In the Clear

It has definitely been a long time since I've written in my blog and I have no reason for it, except perhaps laziness and lack of inspiration. Just yesterday though I was given reason, a scary reason...all because of a handful of raisins.

Saturday night, Zoe got hold of half a piece of budín (which is a pastry some where between bread and cake). Zoe has never before climbed on tables but Saturday night she jumped on to the coffee table and ate the half. Normally, I wouldn't freak out but I just recently discovered that raisins and walnuts are toxic for dogs. And, the piece Zoe had had both. I did my research Saturday night after Zoe inhaled what she thought was her dessert and learned that raisins can lead to acute renal failure....YIKES!! Naturally, I was scared for my poor pooch but that night she experienced no signs of toxicity.
Vomiting is one of
the initial signs of grape or raisin toxicity
and can occur within the first 2
hours. Other initial signs that can occur
within the first 5 to 6 hours of exposure
include diarrhea, lethargy, and
polydipsia. Signs of ARF may develop
either within 24 hours or several days
after exposure. Signs of ARF may
include anorexia, lethargy, depression,
vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain,
tremors, and hypovolemia.

It was in the morning, however, when Zoe started throwing up. She threw up a total of 6-8 times each time less and less. I'll spare you the details of her throw up but the first one had whole raisins and walnuts. When I saw this, I thought we were in the clear because she obviously didn't start to digest the raisins but after about the 3rd time throwing up Zoe's legs started shaking. By this time, I was a wreck. I frantically called my cousin who's in veternarian school and she told me that raisins are not toxic. I didn't take her word for it though because online I found A LOT of evidence that proved her otherwise. Since I wasn't about to risk my baby girl's life, I googled 24hr vets and took Zoe in to see one. Unfortunately, the vet Zoe saw had no idea that raisins are toxic to dogs too. All I could think at that moment was "what is wrong with this city?! They haven't heard of raisins being toxic to dogs...my veternarian student cousin says I should give Zoe a bath with dish washing soap...fleas seem to be a regular tenant...and they don't believe on preventative heartworm medication!!" Ahhh! Despite the vet's lack of knowledge on raisins, he was very nice and attentive. He gave Zoe to shots, an anti-emetic and something for her tummy. When we got home, I let poor Zoe rest and kept her NPO (nothing per mouth). Sunday night, I finally gave some water and really, really burnt toast (the charcoal produced in burnt toast is supposed to help absorb the toxicins) . I kept an eye on her the rest of the night and watched out for any more signs of toxicity. Thankfully, we are in the clear. Zoe woke up this morning peed, a lot I might add, and inhaled her plain brown rice. She seems to be her active little self now.