Can dogs eat (wine) grapes?
Is your four-legged friend a real glutton and inhales everything that comes in front of its snout? Among those, in serious cases, there can also be →foods toxic to dogs. Luckily, many fruits and vegetables are well tolerated by your furry companion. However, this is not the case with wine grapes! These are toxic to most dogs and should not be fed. It doesn't matter whether your dog eats red or green grapes or even raisins - the dangerous toxin is present in all grapes and causes kidney failure in most dogs.
But why for most dogs? According to reports and studies, there are dogs that tolerate grapes well and others that die from kidney failure within a few days after consuming grapes. The reason why dogs' reactions to grapes vary so much has not yet been clearly established scientifically. It's better not to take any risks and offer your dog a piece of →melon, →apple, or another snack instead.
Gesund und lecker verwöhnen - mit unseren Snacks
What to do if my dog has eaten grapes?
Once you looked away and suddenly your dog has snatched a grape? First of all: Don't panic! Whether and how much your dog suffers from eating grapes depends on the amount consumed and the size of your four-legged friend. If you have a small dog like a Dachshund or Chihuahua, you should quickly go to a clinic and not wait to see if any possible poisoning symptoms appear.
With larger breeds or if your dog only nibbled on a small grape, you might not notice it at all. Sometimes your dog may also come with →stomach pain or [→diarrhea](/magazin/hunde/hunde-gesundheit/5-hausmittel-und-tipps-gegen-durchfall-beim-hund). Early signs of serious poisoning from grapes in dogs are restlessness, diarrhea, and →refusal to eat. If your dog shows possible signs of poisoning, seek immediate veterinary advice.
[TRANSLATION ERROR] Hat dein Hund Weintrauben gefressen, solltest du sicherheitshalber zügig eine Tierklinik aufsuchen. Im schlimmsten Fall kann dein Hund an einer Vergiftung sterben.
How do I recognize poisoning from grapes?
The toxic dose for grapes is 10-30g of grapes/kg body weight. For raisins, it's 3g/kg body weight. Typical symptoms of grape poisoning include:
- Restlessness
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Stomach pain
- Movement disorders
- In the worst case, kidney failure leading to death
If your dog shows the above symptoms, go quickly to a veterinary clinic. Under no circumstances should you try to make your dog vomit! This could only make things worse.
Do grapes cause kidney failure in dogs?
Yes and no. In principle, grapes are not always toxic to dogs. Whether your dog suffers poisoning from the toxin contained in grapes is individually assessed. Factors such as the amount consumed in relation to body weight and individual sensitivity play significant roles. If grapes are toxic to your dog, untreated it can lead to kidney failure within a few days and can, in the worst case, be fatal.
