One grape can kill your cat

[Ziggymon]

I think we all know that grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs, and I had assumed the same was true of cats.

This weekend I learned that as little as one grape can kill your cat. (Not through personal experience - a friend's cat ate a grape. She looked it up on the internet and was shocked to find that just one grape can kill a cat. Two emergency vets and her regular vet confirmed it.)

Grapes can cause kidney failure in cats. The exact amount of grapes that need to be ingested before they are fatal probably varies from cat to cat, but cats have died from eating just one.

The protocol is to get the cat to vomit immediately, but since it's difficult to induce vomiting in cats, charcoal is often used. Then the cat has to be put on IV for 72 hours to flush the system. This is the recommended protocol for all cats who ingest even one grape, because if you wait in the hope that you cat will not be affected, it will be too late. Without treatment, kidney failure can manifest itself within 72 hours or as long as two weeks after ingestion of the grape.

 

[Nikki]

I did not know that about cats or dogs.... I need to make sure raisins are not in bird mixes because my dogs love to hoover the floor under the birds. Macadamia nuts are also toxic to dogs.

 

[Mizzely]

Wow, that's crazy! Thank you for the information and reminder. I think grapes and raisins are permanently off the menu here, it’s just not worth the risk.

 

[marian]

Thanks for the info Heidrun.....very good to know.

 

[Brigidt36]

Scary. How did I not know this?

 

[merlinsmom13]

Didnt know that about cats. I knew about the dogs. I actually think that Merlin fed Dawg a grape & it killed her. Her health wasnt good & made her vunerable.

 

[Meatball]

Wow, I had no idea about either! Scary

 

[Ziggymon]

The ASPCA poison control center figured out about grape and raisin toxicity to dogs less than two decades ago, Brigid, so I suspect you are far from the only dog owner who isn't aware of it. I was shocked at how little grape toxin can kill a cat.

There's more known about the amounts of grapes or raisins per pound of dog before serious/fatal poisoning occurs - the information with respect to cats is less complete. Cats are of course much more susceptible to toxins than dogs are, and since some cats are known to have died from just one grape, vets treat this very aggressively in cats.

Nikki, I wasn't aware of the toxicity of macademia nuts to dogs. Thanks for the heads up!

Yes, the problem in a multi species household is the tendency of parrots to fling food.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I never knew this! Thankyou!!!!!!

 

[Love My Zons]

That is why I do not feed grapes, raisins or macadamia nuts to my birds. I even toss the carob coated raisins in the BH mix from Kathie's store.

 

[Ziggymon]

Just in case some of you aren't aware - the sweetener that is used in sugar free gum, sugar free candies, some throat lozenges, sugar free baked goods, etc., is highly toxic to dogs (and presumably to cats also). More info here: snopes.com: Xylitol Deadly to Dogs

 

[Feather]

I did not know that either! Thanks for sharing, Heidrun.

 

[millertammy7]

Who would've known! I'm glad you shared that!

 

[Milo]

Just to be clear, as few as 2-3 grapes could cause kidney failure in even large dogs as well... the toxicity in grapes isn't well understood, it can vary between grapes in a single bunch too.

This is a good warning though! I recently had to take my two in for a full chemistry panel when they got into Josie's dry mix

 

[Krissa]

My vet has a huge poster about the gum and grapes on the wall of her office. I only give Loki grapes when he is in his room and then find all the pieces he throws. Luckily he seems to like oranges as much as grapes so I'll give him oranges.

 

[kcbee]

Good warning. I am always super cautious about grapes around here. When I first brought CoCo home, my big doggy, I didn't know grapes or raisins were toxic and I fed her raisins all the time. Ugh, scary! SO thankful nothing happened to her.

 

[Renae]

Thank you for the heads up/warning, I didn’t know this.

 

[waterfaller1]

I just looked at a site the other day that said all tree nuts are toxic to dogs....persimmons..even avocado for dogs.
Toxic Foods for Dogs - Fruits, Vegetables and Nuts » DogHeirs | Where Dogs Are Family « Keywords: toxic foods, foods to avoid, poisonous foods, toxic chemicals
here too
Dangerous Foods That Dogs Should Never Eat - WebMD Slideshow

Thanks for the info Heidrun.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

My Dad use to give our dog grapes all the time. But this was years ago before we know about them being bad. Luckily, nothing ever happened to her. But knowing what we know now, we would have never given them to her.