Toast the Maltese mix was hanging out with his four-year-old human sibling (and best buddy) Sage while she ate morning tea.
When the front doorbell rang, Sage’s father, Dan, left the two companions in the living room for a minute while he went to answer the door. When he returned, he was irritated to see Toast up on the coffee table, cheekily finishing off some sultanas while Sage giggled in amusement. However, Dan’s annoyance quickly turned to worry when he remembered that grapes and sultanas can be toxic to dogs.
Dan immediately called his local veterinary hospital and explained the situation, and they recommended that he bring Toast in straight away.
When Dan, Toast and Sage arrived at the vet hospital 30 minutes later, the vet on duty quickly explained that grapes and sultanas are an unpredictable toxin, with some dogs appearing to be fine with them, and others developing serious kidney injury (which can be fatal) after eating just a few. Unfortunately, there is no way of predicting how an individual dog will react. He therefore recommended that the safest option was to induce vomiting in Toast, so his stomach could be cleared of as many sultanas as possible.
Dan consented to this, and Toast was whisked away to the treatment room for a dose of apomorphine, a medication that stimulates vomiting. Five minutes later, Toast looked very regretful of his life choices as he brought up all his breakfast and at least 15 sultanas. After Toast appeared to have emptied his stomach, the vet gave him an anti-nausea injection.
Dan then consented for Toast to undergo an extra safety precaution: a baseline kidney blood test, which would be repeated 48 hours later to help detect any developing kidney injury. Fortunately, these blood tests were normal, and Toast did not require further treatment.
Sage and Toast still like to hang out together at morning tea time, but Dan has a new rule: no potentially canine-toxic foods allowed!
If you ever suspect that your pet has eaten something toxic, please contact our knowledgeable team or the Animal Poisons Helpline straight away for advice.