Schweighauser, Ariane; Henke, Diana; Oevermann, Anna; Gurtner, Corinne; Francey, Thierry (2020). Toxicosis with grapes or raisins causing acute kidney injury and neurological signs in dogs. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 34(5), pp. 1957-1966. Wiley-Blackwell 10.1111/jvim.15884
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JVIM 2020 SCHWEIGHAUSER - Grape toxicosis.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works (CC-BY-NC-ND). Download (1MB) | Preview |
Background: The ingestion of grapes or raisins has been reported to cause acute kid-
ney injury (AKI) in dogs, with a clinical picture dominated by early gastrointestinal
signs and rapidly developing uremia. Ataxia is mentioned in a few reports, but not
further characterized.
Objectives: To evaluate the clinical, laboratory, and pathological features of dogs
diagnosed with grape or raisin toxicosis (GRT) with emphasis on renal and neurologi-
cal manifestations, compared to a control group of dogs with AKI from other causes.
Animals: Fifteen client-owned dogs with GRT and 74 control dogs.
Methods: Retrospective study over 17 months.
Results: All dogs with GRT were presented with severe AKI (grade 4, n = 5; grade 5,
n = 10). Eleven dogs (73%) had marked forebrain, cerebellar, or vestibular signs. These
manifestations dominated the clinical picture in some dogs, but were not associated
with the severity of azotemia or the presence of systemic hypertension. Eight dogs
(53%) survived, and 5 dogs experienced a complete neurological recovery. Causes of
death were unrelated to the neurological manifestations. Neuropathological examina-
tion of 4 dogs did not identify any structural central nervous system abnormality. Only
2 control dogs (3%) displayed neurological signs with seizures unrelated to the AKI;
42 control dogs (57%) survived.
Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Severe forebrain, cerebellar, or vestibular signs
may be an important feature of GRT and dominate the early clinical picture. The
described features suggest a reversible functional brain injury specific to GRT and
unrelated to uremia.