Dogs that ended up sick as a parrot Naughty African Grey fed them ‘poison’ grapes
Mimicking Mrs Finch’s voice, the African Grey called over her owner’s three dogs and threw them some grapes that she had taken from the fruit bowl.
But there was a problem – the treats that the mischievous parrot had given to Maltese terriers Boris and Cassidy and shih tzu-pug cross Gus are poisonous to dogs.
When housewife Mrs Finch returned home, she noticed her three dogs were unwell and spotted that a bunch of grapes was missing from the fruit bowl.
Knowing that the fruit can cause acute renal failure, she rushed her pets to the vet.
Mrs Finch, from Nutley, East Sussex, said: ‘Peaches flies freely around the house but returns to her cage when I’m not home.
‘She’s a fantastic mimic and she must have called each dog over by name to be fed and then dropped the grapes in front of them from her cage. Boris, Cassidy and Gus then tucked into their illicit meal.
‘I was horrified when I realised what had happened as I know how dangerous grapes can be.’
Grapes along with chocolate, raisins and currants can cause diarrhoeathen lead to and kidney vomiting failure. which can The dogs were given activated charcoal, to stop their bodies absorbing toxins, and put on intravenous drips to clear their kidneys. They had to stay at the vet’s surgery for two days to recover. African Greys are known for their playful characters and keen intelligence.Africanmore able Grey,to mimic Peacheswhich humanis is largera Congo voicesand than the second variety, Tinm eh African Greys. In the wild, African Grey numbers are declining because their habitat is being destroyed. In captivity, they can live to the age of 60. Mrs Finch said the episode had been a ‘ worrying time’ and she was relieved all three of her dogs had survived. ‘Grapes are now banned from the house,’ she said. Vet Anna Garvey said: ‘In cases of poisoning, speed of response is really important so Mrs Finch did the right thing coming to us quickly. It meant we could flush out most of the toxins before they had a chance to cause serious harm to the dogs. ‘We’re delighted that this story has had a happy ending and that all three dogs are now home again. Peaches may need to learn to throw them less toxic snacks in future.’