Ahwww Karen, thank you! You all have been so kind, generous and understanding... there is no way to express in words how much you have all helped me. Even if I don't find the answers, I find the understanding and compassion I need.. I am private and keep to myself and my immediate family. This has been a beautiful experience, communicating with all of you. It shows me that to trust and open up can still be a good thing in life, and maybe I need to let some of my guard down and let people in more...

Thank you so much you are a sweet dear person...

Cindy ;)

I think the raisins had a big part in causing Acute Renal Failure, if that is what caused this. Two other problems I see could have been his age and the previous toxic episode with the frog.

Older dogs frequently develope chronic kidney failure, he could possibly have been in the early stages. Symptoms are not seen until this disease becomes fairly advanced.... dogs can go for years before symptoms of kidney failure are evident.

The encounter with the toxic frog more than likely may have caused permanent damage to his kidneys, damage that would never be noticed, until a situation like this one arises, where the dog ingests another toxin.

Add to these situations a small 7 pound dog, who ate a substantial quantity of large raisins in relation to his body weight, raisins being concentrated and therefore even more toxic than grapes, and the possibility of pesticidal, bacterial or fungal contamination of the raisins...

I feel that if treatment had been initiated sooner, it would have prolonged his suffering.

But you say he was urinating throughout the day. Two symptoms of Acute Renal Failure are vomiting and decreased urination, so it may have been something else that caused this.

He was vomiting, did he have any bowel movements throughout the day? I think you said he was drinking, not eating, and just urinating, and a bout of liquid diarrhea towards the end.

These can be symptoms of a blockage or bloat. The skins on the raisins are tough enough to have caused this. Panting is an indication of pain, more than likely caused by gas formation. The repeated episodes of vomiting could have caused a bloat and which could only be surgically corrected. Even then there is no guarantee, and with his history with toxins, being currently toxic from the raisins, the anesthesia to do the surgery alone could have done him in.

Just speculating here... again I am so sorry for your loss.

Hi kjc,

Thank you so much for your detailed response... it is so appreciated.

Ok, so even though it was only 4 large raisins, they were not even chewed or digested in any way, you think because he was so small it could have been enough... sad... I have apologized to him a thousand times...

hmmm his age? I thought for a small dog he was still considered middle aged and not old... however, when I do the math he was in his 70's in human years and so he was getting up there...

The frog... yes, my husband and I wondered, after he died, if his system had somehow been weekend by that whole episode, it happened in 2006... Perhaps it made him that much more vulnerable to the toxins in the raisins...

Thank you for answering one of my important questions, and that was, could he have kidney problems and I not know about it. And not only yes, but he could have them and I may not know for a long time until it is much further along... I guess unless I asked, the Vet would not have noticed this in his general check ups...?

I heave a small sigh of relief when you say that getting him treatment may have prolonged his suffering. I cannot stand the thought of him suffering for any length of time, let alone longer...

He had a morning bowel movement, no others through the day. That one was partly regular and partly runny. He had no other until just before he died... :( My gosh this is so painful...

I did not know that panting was a sign of pain. I feel so bad, at the least I would have consoled him, held him and gone straight to the Vet, I have never heard this before. My poor sweet baby... Tiki I am so sorry baby, so very sorry...

I am so hurting I need another break.

Thanks again my dear, you cannot begin to realize how much I appreciate your thoughts...

Hugs,

Cindy

And to answer your questions: Acute Renal/Kidney Failure can kill a dog in a day... depending on the dogs kidney function to begin with, what toxin and how much, and the dog's previous history. So each dog will react differently, some may make it longer than others, some may pass on sooner.

I don't think it's a painful condition, I think as the kidneys quit working, the body becomes toxic and the dog feels sick and confused, due to the chemical changes going on inside.

Dogs that bloat usually only have an hour or two before they will pass from the chemical changes affecting the blood and other systems.

The only way to know a dog's kidney function when no symptoms are present is to do specific bloodwork. Most dog owners only do bloodwork before scheduling a needed surgery, or when a dog is sick.

Many Yorkie owners here do bloodwork at least yearly on their aging dogs, and every two years unless it's needed on middle aged dogs, as a preventative measure, to catch any disease states early on and initiate treatment.


The end result is usually heart and/or respiratory failure... the brain gets too toxic and deprived of the necessary chemicals it needs to send the appropriate signals to the body's organs, like the heart and lungs, and they cease to function, and death follows.


When a dog starts vomiting, food and water should be taken away for 24 hours. (most vets say this). With my small Yorkies, I withhold food and water for at the minimum 4 hours, then I offer a teaspoon or so of water. If they keep it down, I offer another very tiny drink 30 minutes later, and another drink 30 minutes after that. Then I'll offer a tiny bit of bland food, wait 30 minutes and offer a little more. Over 3-4 hours I work them up to full access to water and half their regular meal.

If they start vomiting again, they get no food or water for 6-8 hours, then I start over with the tiny amount of water again. If they vomit again, I call my vet.

Vomiting itself can be dangerous. It can cause dehydration, which causes chemical imbalances in the system. It can be aspirated and cause problems in the lungs, from low blood oxygen, pneumonia, or even suffocation. There are drugs the vet can give the dog that make him stop vomiting, and they will put them on a schedule to get them eating and drinking again.

I am very sorry for your loss of your little one. Hugs to you and your hubby.

This article explains 'pain' better than I can:

Pain (Acute, Chronic and Postoperative) in Dogs | petMD

And many of these articles from the YT Library may help:

YorkieTalk Yorkshire Terrier Library - YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community

Panting can also be a symptom of heart disease/congestive heart failure.
I am so sorry for your loss.

Another possibility is the raisins may be coated with something to preserve freshness... read the label and see. It may not have been the actual raisins themselves...

I can't think of anything else right now... I'll check back later. Your post about Tiki had me in tears.... he sounds like he was one terrific little guy! My heart is breaking for you... I know the pain from this loss can feel unbearable.... but know that Tiki loves you and he knows you did your best for him. There was no way to tell this time would be any different than the other times. You did what worked before.... nothing wrong in that.

Bigs Hugs to You and your DH,
Kathy

I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't know if the raisins could add to whatever happened, but I know that my previous Yorkie (5 lbs), i use to feed her raisins fairly often. And quite a bit at a time, even in her senior years. She always loved them & I had no idea it was bad for her. I thought of it as a healthy snack. I wouldn't do it anymore, of course, since I've learned its not good for them. But she was always as healthy as can be and lived to almost 18.
Much grace to you.

So sorry for your loss. I know that you are looking for answers but the truth is in the end it can really only come down to an educated guess unless a necropsy is done and even then there might not be a difinitive answer. A little 10 year old, 7 lb yorkie that belongs to a client of my brother-in-law suddlenly passed away this past summer while they were out camping. He was running around having a good time and then suddenly died of a heart attack. He had no known health issues up until that time. It is possible the raisins you mentioned could have played a part but at 11 years old anything is possible and you can't blame yourself. You can only do the best you can do with the information you knew at the time. We are learning all the time and as someone else mentioned earlier, it may have simply been his time. That of course does not fill the hole in your heart right now.

It is so heart breaking to read of your pain and I hope that in time, you and your husband and other little dog will be able to heal and have peace in your hearts.

I believe it was the raisins. So sorry

I'm wondering if they were actually prunes .

so sorry for your loss:(, is that photo in your display picture him? beautiful dog, 11 years, thats how old my sheltie was when he died of old age,its shocking when you expect them to live for longer,i\'m sure you did nothing wrong, and you shouldn\'t blame yourself, i\'m betting that posionous frog did permanant damage to his system that went unnoticed, and at least you got to wake up and see him for the last few moments, he wasn\'t alone, he had you.

TikiDog, My prayers go out to You in this time of sorrow.

We recently lost Our beloved Bradley at the age of 15. He\'d had a serious kidney infection at the age of 7-8 probably caused by something he\'d scrounged. The Vet said that it probably did have an effect on Him passing 7 years later.

Please, oh please, do not beat Yourself up anymore. Take solice in the years of Joy Tiki brought to Your family.