Can Dogs Eat Grapes?

Can dogs eat grapes? No. The ASPCA warns that grapes and raisins can lead to kidney damage in dogs, and the WSAVA lists currants and sultanas as toxic too. A 2016 veterinary review advises treating any amount as a potential problem.

If your dog has eaten any, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 now, even if your dog seems fine. Merck's veterinary manual recommends treatment while a dog still seems well.

For years nobody knew why grapes did this. Recent research points to an answer, and it may also help explain why one dog shrugs off a bunch while another is badly hurt by a handful.

Why can't dogs eat grapes?

The ASPCA says tartaric acid, a natural acid found in high amounts in grapes, is speculated to be the toxic component. The Merck Veterinary Manual explains that dogs lack the transporters other species use to clear acids like it.

Merck describes tartaric acid building up inside the cells lining the kidney's tiny tubules, where it can damage them. The result can be acute kidney injury, a sudden loss of kidney function.

The answer came from an unexpected place: homemade playdough. Toxicologists at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center connected a dog's kidney injury, after eating playdough made with cream of tartar, to grape poisoning. Cream of tartar is a form of tartaric acid.

In 2022 the team published six cases of dogs with kidney injury after eating cream of tartar or tamarind, another fruit rich in the same acid. Examined after death, their kidneys looked like those of dogs poisoned by grapes.

Clinical signs, lab results and kidney changes all matched grape and raisin cases. The authors named tartaric acid as the likely toxic component.

A 2023 laboratory study added a striking detail. Tartaric acid damaged dog kidney cells but not human kidney cells, and the researchers traced the gap to a difference in a kidney transport protein between the species.

Can dogs eat grapes in small amounts?

No safe amount is known, and dogs react very differently.

A 2016 review in Frontiers in Veterinary Science looked at 180 reports to the UK's Veterinary Poisons Information Service. Some dogs showed no signs after eating up to 1 kg of raisins. Others died after just a handful.

The same review notes a dachshund weighing 8.2 kg that developed kidney failure after four or five grapes, and recovered with treatment. The review's conclusion: any amount should be treated as a potential problem.

Tartaric acid may help explain that. The ASPCA reports that its concentration in grapes ranges from 0.35% to 2%, which makes predicting harm difficult.

Merck gives a rough line for vets: more than one grape or raisin per 4.5 kg (10 lb) of body weight may contain enough tartaric acid to pose a risk.

Worked from that line, our estimate for a 9 kg (20 lb) dog is more than two grapes.

Because the ASPCA says the amount in any single grape varies, even one is a reason to call your vet.

Are raisins, currants and grape products dangerous too?

Yes. The WSAVA's guide to treats for dogs lists grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas together among toxic food ingredients.

Dried fruit can hide in baked goods. The 2016 review lists fruit cake, mince pies, malt loaf, snack bars and scones among the foods involved in cases.

• Any baked good or snack whose label lists raisins, currants or sultanas.
• Holiday desserts such as fruit cake and mince pies. Our guide to can dogs eat turkey covers the rest of the holiday plate.
• Homemade playdough made with cream of tartar, and tamarind paste, which the ASPCA warns carry the same acid.

One botanical quirk is worth knowing. The "currants" in baked goods are usually Zante currants, which are tiny dried grapes. Merck notes that true currants, the berries of the Ribes plant, have not been linked with kidney injury.

Check the label before sharing any baked good. If it lists raisins, currants or sultanas, keep it out of reach.

My dog ate grapes. What should I do?

Merck recommends prompt decontamination, usually making the dog vomit, while a dog still seems well. So call before any signs appear.

Your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 can tell you what to do. The ASPCA line is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. A consultation fee may apply.

Merck lists the medicines vets use to make a dog vomit. Ask your vet or poison control before trying anything at home.

The 2016 review then recommends fluids through a drip for at least 48 to 72 hours, with kidney blood tests monitored for at least 72 hours.

It can feel like a lot of fuss over a few grapes. The review notes that the time taken to start treatment may play a significant role in how a dog does.

What are the signs of grape poisoning in dogs?

Merck lists vomiting or diarrhea within 6 to 12 hours of eating grapes as the usual first signs. The 2016 review adds that partly digested grapes or raisins may show up in the vomit or stool.

These can follow:

• tiredness and low energy
• not wanting to eat
• belly pain
• weakness
• dehydration

Kidney failure can develop within 24 to 72 hours. Merck describes the kind in which a dog makes very little urine, or none at all.

Merck warns that dogs who stop making urine are unlikely to survive without dialysis, and even then the outlook is guarded. That is the background to Merck's advice to treat while a dog still seems well.

Call your vet promptly if your dog:

• ate any grapes, raisins, currants or sultanas, even one, even if they seem fine
• ate baked goods or snack bars containing dried fruit
• ate homemade playdough, cream of tartar or tamarind
• is vomiting, has diarrhea or seems tired or off their food after getting into fruit
• is peeing much less than usual, or not at all

Can cats eat grapes?

Merck notes anecdotal reports of kidney failure in cats and ferrets after eating grapes or raisins.

Merck adds that there are no published case reports in cats, so the risk is less understood than in dogs. Keep grapes away from cats too, and call your vet if a cat eats any.

What fruit can dogs eat instead?

Some fruits can be shared in small amounts. Our guide to what fruits can dogs eat covers which ones and how much.

Whatever you choose, the WSAVA advises keeping all extras under 10% of a dog's daily calories, and never in place of a complete and balanced meal.

The WSAVA also advises picking a snack size and shape that suits your dog, to reduce the risk of choking. Fruit salads and fruit breads can contain grapes or raisins, so check before sharing.

Questions new puppy parents ask

Can one grape hurt a dog?

It can. The 2016 review includes a small dog with kidney failure after four or five grapes, and the ASPCA notes tartaric acid levels vary. Call your vet even for one.

Are seedless, green or red grapes safer?

Merck and the WSAVA list grapes and raisins as toxic to dogs and do not name any safe variety. No variety has been shown to be safe.

My dog ate a grape and seems fine. Do I still need to call?

Yes. Merck notes kidney failure can develop within 24 to 72 hours, and it recommends treatment while a dog still seems well.

Can puppies eat grapes?

No. None of the sources makes an exception for age, and because Merck's risk line is set per kilogram of body weight, fewer grapes reach it in a small puppy.

What other human foods are toxic to dogs?

WSAVA's list includes chocolate, macadamia nuts, onions, garlic, xylitol, alcohol and caffeine. Cheese isn't on it, but it has its own cautions, covered in can dogs eat cheese.

Sources

• Merck Veterinary Manual: Grape, Raisin, and Tamarind Toxicosis in Dogs (Hayes C, ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, reviewed 2024)
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control: People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
• ASPCApro: Toxic Component in Grapes and Raisins Identified
• Wegenast CA et al. Acute kidney injury in dogs following ingestion of cream of tartar and tamarinds and the connection to tartaric acid as the proposed toxic principle in grapes and raisins. Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2022
• Coyne SR, Landry GM. Tartaric acid induces toxicity in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, but not human kidney-2 cells in vitro. Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2023
• Cortinovis C, Caloni F. Household Food Items Toxic to Dogs and Cats. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2016
• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee: Feeding Treats to Your Dog, 2024

This article is for general information and is not veterinary advice. Talk to your vet about your own dog — they know the animal in front of them.

Choolip products are food supplements, not medicine. They are not intended to diagnose or manage any medical condition. If your dog has been diagnosed with a condition, their diet should be set by your vet.