A Sweet Home woman who advises people on raw diets for dogs wants to caution readers that the occasional raisin or grape she drops for her pets as treats can be toxic to dogs in larger quantities.

A Corvallis reader contacted the Democrat-Herald earlier this week to inquire about the practice after reading Damiana Smith’s information on pet nutrition.

Smith said she’s aware of the toxicology reports but still occasionally gives a single bite of the fruits to her pets.

Pesticides on fruits and vegetables, particularly on strawberries, is a concern for Smith. She grows and dehydrates her own grapes and does not feed her dogs strawberries.

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center reports that raisins and grapes can cause acute renal failure in dogs. Serving sizes varied in the affected animals, from a pound of grapes to a single small serving of raisins, although in no case did a dog die from ingesting a single grape or raisin.

Sickening occurred with both store-bought and homegrown, pesticide-free fruit.

Toxicology studies have also found onions, garlic, leeks, chives, macadamia nuts, coffee and chocolate to be involved in sickening pets.