From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-03-13 17:21:15 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Raisins, good or bad for ferrets?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Given that there are cases of acute kidney failure
which appear to trace back to too many raisins or
grapes eaten by ferrets as documented by Dr. Tom
Kawasaki DVM and fellow ferret health workers (a vet
and a vet tech if memory serves), and given that this
same risk exists and is documented in cats and dogs,
I'd encourage caution.
Was the vet only asked about fructose as opposed to
glucose?
Let the vet know about the kidney aspect.
There is a general readership vet article on this in a past
issue of Ferrets Magazine, so you may want to see about
purchasing a copy of that issue from the publisher. Here,
I have looked it up for you:
>A Killer In The Cupboard? (raisins & grapes), Thomas
Kawasaki, DVM, Jamie Putt, DVM, >and Athena Golden,
>Nov./Dec. 2006, p. 54.
<http://www.ferretsmagazine.com/ferrets/detail.aspx?aid=28265&cid=3926&search=>
Apparently, many pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and fungi
have been looked at as the possible cause by veterinary
toxicologists but the last I heard it had still not been
isolated. The majority of the cases documented have been
in dogs. (One dog site has suggested that one of the tannins
may be to blame but I haven't run into any papers investigating
that while another suggests that the levels of Vitamin D may be
too high for members of Carnivora. Certainly D3 is a vitamin
approached with caution by pet food manufacturers who make
foods for Carnivora and some of them have mentioned too much
D3 in some homemade foods as being quite worrisome, along
with phosphorous/calcium ratio and several other things.)
The most recent journal published study that I know of which
looked into this was in 2005 and was in dogs but what was seen
parallels what was seen in ferrets if memory serves:
BEGIN QUOTE
J Vet Intern Med. 2005 Sep-Oct;19(5):663-74. Links
Acute renal failure in dogs after the ingestion of grapes or
raisins: a retrospective evaluation of 43 dogs (1992-2002).
Eubig PA,
Brady MS,
Gwaltney-Brant SM,
Khan SA,
Mazzaferro EM,
Morrow CM.
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center, Urbana, IL, USA.
peubig@apcc.aspca.org
A review of records from the AnTox database of the
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Animal Poison Control Center identified 43 dogs that
developed increased blood urea nitrogen concentration,
serum creatinine concentration, or both as well as clinical
signs after ingesting grapes, raisins, or both. Clinical findings,
laboratory findings, histopathological findings, treatments
performed, and outcome were evaluated. All dogs vomited,
and lethargy, anorexia, and diarrhea were other common
clinical signs. Decreased urine output, ataxia, or weakness
were associated with a negative outcome. High calcium x
phosphorus product (Ca x P), hyperphosphatemia, and
hypercalcemia were present in 95%, 90%, and 62% of the dogs
in which these variables were evaluated. Extremely high initial
total calcium concentration, peak total calcium concentration,
initial Ca x P, and peak Ca x P were negative prognostic indicators.
Proximal renal tubular necrosis was the most consistent finding
in dogs for which histopathology was evaluated. Fifty-three
percent of the 43 dogs survived, with 15 of these 23 having a
complete resolution of clinical signs and azotemia. Although
the mechanism of renal injury from grapes and raisins remains
unclear, the findings of this study contribute to an understanding
of the clinical course of acute renal failure that can occur after
ingestion of grapes or raisins in dogs.
END QUOTE
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "weaseluva" <weaseluva@...> wrote:
>
> I always thought that raisins were bad for ferrets. A vet told someone
> I know that because of the way they are metabolized or something to
> that effect, that they were harmless for a ferret to eat. Has anyone
> else heard this?
>
> Eleanor
>
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/hOt0.A/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/1MOolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/