Can Golden Retrievers Eat Grapes? No, Very Dangerous!

If you’ve been thinking about giving your Golden Retriever some grapes, you’re not alone. Grapes can make a nice treat for humans and dogs alike, but it’s important to be aware of the fact that grapes are toxic for Golden Retrievers. In fact, many breeds of dog are at risk of suffering serious health problems if they eat grapes.

We’ve put this blog together to answer the question “Can Golden Retrievers eat grapes?” once and for all. We’ll talk about why grapes are dangerous for golden retrievers, how to make sure your Golden Retriever doesn’t eat them, and what to do if he gets into your grape stash, anyway.

What Are Grapes?

Grapes are round berries with a smooth skin and sweet or tart flesh that’s eaten fresh or dried as raisins. They come in many colors including green, red, purple, black and bronze.

The leaves of the plant contain resveratrol, which has been studied for its health benefits in humans. Grapes contain sugar and phytochemicals such as polyphenols and flavonoids.

While these nutrients provide many health benefits for us, they can be dangerous to our golden retrievers.

Why grapes are toxic to golden retrievers?

If you’re a golden retriever owner, you might have heard of how dangerous grapes are for dogs. But why?

Scientists have been trying to figure this out for years, and they’ve run into a few theories which have been ruled out:

Fungus: Fungus can be present on many types of foods and plants, but one particular fungus found on grapes hasn’t been found to cause toxicity in dogs.

Pesticides: Grapes are sprayed to grow bigger, so it’s possible that pesticides could be the culprit. But studies have shown no correlation.

Seeds: Although seeds can often be dangerous for dogs if eaten, they haven’t been shown to have any effect on their toxicity.

Salicylate: Once thought to be the reason for grape toxicity, we often find salicylate in grapes (and some other fruits) as a natural preservative. However, there isn’t yet any evidence that it’s responsible for the danger.

Allergy: Some dogs may be allergic to certain fruits or plants, but this doesn’t explain why only certain breeds of dog are affected by grape toxicity.

However, even a small amount of grape can cause sudden kidney failure and is extremely lethal to golden retrievers.

Signs of grape poisoning in golden retrievers

Recognizing the signs of grape poisoning in your pet is critical for ensuring their safety and well-being.

Grapes are highly toxic to golden retrievers and affect them differently than other types of dogs, so it’s important to keep an eye out for these symptoms:

Vomiting and diarrhea: This may be the first sign that something’s amiss. If your dog vomits or has diarrhea, particularly if it happens more than once, consult with a veterinarian immediately.

Tender abdomen: A tender abdomen could show that the grapes have damaged your dog’s intestines. Your dog may be tender to the touch or whimper when you pet them in this area of their body.

Increased thirst: When dogs eat grapes, they often become dehydrated. Keep an eye out for excessive drinking and urination, as these can also show grape poisoning in golden retrievers.

Dehydration: besides increased thirst, you may notice that your dog has sunken eyes or dry, sticky gums if they’re dehydrated. They may also be lethargic and weak, which can make it difficult for them to get up or walk around normally.

Diminished or lost appetite: Diminished appetite is often one of the first signs of grape poisoning in golden retrievers. Your dog may refuse to eat his or her regular food at mealtime and may even stop eating treats. If you notice this sign of grape poisoning, book an appointment with your vet right away.

Lethargy and weakness: If you notice that your golden retriever is suddenly less energetic than usual, it could be a sign of grape poisoning. If you try to get him or her up and moving and they seem weak or tired, take them immediately to their vet.

Increased urine production or decrease in quantity of urine: Have you noticed more pee puddles around the house than usual? It could be a sign that something is wrong. Take your pup to the vet right away when you notice this symptom.

Renal failure: This is the most serious symptom and can show imminent death if not treated promptly by a veterinarian. Seek medical attention immediately if you see any indications of renal failure.

What to do if your golden retriever consumes grapes?

If your golden retriever has consumed grapes, get any remaining grapes away from your dog and call pet poison control or seek veterinary care immediately.

Grapes (and their dried form, raisins) are known to be extremely toxic to dogs, yet the reason is unknown. The impact can cause gastrointestinal upset or acute renal failure.

The signs of grape toxicity include vomiting (sometimes with blood), diarrhea, decreased appetite, lethargy and abdominal pain. If you see these signs in your dog after consuming grapes, don’t panic. Call pet poison control or seek veterinary care immediately.

Your veterinarian will want to induce vomiting if it is less than two hours after consumption, but if your pet is unconscious or has advanced kidney failure, inducing vomiting is not recommended.

Your vet may also prescribe a toxin binder such as activated charcoal to prevent absorption of poisons from the stomach into the bloodstream after emptying the stomach contents. The vet may also do laboratory work to look for evidence of kidney damage and prescribe fluids for acute renal failure.

How to prevent your golden retriever from consuming grapes?

Golden retrievers are a breed at high risk of developing kidney failure after eating grapes or raisins. No one knows what exactly is wrong with the fruit, but it can have devastating effects on dogs.

If you have a golden retriever and your family likes to eat grapes, there are a few things you can do to keep your pup safe.

Make sure your family knows the dangers of grapes

It’s important that everyone in your family—especially children—is aware that grapes are toxic to dogs, and to be careful not to leave them lying around where dogs can access them.

It’s easy for kids to forget about grapes they’ve set down somewhere and go off to play, only for a curious dog to come along and gobble them up.

Keep grapes away from your Goldie’s reach

Keep grapes, raisins and related foods properly sealed in bags and avoid leaving glasses of wine lying around your Golden Retriever’s reach.

Teach ‘leave it’ command

You may also want to teach your Golden Retriever basic cues like “leave it” to prevent them from eating grapes or raisins accidentally.

Crate training

Finally, crate training can also help to avoid accidental ingestion while you can’t supervise your dog as closely as you would like.

If he needs supervision while out of his crate, make sure there’s always someone who can watch him carefully when you are busy.

How many grapes are bad for my golden retrievers?

Many people are surprised to learn that grapes are highly toxic to dogs. Even if you have a golden retriever, you should never feed them grapes. Not even one grape. Not even a couple of grapes. Not even a few grapes. If a golden retriever eats grapes, they will definitely die, and you will be responsible for their death.

It’s good to know how many grapes can be fatal for your dog—and the answer is: any amount of grapes can be fatal for your dog. A single grape could kill your dog, just as easily as five or six grapes could kill your dog. In fact, if your golden retriever eats over one grape, it’s likely cause major problems—and it’s important for you to know that this is entirely your fault as the pet owner.

If your golden retriever has eaten anything toxic—whether it’s a grape or something else—you should immediately call emergency services and bring them to the closest animal hospital so they can receive emergency care.

We don’t want you to think we’re trying to scare you by writing this blog post about how many grapes are fatal for golden retrievers; we’re simply trying to help you understand the gravity of the situation so that you never feed grapes to your Goldie.

Can golden retrievers eat seedless grapes?

The answer to this question is no. Golden retrievers cannot eat seedless grapes. In fact, we should not give any dog grapes of any kind: seedless or otherwise.

Grapes and raisins are highly toxic to any breed of dogs.

This is especially true for golden retrievers, as they enjoy eating anything in sight and can be prone to over-eating.

We estimate that even a small amount of grapes can lead to acute kidney failure in dogs, which has a 47% mortality rate.

Symptoms of grape poisoning in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain.

If you believe your dog has eaten grapes at any point, it is important that you contact the Pet Poison Helpline or your local veterinarian immediately for an evaluation and treatment options.

Can golden retrievers eat peeled grapes?

While there are many foods that are perfectly safe for humans to eat but not safe for golden retrievers, grapes is not one of them. It doesn’t matter whether you peel the grapes—both red and green grapes are toxic for dogs.

Peeled grapes are more likely to be ingested than whole ones (and they’re also more appealing to dogs), so it’s important to keep your golden retriever away from them at all costs.

If your dog consumes them, they may experience vomiting and diarrhea, have seizures, and even develop kidney failure.

What about grape juice?

For most people, there’s nothing like a glass of grape juice to start the day. But can your golden retriever share in the joy? Let’s look at what the experts say.

You can’t blame us for asking—grape juice has plenty of antioxidants and vitamins that make it a wonderful human drink. Unfortunately, it’s not so great for our dogs! The reason is that grapes contain toxins that are perfectly harmless to humans but are actually pretty dangerous for dogs.

Grape juice, as well as other forms of grapes and raisins, can cause kidney failure in dogs, and it has shown even small amounts to be very toxic. If your dog eats any amount of grapes or grape juice, monitor them for signs of toxicity and seek veterinary care if necessary.

Symptoms of grape toxicity include lethargy and vomiting; more severe symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea. If left untreated, kidney failure may occur within 24-72 hours.

If you think your dog might have ingested any amount of grape juice or cooked products (like muffins, cakes or mixed juices) with grape juice in them, contact your vet immediately.

How soon after eating grapes can a golden retrievers gets sick?

The symptoms of grape toxicity in dogs usually occur within 12 hours. However, if your dog ate a grape or raisin and you aren’t sure when, it’s important to monitor him closely for signs of toxicity. If any symptoms do occur, contact your vet immediately.

Grapes and raisins are very toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure. Grape poisoning occurs because we don’t know what ingredient in grapes causes the poisoning, so it is difficult to determine which cases will be mild and which will be severe.

If you know your dog has eaten grapes or raisins, see your vet immediately, even if your pet isn’t showing any symptoms yet. The sooner treatment begins the better chance they will have of recovering from the poisoning.

Can grapes kill a golden retriever?

Yes, grapes can kill a golden retriever.

There are all kinds of things that could harm our furry friends, whether they live in the house or out in the yard. But one thing that many people don’t realize is a threat is something as simple as a grape.

Unfortunately, a grape can kill a golden retriever. Acute renal failure is the most common cause of death for dogs who have eaten grapes or raisins. While there’s no evidence that certain breeds like golden retrievers are more susceptible than others to this poison, it’s important to keep in mind that any dog might be affected by eating grapes or raisins.

Find out if your golden retrievers can eat other treats

So, can golden retrievers eat grapes?

No, you shouldn’t feed your golden retriever grapes at any cost.

Grapes are toxic for golden retrievers. They can cause renal failure, a life-threatening condition in which the kidneys are no longer capable of removing waste from the blood. So if your little furry friend has eaten some grapes or raisins, it’s important that you take them to see a vet right away.