Personal Raisin and Chocolate Chip Toxicity in Dogs: What You Need to Know!

[scottcooks]

So we came home from dinner to find our DDD (doggie daughters) had eaten about 7 ounces of trail mix, plus granola bars... Chocolate chipsRaisins w/ oatmeal...and my wife says raisins are toxic to dogs. (Haven't heard of this, but snopes says yes!) Any veterinarians out there? 65 lbs. of dog vs. 16-20 oz. trail mix -- probably eaten 4 oz. of raisins and maybe 3 oz. of chocolate chips in the mix... 2 Golden retrievers, 65 lb female age 5 / and 68 lb. female age 12.Online sources say worry if/when they begin vomiting (delightful thought while going to bed, I know) and for some dogs it will just pass.Your thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

This is raisin an interesting topic.I can't speak for the raisins, but vets tell me that the toxin in an average chocolate bar is far from fatal. However, the toxin is cumulative, so a little chocolate is not a bad thing, however, a little chocolate here and a little chocolate there and pretty soon you've got a problem.My late, great Scottish Terrierest, Dugan, once scarfed down a 7 oz. Hershey bar (with almonds) before I realized that he had it. He just belched and looked at me as if to ask for more. (Dugan died at the ripe old age of 15 of natural causes and chocolate poisoning was not the cause.)

 

[sk8rgrrl99]

Grapes are toxic to dogs as well.

 

[janetupnorth]

Scott - it really depends on the dog breed and the amount ingested. I didn't see this until morning, but here are some basic steps.1. Check your dog's ABC's - Airway, breathing, circulation...2. Check the mucus membrane color.
- Lift the dog's upper or lower lip and observe the color of her gums or inner lip. If you dog has black (pigmented) mucous membranes, place your thumb on the skin just under the lower eyelid and gently pull down to observe the inner eyelid membrane color. It should be pink, which means the tissues are receiving enough oxygen.
- If your dog's mucous membranes are blue, pale, yellow, cherry red, white, brick red or brown, call your vet immediately.3. Check the capillary refill time.
- After checking the mucous membrane color, press lightly on the gums or inner lip. Observe the color as it turns white then pink again. The pink color should return after 1-2 seconds. If it is less than 1 second or more than 3 seconds, call your vet.4. Check the animal's mental state, looking for seizures, increased excitement, unsteadiness, depression or coma.You can induce vomiting by giving household (3 percent) hydrogen peroxide orally - 1 tsp. per 10 lbs of body weight every 15-20 minutes up to 3 times by only if your dog is conscious and your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center advises.Chances are you already know this a.m. how they are...2.

 

[janetupnorth]

Looking at the amount ingested that you listed and the breed/size of your dogs...I think they'll make it o.k. with a bad belly ache.I'd feed them white rice today to settle their stomachs if they vomited or just to absorb and make them feel better.Best wishes for them!

 

[Chef Bobby]

My vet friend said:
Grapes and Raisins can be toxic to all dogs. The toxin isn't known and it doesn't affect all dogs, but it can cause kidney failure.

 

[mrshamel3808]

I've also heard to avoid garlic, onions and tomatos for dogs! I have heard that chocolate and raisins are toxic but for dogs that big they would need to eat ALOT. I remember our family dog ate some chocolate once so we looked it up and there was a site that said what amounts are needed for how large your dog is (by weight) before it would start needing medial attention. You could probably easily google it.

 

[Crystal Patton]

My middle DS snuck out of bed one evening and swiped a FULL bag of chocolate mini-morsels. HE didn't eat them all, I found them all over the bed the next morning, but while I was cleaning him up (melted chocolate every where) our family dog (an 85 pound black lab) went in to the boys room and ate what was left, licking up the melted chocolate from his sheets. Ewww! :yuck:

I freaked out - she just consumed 3/4 bag of chocolate!!! I called my Mom (the source of all oh-my-gosh-I-screwed-up-tell-me-how-to-fix-it knowledge) and she said all the same things everyone above as said. She also suggested I make sure Cleo drinks a lot of water.

 

[scottcooks]

Thanks to all of you. The dogs were fine - our older one was a bit lethargic the next day, but is back to her normal self.What a scary scenario! Thanks again for your prayers and good wishes.

 

[Chef Bobby]

My sister had a German Sheperd that was almost bald from scratching. She intentionally fed her dog garlic and it soon had a beautiful coat again.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

This is raisin an interesting topic.

I can't speak for the raisins, but vets tell me that the toxin in an average chocolate bar is far from fatal. However, the toxin is cumulative, so a little chocolate is not a bad thing, however, a little chocolate here and a little chocolate there and pretty soon you've got a problem.

My late, great Scottish Terrierest, Dugan, once scarfed down a 7 oz. Hershey bar (with almonds) before I realized that he had it. He just belched and looked at me as if to ask for more. (Dugan died at the ripe old age of 15 of natural causes and chocolate poisoning was not the cause.)

It isn't the milk chocolate that is bad for dogs, it is dark chocolate...the darker the worse it is, and can potentially kill your dog. That is at least what I have heard from several vets after Spirit-may he rest in peace- ate an entire bag of mini halloween candybars. The vet asked if there was dark chocolate candy bars in there, and I said only a few. Spirit was pooping those shiney wrappers for a couple of days- thankfully he lived through it...