As French Bulldogs have a tendency to gobble up any bit of scrap food that happens to find its way onto the floor, it’s always a good idea to get keyed up on the types of foods that are safe for your Frenchie, and the ones that can make them sick. With this in mind, are grapes bad for French Bulldogs?
Can French Bulldogs eat grapes? Frenchies cannot eat grapes. You should never feed your dog grapes or raisins as they are incredibly toxic for them. This applies to all types of grapes, be they green, black, red, peeled, seedless, or dried. Eating just small amounts of grape can result in permanent kidney damage or prove fatal.
Can a single grape kill a French Bulldog?
If your Frenchie has eaten one or two grapes, please don’t panic. According to vet’s advice that I read online, it could lead to some vomiting or diarrhea but won’t be fatal. Here’s what he said:
“The lowest toxic dose of grapes is 0.7 ounces per kilo. If you have a Frenchie weighing 20 pounds (9 kilos), the dog would need to eat 6.3 ounces for a possibly fatal toxic dose. If the dog just ate 1 or 2 grapes, I wouldn’t recommend you induce any vomiting. The worst you might find is that your dog has diarrhea or vomiting, but this is still unlikely.”
However, please appreciate, I am not a vet myself, this is just advice I have read online on a vet’s forum. If you want to play it safe, please get in contact with your veterinarian as quickly as possible as there have been reports where just one or two grapes can prove fatal for a dog of this size.
It is absolutely vital that your Frenchie be seen to as quickly as possible, as the sooner treatment begins, the higher the chance is of recovery. This is especially true if treatment begins before the toxins have had a chance to fully absorb into the body.
If you’re not sure but you suspect that your Frenchie has eaten some grapes, it’s recommended that you keep a close eye on them to see if they develop any symptoms of grape toxicity.
What happens if my French Bulldog eats a grape?
One grape should be fine, but in larger volumes here are some of the worst-case reactions to look out for.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy and weakness
- Dehydration
- Passing no or very little urine
- Refusing to drink water
- Bad breath
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Stomach pain
- Depression or hyperactivity
Are grapes bad for French Bulldogs?
Typically, French Bulldogs will vomit or have diarrhea within a few hours of eating grapes or raisins, and a cursory inspection of their fecal matter might reveal pieces of the fruit.
If you do happen to find pieces of grapes or raisins in your Frenchie’s fecal matter, or if your Frenchie is showing any combination of the above listed symptoms, please call your veterinarian immediately.
Although some veterinarians may advise you to induce vomiting, it’s important to note that you must never induce vomiting in your Frenchie if they are struggling to breathe; if they are showing signs of distress or shock; or if they are unconscious.
If you’re unsure about the signs of shock, the quickest way to tell is to check your French Bulldog for an elevated and irregular heartbeat. To do this, place your hand on their chest, just behind the left elbow, and count the beats for up to one minute.
Their heart rate should never exceed 70-140 beats per minute. Another way to check for shock in your Frenchie is to inspect their gums by lifting the upper lip.
Pink gums indicate a healthy pup, but if the gums are bright red, pale, bluish, brown, white, or yellow, this indicates a medical emergency.
Even if your Frenchie isn’t showing symptoms, it’s still vital that you get them checked out if you know for a fact they have managed to eat some grapes or raisins.
The symptoms can take some time to develop, and the sooner your Frenchie is seen to, the less likely there will be any significant long-term damage.
What makes grapes unsafe?
At the moment, we don’t actually know. Although research is being conducted to look into exactly why grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs, experts have yet to find out exactly what part of the grape is toxic.
Additionally, although some reports suggest that smaller dogs are more vulnerable to grape toxicity than larger dogs, there are also cases that indicate that grapes tend to affect each dog differently.
One study conducted in 2007 (Grape and Raisin Toxicity in Dogs) demonstrated how a Border Collie ate a 16-ounce box of raisins and remained unscathed, while 1.4 ounces is considered to be a toxic dose for a breed of this weight category.
In contrast, a Labrador Retriever in the same study was shown to have died from eating a slightly larger number of raisins.
As a rule of thumb, smaller dogs tend to be greater affected than larger dogs, and raisins tend to be more toxic than grapes.
Keep your Frenchie safe
It’s not uncommon to see fruit kept out on kitchen worktop surfaces in bowels, and although Frenchies are not the tallest of dogs, they are also notoriously mischievous, and have a habit of getting into all sorts of trouble.
To avoid any potential mishaps, it’s best to keep grapes and other poisonous fruit well out of your Frenchie’s reach, and preferably in a closed pantry.
Safe alternatives to grapes
Although your Frenchie shouldn’t eat grapes or raisins, there are plenty of other tasty fruits you can share with your pup.
As with any treats, it’s important to make sure that they constitute no more than 10% of your dog’s total calories for the day. This is especially relevant for Frenchies, who are prone to gaining weight if fed incorrectly.
Here are some fruits that you can feed a French Bulldog in moderation (whilst removing the seeds, skin, and core):
- Apple
- Apricot
- Banana
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cranberries
- Mango
- Orange
- Papaya
- Peach
- Pear
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
Here’s a video of our own Frenchie eating apple, plus a little more information.
Conclusion
Raisins and grapes are bad for French Bulldogs and can lead to a fatality. Whilst one or two grapes eaten by accident may be fine, I would still recommend that you talk with your vet over the phone at least.
The reason being, there is so much misinformation online, and reports where small amounts of grape have affected dogs in very different ways.
Handy Hint: To find out what other fruits you can safely feed your Frenchie, read this guide which also contains a list you can download and print off to keep in your kitchen.