DOG owners have been warned that grapes could be potentially fatal if eaten by their pets.
The Grady Veterinary Hospital has warned that grapes could pose a major health risk if consumed by your dogs.
Dr Colette Wegenast and two colleagues identified the risk posed by grapes after carrying out tests on playdough.
During the tests she established that tartaric acid and potassium bitartrate were present in high concentrations in grapes.
Dogs belonged to a class of animals that suffered from acute kidney failure when exposed to tartaric acid and potassium bitartrate.
Kidney failure is fatal in around 60% of cases involving dogs and cats, despite progress made in treating the condition over recent years.
She said: ” The lightbulb moment came with the realization that tartaric acid and potassium bitartrate are uniquely present in high concentrations in grapes, and that dogs are [members of] a species that has been shown to be sensitive to tartaric acid—with acute renal failure reported in the older studies.
“Upon further investigation tartaric acid and potassium bitartrate kept checking off the boxes in support of the theory that they’re the toxic principles in grapes and raisins.”
It comes after vets warned dog owners that the latest Tik Tok trend of dying tails to make their pet look like a fox was dangerous.
Dr Anna Foreman from Everypaw Pet Insurance said that the trend could put dogs at risk of skin irritation, toxicity and serious infection.
And dog owners were issued an urgent warning after four dogs died at a popular beauty spot in recent days.
