, and we're all hoping for the best. *hugs*

He would snack on furniture if he got really bored. He's pulled a lot of threads on my sofa, but he's mostly grown out of that now.

The moral of the story is that your little Dex is a brat

He really is! ♥ ♥ ♥

*hopes for the best*

I did not know this. I don't have dogs, which is probably why. You were really quick to act, I'm sure he'll be alright. Best of luck.

Thanks!

Pass the word: raisins = extremely bad! Apparently it's pretty much the worst thing a dog can eat. I'm a little less freaked out now the vets have updated me, but still... I am so *pissed* at myself for not noticing he can reach further back on the counter now. :/

Oh, no!

*hugs you tight*

*hugs back*

My fingers are crossed that he'll be fine - he's apparently thrown up a lot at the vets, which can only be a good thing. Apparently he also thinks charcoal is the best snack ever, which is handy for the vets.

Ugh, I am just sick at myself for leaving the raisins out. :(

Oh no! Nonono!
*hugs*

If my sister (she's an assistant at a vet practice) wasn't still at work I'd call and ask her if she's ever seen a case of dog-ate-raisins and if it's really so dangerous, with treatment and everything. Will do that later and hope she'll tell me that of course it will all be fine, which I will then forward to you.

Dex is young and strong, and you caught it early, so he will make it! *hugs*

I would REALLY APPRECIATE that. ♥

*hugs back*

I do think he's got various things going in his favour - he's young and healthy, and we caught it early, and he puked most of it up... But. Most toxic substance known to dogkind.

*frets*

BRB. Hunting for raisin intoxication info on our vet online library.

*hugs tight*

Disclaimer: I'm not certified yet, so when in doubt, go with whatever your vet tells you if we disagree on something. Also, any of this that your vet has already covered with you, please feel free to ignore, of course. Same goes if you'd rather not know about any of this (although I promise it's not doom and gloom).

Okay, so, from what I can tell, raisin toxicity is still pretty poorly understood. No one seems to be very sure exactly what the kidney-damaging process involved is, or how to predict what the effects will be on any given dog. For some dogs, a little bit is a problem (kidney issues can start at 11-30 g of raising/kg of dog, according to the Merck vet manual), but others can eat massive quantities with no ill effects at all.

An important thing to keep in mind here is that there's a big difference between kidney disfunction and kidney failure. That number above is just where disfunction can start, not necessarily where failure does. And disfunction, scary as it might sound, isn't a death sentence; with supportive care, the kidneys can get their act together and be okay, so don't panic.

Unfortunately, it's still a wait-and-see situation overall, though. Sorry.

The good news is, you caught it way ahead of the game. The fact that the vet's even inducing vomiting in the first place indicates to me that this was early enough after he ate the raisins that they feel he hasn't gotten the full dose into his bloodstream. Raisins are funny, too, because while they're more concentrated than grapes, they're also harder to digest and therefore take longer. The fluids themselves might sound especially scary, given how long he should be on them, but really aren't. They're serving a double purpose: both to replace what he's losing through the vomiting and to flush his kidneys out so that they can stay on top of the game. If he does start to show some kidney signs, there are also some drugs that can help keep urine production moving along that they might want to discuss with you, so be prepared.

I know the waiting sucks, but it sounds like he's getting excellent care, and like they're taking all the right steps to be as cautious as they can. I'm so sorry poor Dex is having a rough time, and I'll keep my fingers crossed.

*hugs again*

MARRY ME.

This is exactly what I wanted to know, but didn't want to google. Because you know how it goes when you google - you get a hit that says '90% of the time it's all fine... but here are some graphic details on the other 10 percent OF DOOM.'

I called them and they're going to let me go over and take him for a walk tomorrow, if he's still asymptomatic. So, if they're willing for me to do that (I'll find out in the morning) then they must feel ok about him coming off the IV for a couple of hours and going for a good run. I think once they agree to that, and once I see him, I'll feel ten times better. At 4.30 this afternoon he was his usual crazed self... I know they have staff on at night and really want to call and check up on him again - is that clingy?! It's past 10... And I sort of don't want to know, as well. He'll have gone a bit nuts from the confinement by now, and the last thing I want is to hear him yipping and whining in the background when there's nothing I can do about it.

And... if he was going to have outright kidney failure then surely he'd be showing signs by now? And if he was sick, they'd have called me, I'm sure of that. (They listened to me blub earlier on, I think they get how worried I am!) And... kidney dysfunction is bad, sure, but I've been down that road myself so it's not the terrifying unknown.

I am never leaving food out, ever again. Not even a crumb!

Thanks so much for finding this out for me. Not knowing is the worst thing. *hugs you hard*

I couldn't restrain myself - I rang their emergency line to talk to the nurse on duty. She says he's still asymptomatic. \o/

I quite want to capslock, but I'm holding it in until after I walk him tomorrow, when I can see for myself how he is. But, you know. THANK FUCK.

Ummm, wow, really? I used to feed our dog sultanas all the time:O

I'm glad he's doing better as of your most recent post.

Today is the day Dex can reach the back of the countertop

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