From:
"Meryl Faulkner"
Date: 2008-01-07 21:46:00 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] toxicity of raisins - dose related? What about raisin juice?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I wondered if the toxicity depends on dose? Working out on the basis
of a 56 pound dog versus a 2 pound ferret in the Snopes case:
Assuming that the half a container the dog ate was one half of a pound
of a one pound container of raisins, and that hence the dog ate 1/112
of its body wt in raisins, a ferret would have to eat about 9g of
raisins to get the same outcome.
My ferrets weigh about a kilo (2.2pounds) so 1/112 of 1K
(1000grams)would be roughly 9 grams of golden raisins (sorry I only
have a metric balance so have to convert). I weighed my golden raisins
(don't laugh but I did get worried - a couple of the ferrets get an
occasional golden raisin).I found there are about 25 golden raisins
(Sunmaid brand in a cardboard packet - and rather dessicated) to 9g.
The packet is always kept in a cupboard inaccessible to ferrets.
However, I wondered if there are other treats, given in a large
quantity (in this case 20 X the usual amount)that might be just as
toxic if the dose is increased. What about raisin juice in the treats?
Has anyone on the list had a ferret that has had kidney problems after
consuming large amounts of any kinds of treats? A veterinarian I know
said one time she had 2 ferrets and she was horrified that they broke
into a packet of chocolate m and m's and ate the lot. She said they
had diarrhea but no other side effects.Chocolate is supposed to be a
no-no for many animals. Do different species have different
tolerances? Wouldn't the ancestral mustelid occasionally eat grapes or
dried fruit if available and it was hungry?
[Moderator's Note: if memory serves -- check me against
the veterinarians' article in Ferrets magazine -- of the ferrets
discussed who suffered acute renal failure after raisins the
number of raisins at least on ate was no higher than 9 raisins,
which is not an unusual amount for stashers to put away. I
doubt that nuances are known, though hopefully I am wrong on
that score.
Nor is it known if some individuals may have a
vulnerability contributing, and so far all the hypothesized
causes I have read have not panned out on testing (yet).
Yes, species can vary in what is toxic and in tolerances.
The problem does not seem to generalize to other fruits.
Sorry about replying this way; our network is unstable today
so it may be my only chance. --SDC]
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