Are Grapes Toxic to Chihuahuas?

Are grapes toxic to Chihuahuas? Yes! They are highly toxic and even just one can cause kidney failure. I want to share my story with you that serves as a cautionary tale in case your Chihuahua ever eats grapes.

Two weeks ago, I was in the middle of a course launch for my brand, Irresistible YOUniversity. I was prepping for a webinar and had been locked in my office for most of the day. It was about an hour and a half before go time, so I thought I’d take a break and have dinner with my family downstairs for a little bit.

Except that never happened!

I was eating grapes and gave some to my daughter to try. I should have known better.

It was in that moment that she threw one and it landed on the floor. Chuy being the opportunist that he is scarfed it down without blinking.

F%ck.

In that moment I remembered that grapes are toxic to dogs. Highly toxic. Especially to small dogs like Chuy.

OMG.

I called the after hours ER vet. They said yes to bringing him in because they needed to get him to vomit ASAP. They told me that doing hydrogen peroxide at home isn’t always effective.

But my webinar?!  I have to cancel it! I’ve never NOT gone with Chuy to any vet appointments…especially the ER! So long story short, my husband took Chuy so that I could stay home and do my webinar…which also meant getting the human child to bed quickly. In other words, it was a hot mess!

What if My Chihuahua Eats Grapes?

If your Chihuahua has eaten grapes (or raisins), call your vet immediately. Yes, even just one grape. At this time, veterinarian science doesn’t know which part of the grape causes the toxicity. According to Pet MD, “Grapes and raisins are bad for dogs because one of the most serious complications of grape/raisin toxicity is they can cause severe kidney damage leading to acute (sudden) kidney failure with lack of urine production (anuria). However, kidney failure is not seen in all dogs after ingestion of grapes or raisins, and again, the reason why some dogs are affected excessively, while others are not, is still being studied.”

Upon getting to the ER, they immediately took Chuy to the back to induce vomiting  with an Apomorphine injection. The vet said they could see that he threw up the skin of the grape. He appeared to be just fine but they did also give us an option to keep him overnight for observation and IV.  The vet couldn’t directly say this but didn’t feel that was necessary but of course they have to give you options.  If he had ingested more than one grape, keeping him overnight would have been a good protocol.

What are the Symptoms of Grape Toxicity?

I was able to chat with the vet on the phone and she told us what symptoms to keep an eye out for:

• Excessive drinking
• Urinating a small amount despite drinking more
• Completely stopping any urination
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Abdominal pain
• Trembling

These symptoms can occur 1-5 days after ingestion!

Thank God, Chuy was fine and not affected by ingesting any of the grapes. This gave us a quite a scare and grapes are no longer allowed in our house! I’m not taking a chance. Here’s Chuy the next day looking healthy and ready for Valentine’s Day!

If you have a Chihuahua or a dog, you may want to do the same. This is especially scary with a smaller dog as it only takes one grape for them to experience kidney failure. The most critical thing in this situation is time. You need to get your dog to the vet immediately before the grapes fully absorb into their system.

If this post was helpful, check out our ultimate guide of Chihuahua tips.