Grape Intoxication

Background

It's not uncommon for dogs to get into the trash when left to their own devices. However, when the trash contains a pound of old grapes, it can be a dangerous, and potentially deadly, experience. Such was the luck of Jackson, a 4 year old Boxer embraced by Hilary and Ryan R. of Ashburn, VA.

Hilary shares Jackson's story:

"We returned home from a short grocery trip to find grape stems all over our kitchen floor. Jackson, our 90 lb. Boxer, had made his way into the trash can and devoured about 1 lb. of old red grapes we had just thrown out. He was not yet showing any signs of intoxication, but we knew they could be lethal from a quick Google search and call to our vet. Of course it was 8 PM on Sunday evening, so off to the emergency vet we went. We were required to leave Jackson overnight while he stayed on IV fluids to flush his system - this also required a cardiologist exam and echo to re-check that his heart could handle the fluid intake (prior heart murmur present). We knew this wouldn't be a cheap visit (the echo itself is $500!), but we had peace of mind knowing we wouldn't have to base any medical decisions on our fear of the bill thanks to our Embrace plan.

After induction of vomiting, activated charcoal, and 24 hours on continuous IV fluids, Jackson was released to our regular vet for monitoring. Jackson's kidneys proved normal over the course of the next week and he has fully recovered. Our claim with Embrace was processed very quickly, especially for the amount of the bills submitted. We have been Embrace members since Jackson was a pup, and feel it's one of the best investments we can make."