Is Grape Toxic to Dogs and Cats? (2026)

Treat any grape, raisin, or currant ingestion as a veterinary emergency regardless of amount — go in immediately rather than waiting for symptoms. Unlike most toxins on this site, there is no known safe dose: some dogs have died after eating only a handful of grapes, while others have eaten much larger amounts with no effect, and there is currently no way to predict which pets are vulnerable in advance.

The toxic component in Grape is unknown — despite decades of documented cases, veterinary toxicologists have not identified the specific toxic compound in grapes and raisins. tartaric acid is a leading suspect but is not confirmed..

Grapes and raisins are one of the most unpredictable entries on this entire site: the toxic mechanism remains unidentified after decades of documented cases, and there is no established safe dose or reliable way to predict which individual dogs will develop kidney failure and which will not. This unpredictability is exactly why veterinary toxicologists recommend treating every exposure as a potential emergency rather than trying to judge risk by amount eaten, which is the opposite approach used for most other plants on this site.

Scientific name

Vitis vinifera

Family

Vitaceae

Also known as

Grape, Raisin, Currant (dried), Sultana

Typically found

both