Why are grapes bad for dogs

Dogs are usually the kind of pets that eat almost whatever food is offered to them by their owners, therefore it is quite essential for a dog owner to know what food will have what effect on a dog. It is especially essential to know the foods that are bad or toxic for your Canine. One example of such a food or more specifically, fruit which is toxic for your dog is grape. Unlike certain other pets like cats or guinea pigs, dogs would in all probability eat grapes as any other food, ignorant of the danger.

The first symptom to show up after eating grapes is vomiting. It is a defense mechanism of the body which may save the dog if the amount of ingested grapes is low and the dog manages to throw up most of the grapes. If the dog has consumed large amounts of grapes however, it may not be able to throw up all the grapes inside of him and thus the problem becomes serious.

Grapes cause renal failure in dogs if it gets inside their system and it can even kill the dog. It is held that the kidneys of a dog are unable to pass the toxins present in a grape and thus onset of the kidney failure. After the kidney fails, the dog is naturally unable to urinate thereafter the situation turns serious and soon fatal if not treated quickly.

Although the exact reason for such fatal effects of grape consumption on dogs is yet unconfirmed, grapes are also high in sugar content, therefore another theory regarding the reason for toxicity of grapes in dogs is that the high sugar content in the fruit causes the dog’s body to produce excess insulin to manage the overdose of sugar and this may lead to a stage when the dog’s body stops reacting to the insulin.

It should also be noted that raisins have the same effect on dogs; therefore it is to be avoided as well. Also beware that the color of the grapes is irrelevant in this case, both dark and green grapes are toxic for dogs and therefore should be avoided altogether.