Can Dogs Eat Grapes?
What You Need to Know Before Giving Them to Your Pup
We’ve all been there. You’re sitting at your table, quietly eating a meal when you begin to hear the excited pitter-patter of paws scrape across the surface of the floor. Against your better judgment, you turn to look to your side, and you see your dog giving you those big ole’ puppy dog eyes. You turn to look back at your plate and see a grape, which is, obviously, a healthy option, right? Can dogs eat grapes?
It’s a grape, you think to yourself. What damage could it possibly do?
Although we know that dogs should only be given the food that we find on the shelves of the pet aisle, we can’t help but sometimes spoil them and give them a piece of meat here and there. That said, there are some foods that can cause serious damage to our dogs, and the last thing we want to deal with is a sickly dog who we were just trying to treat.
One surprisingly common question that dog owners share is, can dogs eat grapes? If you regularly have grapes in the house and have found yourself tempted to share a few with your dog, continue reading below to learn more about whether or not this snack is right for your pet!
Can Dogs Eat Grapes? The Answer Is a Resounding No!
Can dogs eat grapes? Surprisingly enough, dogs should not be given grapes of any variety. Even more importantly, it should be noted that raisins are not allowed to be eaten either. Grapes, as it turns out, are highly toxic to dogs. While there is no research that explains why this is, they can cause severe illness and, potentially, death if they are consumed.
In fact, if they consume enough grapes or raisins and they do not receive immediate treatment, it may result in acute kidney failure, which can prove fatal to your dog. All grapes are dangerous, and it is important that they remain out of reach for your pup.
Takeaway: Can Dogs Eat Grapes? Don’t feed your dogs grapes! They are highly poisonous to canines.
What Symptoms Will My Dog Experience?
Let’s imagine that your dog accidentally gets a hold of some grapes or raisins. The question is no longer, can dogs eat grapes? Instead, we need to know what symptoms we should be looking for so that we can get them the emergency treatment they need, if necessary.
Symptoms of grape toxicity include:
- Signs of dehydration, which will include increased thirst and urination
- Little to no urine production
- Diarrhea and vomiting, which will often take place only a few hours after they have eaten the grapes or raisins
- Signs of weakness and fatigue
- A lack of appetite
- A tenderness in the abdomen, to which they will respond with signs of pain
If symptoms escalate, they may begin to show signs of serious complications, which can result in shock, labored breathing, and other extreme reactions to the fruit.
This brings us to our next section…
What Should I Do If My Dog Has Eaten a Grape or a Raisin?
If your dog has eaten a grape or a raisin and begins manifesting the symptoms listed above, it is important that you take them to a veterinarian immediately. If they have already begun showing more serious symptoms, your vet can take the necessary actions to help them.
If they have just eaten a grape and you are quick to seek help, your vet may recommend inducing vomiting in order to clear their system of the grapes before your dog’s symptoms worsen. (Vomiting isn’t recommended for a dog who is experiencing symptoms of shock or trouble breathing, however.)
How to Induce Vomiting in Dogs
If a veterinarian does believe that inducing vomiting is the best way to get the grapes out of their system, there are a few common methods that you may utilize to accomplish this. One of the safest and most effective products to use for vomiting is hydrogen peroxide (3 percent solution).
Hydrogen peroxide is a fast-acting irritant that affects a dog’s intestinal tract, making it perfect for situations when you need to clear a dog of poisonous stomach contents quickly and efficiently. Working within approximately 10 to 15 minutes of being administered, this chemical will help your dog get rid of anything that has yet to start the digestion process. But how does it work?
If your vet has greenlighted vomiting as the proper form of treatment, you will need to:
- Give your dog some food. Unless your dog has eaten more than a few grapes or raisins over the past few hours, having more food in their stomach will help them to vomit when they are given the hydrogen peroxide.
- Measure out 1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide (3 percent solution) for every five pounds of body weight. If your dog weighs more than 45 pounds, the maximum dose is 3 tablespoons. Make sure that your hydrogen peroxide is a 3 percent solution as higher solutions can be very toxic to dogs.
- Using a turkey baster or a feeding syringe, administer the dose to your dog orally. Make sure that your dog does not inhale any of the substance as this can cause breathing issues.
- Wait for up to 15 minutes for the hydrogen peroxide to take effect. If the dog does not begin vomiting in this time frame, it may be necessary to administer another dose. If they do begin vomiting, sit down with them and comfort them as they go through the process, which may take up to 45 minutes. (Make sure that they do not re-ingest the vomit.)
- Pay close attention to how they act after vomiting. If vomiting continues or they begin to show signs of other complications, a trip to the vet is in order.
Unless vomiting is required by your vet, do not take the above actions when your dog has swallowed a grape. Additionally, vomiting is not the right course of action if your dog is not in the right physical state to do so.
Can Dogs Eat Grapes? No!
Always Do Your Research Before You Feed Your Dog Human Food!
While we may want to give our dog a special treat every now and then, it is your responsibility to make sure that any food you decide to give them is safe. As is the case for, can dogs eat grapes? The answers to these questions are not always as clear cut as we may believe.
Make sure that you do your research before feeding your dog something uncommon, and if anything should happen, seek out help immediately!