Is Ingestion of Grapes an Emergency?

Grape toxicity for dogs is poorly understood in a way that nobody knows why they are toxic to them.

There are stories out there of people who insist that they give their dog the odd grape and their dogs are fine. Some dogs seem to handle that with no problems indeed.

Is Ingestion of Grapes an Emergency?

There are people who jumped or fell from great heights and lived too.

One man apparently even survived a 47-floor fall. The question is whether you should go and try to see if you would too. I know I am not going to.

There are dogs that went into kidney failure after eating a single grape. Are you willing to take that chance?

Grapes, raisins, and currants

Grapes, raisins, and currants are toxic to dogs.

I recommend always treating grape/raising ingestion as an emergency.

“If you suspect that your pet has eaten any of these fruits, please contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline, an animal poison control service, immediately. Do not waste any time. Since there are still many unknowns associated with this poisoning, it is better not to take any chances when it comes to your dog’s health.

VCA Hospitals

Any products that contain these fruits in any form can poison your dog. That includes all types of grapes. raisin bread, trail mix, cereals with raisins.

One upside is that grapes and raisins seem to digest slowly and evacuating the stomach can be effective up to several hours after ingestion. However, I advise against trying to deal with this on your own. There are many scenarios when inducing vomiting is a bad plan and there is way more to it.

Call a veterinarian

If your dog ingests grapes or raisins, do not take the chance.

Keep grapes, raisins, and currants away from your dog and if they do manage to eat some, do treat it as an emergency.

Related articles:
Dog Poisoning: Don’t Panic. Don’t Panic … Too Late—Our Call To Pet Poison Helpline

Further reading:
Grapes are Toxic to Dogs

Categories: Conditions • Emergencies • Grapes • Poisoning

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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