Dogs are extremely sensitive to grapes, and there is no established safe amount of grapes for dogs. Even just 1 or 2 grapes can be toxic to a small dog (around 10 pounds). As a general guideline, dangerous doses may start around:
- 1-2 grapes for a 10-pound dog
- 3-4 grapes for a 20-pound dog
- 4-5 grapes have been implicated in the death of an 18-pound dog
Some dogs may develop acute kidney failure and severe symptoms after eating very few grapes, while others might not show symptoms after eating more. The exact toxic substance in grapes is still unknown, but tartaric acid is suspected. Because toxicity varies greatly between individual dogs and no safe threshold exists, any ingestion of grapes should be treated as an emergency and veterinary help should be sought immediately.
