Earlier this month a friend of mine (Lee, the dad of Mocha) sent me an email with this in the subject line: “If you have a dog…PLEASE READ!” That certainly caught my attention so I of course read it.
The Warning
The email was about a dog whose owners had to have him euthanized after he ate raisins, suffered raisin toxicity, and developed acute renal failure.
The bulk of the email was rather technical and laced with veterinary jargon. Even so, the average dog owner could discern the gist: raisins and grapes are a big no-no treat for dogs.
It was a very disturbing and sad story because in the end there was no way to save the dog. Worse, from the sounds of it the poor guy suffered a great deal before the owners finally decided euthanasia was best.
Fire on the Grapevine
It’s no wonder it quickly became a viral email.
But could the tale be believed? Or was it an urban legend?
The Email’s History
The author of the email was the vet who’d supposedly treated the dog, Laurinda Morris, DVM of the Danville Veterinary Clinic in Danville, Ohio. It originally started circulating in 2004.
Okay, she sounds official and that’s easy enough to check out, but how many people did that before they sent it on? Did they even forward it? Or did they discard it as potential hogwash?
Verifying Authenticity
Rightly so, someone felt this was important enough to verify –through Snopes.com.
Turns out this is no urban myth. The vet exists, the case is real, the danger is bona fide. The email that now goes around makes sure to specify it’s been Snoped and has a link to their investigation into it.
How Many Raisins/Grapes Does It Take to Kill a Dog?
Quantities vary. For some it’s just a single serving, for others it can be as much as a pound. It’s one of those things you don’t want the exact answer to. Better not to give them any at all.
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Netiquette Part II: Be a Good Citizen in Your Online Community
Identifying Email Hoaxes: Protecting Yourself
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