German Shepherds are known for being tough and durable, but the foods they can eat or not is something you might struggle with. You may wonder why certain things like chocolate would be toxic if eaten by a German Shepherd? The answer has more than just nutritional value- It also depends on their breeds’ genetic makeup!
The same goes for grapes; grapes are also poisonous for German Shepherds, and you should not feed grapes to german shepherd dogs.
German Shepherds SHOULD NOT consume grapes because grapes can cause renal failure and other kidney problems if your dog ingests them. Grapes are so poisonous that your dog will not be able to handle them, regardless of how tasty they are.
Grapes in any form, fresh or in the form of raisins, are not supposed to be fed to German Shepherds. There is a lot of research on the specific ingredient in grapes that makes them so poisonous, but there has been little luck. Hence we do not know what types of grapes are safe for German Shepherds.
The magnitude of the effect of grape consumption varies from one German Shepherd to another. Their age, height, weight, or breed do not matter, and grapes are serious toxins for all German Shepherds.
As a general and safe rule, avoid giving your German Shepherd any types of grapes or raisins.
To explain how dangerous grapes can be for your dog, we will divide this article into several parts and explain how each affects your German Shepherds’ health.
Why are grapes so poisonous?
Now that you read the above part and saw how strictly we said no to grapes for German Shepherds, you may be wondering, “What is it that makes grapes so toxic?” The answer to this is not simple at all.
In fact, there is no agreement on the specific reason for this among the scientists. Some studies, however, believe it has more to do with grape flesh than the seeds or the peel. So it is best always to avoid giving grapes to your dog and make sure to keep grapes away from your dog as well.
Can your German Shepherd die if it eats grapes?
Grapes are healthy for us humans because they contain high amounts of fiber, vitamins, potassium, minerals, and phytochemicals, have low-calorie content, and are almost fat-free. They’re also renowned for lowering the possibility of many heart illnesses and conditions. This might make you tempted to feed them to your German Shepherd as well, but it is a fact that grapes are toxic for dogs.
It is almost common knowledge that grapes are toxic for German Shepherds, but can they cause death?
German Shepherds can die due to poisoning from grape consumption. Grape poisoning has been linked to severe renal failure in dogs, resulting in death. Because experts are unsure what specific element in grapes causes the poisoning, German Shepherds should not have any grape varieties because even a few grapes can be lethal.
What specific quantity of grapes can be fatal for a German Shepherd? Can your dog die with only one grape?
We are now aware that grapes can cause renal failure for dogs and lead to their death. But how many grapes are lethal? How many grapes cause fatal illnesses? Being an owner of German Shepherds, you may want to find answers to the questions above. Read along to find out!
Although the amounts of deadly derivatives in grapes are unknown, it is unlikely that your German Shepherd will die from only one grape. On the other hand, grape poisoning can harm a dog’s kidneys if just one grape is consumed, especially in smaller breeds.
A small number of grapes, raisins, and other variants might cause major problems in some dogs even if one grape has been consumed. While for other dogs, an even bigger amount of grapes might not induce any symptoms.
Hence there is no specific information on the number of grapes a dog can consume before becoming ill, and there is little research on how to predict this amount. Each dog, like humans, is an individual who will behave differently. We are unaware of the minimum dosage that should be given.
So, if you leave out desserts containing raisins or grapes around your German Shepherd, be cautious!
What would happen to your German Shepherd if it ingests grapes?
If you find out that your four-legged friend has eaten grapes, you may want to watch out for the following symptoms to determine whether your dog has grape poisoning or not.
- Appetite loss
- Lethargy
- Unusual silence
- Puking or feces
- Pain
- Thirst and lower urine production
- Breathing problems
- Ulcers in the mouth
- Kidney issues
- Sensations, convulsions, or unconsciousness
If you identify any of these symptoms in your dog, treatment becomes essential, making it an emergency. Don’t squander any time. For emergency assistance, contact your veterinarian.
Because we still do not know much about grape poisoning, you shouldn’t take any risks with your German Shepherds’ health. The quicker the poisoning is discovered and treated, like with any toxin, the less deadly it will be for your puppy and the less expensive it will be for you! We’re all aware of how costly veterinary care can be.
How to know how a German Shepherd may react if it eats grapes?
Grapes and raisins will have different effects on different canines. We have seen a lot of dogs getting poisoned after eating only a little mouthful of grapes and raisins hence some dogs are extremely susceptible to the deadly ingredient in grapes.
The lowest toxic dose documented for raisins is 0.04 oz. per pound, while the lowest toxic dose reported with grapes is 0.32 oz. per pound.
As few as seventeen grapes or 11 raisins might hypothetically harm a ten-pound (4.5-kg) dog. As a result, an eighteen kg dog would need to consume sixty-eight grapes and forty-four dried grapes for any harm to occur.
It may appear to be a large number, but it is quite small compared to the number of grapes & raisins that can be found in a single pack. Despite this, an eight kg dog has been reported to have died after consuming just 4 or 5 grapes, which is far less than you’d expect.
What should you do if your German Shepherd has already eaten grapes?
We now know that grapes are severely poisonous for German Shepherds, and they could lead to death. But what do if you were unable to keep your furry friend away from grapes and he already ate them? Read along to find out!
If you know that your German Shepherd has eaten a grape not longer than 2 hours before, you should force him to vomit to avoid absorbing all of the poisons in the grape. If your dog has already vomited, don’t force him to do it again. Even if you’re not sure about the number of grapes your German Shepherd has consumed, pay attention to the instructions given.
Before you take your German Shepherd in for treatment, your vet may give you instructions on how you should make the dog puke. This immediate first aid you provide to your German Shepherd could be crucial in preventing long-term harm to his kidneys.
If your German Shepherd has problems breathing and is displaying indications of unconsciousness, or if you don’t know if your dog had any grapes at all, you may be advised not to force vomiting at first.
If you are advised to attempt to make your German Shepherd vomit at home, you should follow the procedures below:
- Let your dog eat something if it has been hungry for the last two hours. This may cause your dog to puke, but this is not necessary if the dog does not want to eat.
- Using a syringe or a teaspoon, give your dog a little amount of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. The maximum amount of hydrogen peroxide that your German Shepherd’s body can handle is 45 ml, so do not feed a higher amount to your dog.
- Repeat the technique using that same quantity of hydrogen peroxide if your dog does not vomit after fifteen minutes. However, do not repeat this process more than twice without a fifteen-minute break.
Regardless of if your German Shepherd vomits or not, it would help if you took him to the vet as soon as possible. To deal with any remaining toxicity, your vet may need to do a stomach cleanse for your dog or administer activated charcoal, which will aid in absorbing all the things present in your dog’s stomach.
Extra fluids may be administered intravenously to your German Shepherd. This might aid in your dog’s kidneys to continue to produce urine while flushing the poison from their bloodstream.
The veterinarian may then prescribe medicine to prevent vomiting and maintain your German Shepherd’s kidneys healthy. If the German Shepherd consumes grapes in any form, there is no specific antidote; all a veterinarian can do is provide the greatest possible support for your dog’s kidneys.
The best advice is to avoid problems in the first place. Grapes, along with their other variants, should be kept away from dogs at all times. This is because most dogs will eat almost everything if given the opportunity!
It’s a smart move to check that your family and good friends are informed of the dangers of grapes or raisins as well.
What are the medical treatments available to fight against grape poisoning in German Shepherds?
Grapes, being extremely poisonous, should always be kept away from German Shepherds. But we learned in the parts above that keeping grapes away from your four-legged active friend may not be possible all the time. Now you must even know about what to do at home when your dog ingests grapes.
But when these home remedies don’t work, and the German Shepherd’s condition keeps getting worse, you may want to look into some medical treatments offered by veterinarians. Now, what are these treatments, and how do they work? Read along to find out!
Induced Vomiting
If grapes are consumed within two hours, the doctors may use activated charcoal to make your German Shepherd vomit forcefully. This would be a good method to get the grapes out of the dog’s system as quickly as possible.
Using fluids
If your German Shepherd has difficulty drinking water on its own or the vets don’t think it will if possible back home, intravenous fluids may be required. This will help your dog flush out all the toxins faster while also keeping him hydrated, which is important. The duration of this could be between 24 to 48 hours.
Bloodwork
Blood tests will be performed to see if anything is odd or dysfunctional in your German Shepherd’s organs or tissues. A 72-hour interval is required to examine bloodwork regularly.
Urine analysis
Many abnormalities, including renal disorders (the kidney), will almost certainly be discovered by looking at your dog’s urine sample. A urinalysis can reveal a lot of relevant information about a dog and can be used for various medical purposes.
The major focus, in this case, will most likely be on the kidney, and if the urine findings are abnormal, the veterinarians may request a renal ultrasound to evaluate whether there is a possibility of kidney stones.
If your German Shepherd has eaten grapes, it will not die immediately. So many treatments have come out recently which can save your dog. So you should not be petrified if you get to know that your puppy has eaten grapes. Instead, employ the treatments explained above to save your German Shepherd.
What are the other toxic foods for German Shepherds?
It’s crucial to remember that grapes and raisins aren’t the only foods that German Shepherds are allergic to. Although omnivores, their stomachs were not designed to process the massive amounts of food humans consume. If you want your German Shepherd to be healthy, then do not feed it any of the following fruits or vegetables, even in small amounts:
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Milk
- Onion
- Garlic
- Avocado
- Swiss Chard
Conclusion
Is it true that German Shepherds can eat grapes? No, because grapes are not at all safe for them. Grapes and raisins are particularly harmful to dogs. If your German Shepherd eats grapes, there’s no way to know for sure if they’ll get grape poisoning, but the potential of catastrophic adverse effects are too large.
The best thing you could do to avoid this is to entirely keep grapes away from your pets. Make sure your grapes & raisins are out of reach of your dog and that any spills are cleaned up as quickly as possible.
