As grape season arrives, grape vines covered in grapes are seen all around town, and this poses a hazard to dogs. While most people know that chocolate is bad for dogs, it is not very well known that grapes are potentially deadly for dogs. Grapes can cause deadly kidney failure in dogs, and the toxin responsible for this is unknown.

If your dog eats a grape or a raisin, it is recommended that you take your dog to the emergency vet as soon as possible, and don’t just assume your dog is OK just because he or she is not showing symptoms, as symptoms will show up in six to 24 hours. Symptoms of grape poisoning in dogs include vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, excessively drinking water, refusing to eat and not urinating.

Strangely, not all dogs are affected by grapes. Some dogs are perfectly fine eating a lot of grapes, while others will get sick from eating just one grape. But it is not just an allergy, and it is not worth the risk, since about 50 percent of dogs that eat grapes end up with kidney failure. My dog ate two grapes, but luckily, we caught her in the act, and she survived.

Kalen Spitzer Madix (age 12)

Eugene

Comments are closed.