Kylie Ora LobellUnfortunately, your dog got ahold of some grapes. Whether your dog ate a grape or ingested many of them, there is a cause for concern, as grape poisoning is a very real issue for dogs.
By learning more about grape toxicity and looking for symptoms of grape poisoning in your pup, you can determine if you have an emergency on your hands and it’s time to take him to the veterinarian.
Why Are Grapes Toxic to Dogs?
All varieties of grapes, including red grapes, green grapes, purple grapes, and seeded and seedless grapes are toxic to dogs.
Grape juice, wine, raisins, and currants are as well. However, researchers don’t know why.
It has been speculated that tartaric acid, mycotoxin, a toxic substance that mold or fungus produce, or a salicylate drug that’s in the grape might cause health problems in dogs.
What to Do If Your Dog Ate One Grape
There is no specific toxic dose for grapes. Instead, it varies by dog, because each dog has their own sensitivities to different foods.
Keep in mind that the more grapes, raisins, or currants your dog eats, the more likely it is that he’ll get sick. Even if your dog has only ingested a single grape, you should get in touch with your veterinarian or call the pet poison helpline at (855) 764-7661 and ask what to do. They will likely tell you to watch for side effects of grape poisoning.
Signs of Grape Poisoning in Dogs
Whether your senior or adult dog or puppy ate grapes, raisins, or currants, there are certain signs you should be looking out for to determine if it’s time to take him to the vet. Signs of grape and raisin toxicity include:
- Loss of appetite
- Drinking a lot, at first
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Bad breath
- Increased urination at first, and then a decrease in urine production when the kidneys start shutting down
- Dehydration
Typically, you’ll see symptoms between 12 and 24 hours after ingestion of grapes, raisins, or currants, or drinks grape juice.
If anything seems off about your dog, then you need to be in touch with your vet right away. If your vet’s office is closed, then make sure you take your pup to a 24/7 animal hospital for immediate treatment. Grape poisoning can lead to kidney damage and ultimately acute kidney failure and death.
How Your Vet Will Treat Grape Poisoning
Your vet is going to try and prevent kidney problems in your dog and try to restore any lost kidney function. They may try to make your dog vomit and give him activated charcoal to stop the toxins from being absorbed in the intestines or stomach. Intravenous fluids/fluid therapy might be used in order to protect your dog’s kidneys as well.
If you call your vet, they might suggest immediate treatment at home by giving your dog a hydrogen peroxide solution of 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds of body weight. This will induce vomiting. Dog owners shouldn’t do anything without the vet’s guidance first.
Preventing Grape Poisoning in Dogs
Pet owners should always be mindful of the access that dogs have to human food and keep grapes, raisins, grape juice, and currants in a safe place where dogs cannot reach them. Before sharing any human food with your dog, look at the ingredients, because you may be surprised to find grapes or grape juice in certain items.
Additionally, to protect your pet’s health, make sure that if you give your children grapes that they do not feed them to your dog. Avoiding giving little children grapes altogether could be a good idea until they understand how bad this fruit is for pups. Since kids tend to be messy eaters, a grape could fall onto the floor and your dog might ingest it before you can stop him.
My Dog Ate Grapes But Seems Fine. Can Dogs Recover From Eating Grapes?
While it’s scary to find out that your dog ate grapes, he may be perfectly fine and not require any medical treatment. Or, even if he did eat grapes, you could protect his health by taking him to the vet right away. It all depends on the amount of grapes he ate, how fast you treated him, how sensitive your dog is to grapes, and whether or not your dog developed kidney failure.
If your pup only ate a single grape or a few grapes and was treated right away, depending on his size, he should be fine. But if kidney damage occurred and he’s not producing urine, then he could die, since kidneys cannot repair themselves.
What Other Foods Are Toxic to Dogs?
There are other human foods that are toxic to dogs, including:
- Onions
- Chocolate
- Garlic
- Alcohol
- Cocoa
- Macadamia nuts
- Foods with xylitol in them
Again, just like with grapes, you should check the ingredients on the labels of foods you’re eating just in case they contain anything toxic. Even if you accidentally feed your dog small amounts of these foods, it could end up causing problems.
What Fruits Can Dogs Eat?
Since dogs cannot eat grapes, you’re wondering if any fruits are safe for your pup. The good news is that dogs can eat all kinds of fruits, including:
- Apples (not the seeds)
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Pineapple
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
- Cranberries
Some dogs may have sensitivities to these foods, so it’s best to give your pup limited amounts of them and to stop feeding them if your dog seems like he’s allergic. Additionally, since fruits have sugar in them, you don’t want to give your dog too much of them at a time.
If the fruit has seeds, make sure you remove them. This is especially important for apples, since the seeds are poisonous to dogs. A good alternative for feeding your dog an apple is to give him Wholesome Pride apple slices instead. They are made with dehydrated apples and are grain-free, gluten-free, and vegan.
Protecting Your Pet’s Health
By taking the right steps, you can protect your dog’s health and ensure that he won’t have any issues with grape poisoning. And if he accidentally eats grapes, raisins, or currants, then have your vet’s information on hand to treat your dog as soon as possible.
