Warning after Arrow laid low by fruity snack

He is now recovering at his home in Kirkby after life-saving treatment for kidney failure brought on by the treat.

Owner Kate Person had bought the sultanas to make her Christmas cake, and inadvertently left the bag within Arrow’s reach after she was distracted by a phone call.

She said: “I didn’t realise he’d taken them until he jumped off the sofa and was violently sick — there was no warning — and that’s when I saw the sultanas.

“We then realised that a shopping bag had been left in the laundry basket which he’d ripped open with his teeth.

“He’d eaten a whole bag of sultanas. ”

Kate was aware sultanas, grapes and raisins are toxic for dogs, and knew she needed to get Arrow to a vet as soon as possible.

She rushed him to her regular vet, where blood tests showed he was dangerously ill, and he was then transferred to Vets Now, King Street, Alfreton, which is open for emergency care through the night, seven-days-a-week.

Arrow had to spend 10 days on a drip to flush out his system before he was allowed home.

Rachel Chambers, principal nurse manager at Vets Now, said: “Arrow is such a handsome dog and it was desperately sad to see him so ill.

“His case shows just how dangerous some foods can be to pets.

“Sadly, we see a lot of dogs who’ve become ill after snacking on human foods that are poisonous to them.

“This should serve as a reminder to us all to do everything we can to keep temptation out of their way.”

Having returned home, Arrow must now be given two litres of fluid every day, and will have to undergo further tests to see if the damage to his kidneys is permanent.

Kate said: “It’s hard work, but if we poach chicken he will drink the water because it tastes meaty.

“Six weeks on from him taking ill he still has to have small meals to help get extra fluid into him.

“I saw my dog going from being a full-on, in-your-face, bouncy lurcher to being this poor, pathetic dog that had no energy. It has been a very worrying time, but the vets supported us all the way through.”

Regarding grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants, animal welfare charity the RSPCA says: “Any quantity of these can be toxic to dogs. Cooking or baking doesn’t reduce the risk of poisoning.

“Poisoning may initially result in vomiting and diarrhoea and subsequently in kidney failure, which may occur a few days after the initial effects.”