---
title: "Can dogs and cats eat grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants?"
description: "Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants and pets: toxic — treat as an emergency. What it does, whether the dose matters, and how dogs, cats, rabbits and birds differ."
url: https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/grapes/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Can pets eat grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants?

**Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants: Toxic — treat as an emergency**

Dogs: Toxic · Cats: Toxic

> If this has already been eaten, ring your vet or an animal poison control line now rather than waiting for signs to appear — for several of these the window in which treatment works closes before the animal looks unwell. Do not try to make the animal sick at home: home emetics are dangerous for corrosive and petroleum substances and for an animal already showing signs, and salt-based ones have themselves proved fatal.

## By animal

| Animal | Verdict | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dogs | Toxic | Acute kidney failure. No safe quantity is known and it is not reliably dose-dependent. |
| Cats | Toxic | Far fewer reported cases, but the same precaution applies. |

## What it actually does

Grapes and their dried forms cause acute kidney injury in dogs, and for decades nobody knew why. In 2021 tartaric acid was identified as the likely agent, which also explains why cream of tartar and tamarind produce similar signs. The response is idiosyncratic rather than dose-dependent: some dogs eat a punnet with no effect, others have gone into renal failure after a handful, and there is no way to tell in advance which dog you have. Dried fruit is more concentrated than fresh, so raisins and sultanas are worse gram for gram.

No reliable dose threshold has been published for this. Anything presenting a specific safe amount is extrapolating.

## The bit that is usually got wrong

> There is no established safe amount. Advice that a couple of grapes is fine is not supported — reported fatal cases have involved very small quantities.

> Body weight decides almost everything here, so what is trivial for a 40 kg dog can matter for a 4 kg one, and a bird is smaller again. Where a real published threshold exists this page gives it; where none does, it says so rather than inventing one.

## Fruit

| Food | Worst verdict | Dogs | Cats |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avocado | Toxic | Risky | Risky |
| Apple | In moderation | Safe | Safe |
| Banana | In moderation | In moderation | In moderation |
| Blueberries and strawberries | In moderation | Safe | Safe |
| Watermelon and melon | In moderation | Safe | Safe |
| Cherries, peaches, plums and apricots | Risky | Risky | Risky |
| Oranges, lemons and limes | Risky | In moderation | Risky |
| Coconut and coconut oil | In moderation | In moderation | In moderation |

## Common questions

### Can dogs eat grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants?

Toxic — treat as an emergency. Acute kidney failure. No safe quantity is known and it is not reliably dose-dependent.

### Can cats eat grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants?

Toxic — treat as an emergency. Far fewer reported cases, but the same precaution applies.

### What does grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants actually do?

Grapes and their dried forms cause acute kidney injury in dogs, and for decades nobody knew why. In 2021 tartaric acid was identified as the likely agent, which also explains why cream of tartar and tamarind produce similar signs. The response is idiosyncratic rather than dose-dependent: some dogs eat a punnet with no effect, others have gone into renal failure after a handful, and there is no way to tell in advance which dog you have. Dried fruit is more concentrated than fresh, so raisins and sultanas are worse gram for gram.

### What should I do if my pet has eaten it?

Call your vet or an animal poison control line now, rather than waiting for signs. Do not try to make the animal sick at home.

## Related pages

- [Can pets eat avocado?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/avocado/)
- [Can pets eat apple?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/apple/)
- [Can pets eat banana?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/banana/)
- [Can pets eat blueberries and strawberries?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/blueberries/)
- [Can pets eat watermelon and melon?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/watermelon/)
- [Can pets eat cherries, peaches, plums and apricots?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/cherry/)
- [Can pets eat chocolate?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/chocolate/)
- [Can pets eat onion, garlic, leek and chives?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/onion-garlic/)
- [Can pets eat xylitol and birch sugar?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/xylitol/)
- [Can pets eat cooked bones?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/cooked-bones/)
- [Everything, for dogs](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/dog/)
- [Everything, for cats](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/cat/)

## Sources

- MSD/Merck Veterinary Manual — Merck & Co. (https://www.merckvetmanual.com/)