​Gainsborough vet hails owner’s swift reaction to raisin emergency

A Lincolnshire vet says a dog owner who rushed his pet to her practice after she ate a full 750g bag of raisins may well have saved her life.

Clinicians at the Raoul Dowding practice in Gainsborough have warned the public to keep the dried fruits out of reach of dogs after treating the Labrador, named Poppy.

Clinical director Nicole Blyth said: “Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants are so tasty for dogs, but are all potentially poisonous and, in serious cases, can cause massive renal failure.

“Luckily, Poppy’s owner lives close by and was able to get her to the practice quickly and, within a very short time of her eating the raisins, she’d brought them all back up and was able to go home.

“Any longer and it could have been a different story as she would have had to be hospitalised, and it would be a week before we’d know the extent of the damage.”

Seek help

The VetPartners-owned practice said the incident happened after a window cleaner accidentally knocked over the raisins with his hosepipe and urged owners to seek veterinary advice immediately if they suspect their dogs have eaten any.

Dr Blyth added: “We want to praise Poppy’s owner for acting so quickly when they realised she’d eaten the raisins as it might well have saved her life.”