Do grapes cause problems with dogs?

I have been looking for a nutritional dog food or supplement for my 10 year old Jack Russell Terrier. Everything that I find lately, has garlic powder and or Oregon Grape Root in the ingredient list. I have always heard dogs shouldn’t have garlic, nor should they ever eat grapes. Is Oregon Grape Root in the grape family?

Charlotte

Great questions. I tend to avoid anything grape for dogs these days as they can cause kidney problems in rare cases. Question is why? Not sure. Some also ask if the different types of grapes (red versus purple) could have an influence, or if what is applied to the grape in the field. Not sure on this either. Oregon Grape Root is not related to the true grape, as far as I can tell. Garlic powder in low levels has never caused a problem as far as I have seen over the years. Too much might be an issue so don’t get carried away.

Timothy A. Hunt, DVM