A greedy black Labrador has had a lucky escape after wolfing down 108 grapes which can be fatally poisonous to dogs.
Five-year-old dog Pippa ate a whole bag of grapes which had been left to defrost in a bag on her owner’s kitchen cabinet.
Her owners rushed her to Mimram Veterinary Centre in Welwyn, Herts., knowing that grapes can be toxic and even fatal to some dogs.
The vets gave Pippa an injection that made her vomit to get the grapes out of her system.
They had not been in her stomach long enough to be properly digested.
Speaking about the incident that took place on June 13, Pippa’s owner Paul Wainwright said: “We had a bag of frozen grapes and they were just left out on the kitchen worktop.
“Unfortunately, they were not quite as far out of reach of the Labrador as we had hoped.
“My son Tom noticed that there was a polythene bag that was a bit chewed up on the floor and realised that she had grabbed the bag and must have just swallowed them all down.
“He was aware that grapes are toxic to dogs so he called me and then called my wife because she was closer.
“She went to the vets and explained what had happened and asked if we should take Pippa down and they said absolutely bring her straight in.
“Thankfully we don’t live that far away so my son was able to walk her down to the vets – it’s probably about a five to ten minute walk.
“Most Labradors are like this. If you speak to anyone with a Labrador they just keep eating until they explode almost. so any opportunity to steal food they will do.
“Usually we do keep food out of the way or out of her reach but on this occasion we must have taken our eye off the ball.”
Mr Wainwright, 45, said that when Pippa got home she was a bit wiped out and a bit tired but was soon back to her usual self.
Anna Wright, head veterinary nurse at Mimram Vets, said: “As long as the owners contact us very quickly – within the hour – then that is great.
“Then the dog can just come in and we can give them an injection which makes them vomit very quickly. It basically empties their entire stomach content.
“It’s not very nice but they vomit everything out.
“Luckily Pippa’s owners bought her in quickly and she had her injection. She brought up the biggest bunch of grapes I have ever seen and they were all still whole.
“Once they finish vomiting then within about an hour they are fine again.
“it is really simple, really simple.
“I think because she is a Labrador and is really greedy she has wolfed them down in no time.
“Its a funny one with grapes because there is no official toxic guidelines like there is for chocolate.
“One dog could eat a whole punnet of grapes and be fine but another could eat three and it be fatal.
“We would always rather they come in and vomit rather than go into kidney failure.
“Fortunately with Pippa there was a good outcome.”
Signs that a dog may be suffering a toxic ingestion include loss of appetite, dehydration, tiredness and diarrohea that will show within a few hours.
Laura Playforth, Vets Now’s head of veterinary standards, said: “All grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas can be poisonous to dogs, and potentially poisonous to cats.
“And the dried versions are more frequently associated with severe symptoms.
“It’s unclear what causes the toxic effects but just one can kill so real caution should be taken with foods, such as hot cross buns, that contain them.
“It’s also worth bearing in mind that inducing vomiting doesn’t clear 100% of the contents of a dog’s stomach so there’s no guarantee this form of treatment will always be successful.”