A BOUNCY puppy came close to losing his life after innocently eating raisins.

Now the owner of the four-month old Labradoodle is warning other dog owners of the hidden danger posed by dried grapes.

Dizzy Rascal’s brush with death came when his Swanage owner took the pup to a friend’s home and he was let out in the garden. But the bird-loving friend had put out the small treats and the dog had a feast.

After five minutes, the dog’s owner went to check on him and caught him gobbling the dried fruit.

“Two things saved him,” said owner Phil Wakefield. “If we hadn’t gone to a puppy party at our local vets and they talked about it, we wouldn’t have known.”

Grapes and the more concentrated raisins can cause acute renal failure in dogs and the Lynwood Veterinary Group, which has a branch at Swanage, includes a fact sheet warning about poisonous food on its website.

The other thing that saved his life was the fact he was caught in the act. Rushed to the Lynwood vet within 30 minutes, he was made to vomit a stomach full of raisins.

“He should be OK as we caught him in time, but we are awaiting blood test results,” said Phil. “If we hadn’t noticed then within the week his kidneys would have failed.”

So far the episode has cost approaching £300 in vets’ bills.

With Christmas approaching and an abundance of mince pies, pudding and cake on the menu, his owner wants to highlight this little-known danger. “If it helps save one family and one dog it will be worthwhile,” he added.