How much banana can a dog eat?

As a rough guide, a 10 kg (22 lb) dog's whole daily treat allowance is about 50–65 g of banana, based on WSAVA's 10% treat rule and USDA calorie data. If your dog has other treats that day, give less.

Do I need to remove apple seeds?

Yes. The ASPCA lists apple seeds, stems and leaves as containing cyanogenic glycosides, which release cyanide, and the AKC advises removing the seeds and core before sharing apple.

Are any berries dangerous to dogs?

Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are fine in small amounts, according to the AKC. Avoid wild berries you can't identify, and don't confuse true currants with dried Zante currants, which are a type of grape.

My dog ate one grape. What should I do?

Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, with your dog's weight and roughly how many were eaten. There is no proven safe amount, and treatment works best before signs appear.

Can puppies eat fruit?

Small pieces of safe fruit are fine for most puppies, but their treat allowance is small and their diet needs to be complete and balanced for growth. Keep portions tiny and introduce one fruit at a time.

Can Dogs Eat Bananas, Apples and Other Fruit? A Safe-Fruit Guide

Yes, dogs can eat bananas and apples, along with most common fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, pears, watermelon and mango, as long as you remove the inedible parts and keep portions small. The big exception is grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants, which can cause kidney failure and are never safe in any amount.

Fruit is a treat, not a food group, for dogs. A complete dog food already supplies everything they need, so the questions that matter are which fruit is safe, how to prepare it, and how much is too much.

Safe and unsafe fruit at a glance

Fruit	Verdict	How to serve it
Apple	Safe	Slices with core, seeds and stalk removed
Banana	Safe in moderation	Peeled, in small pieces; high in sugar
Blueberries	Safe	Whole for larger dogs; halved for tiny dogs
Strawberries	Safe in moderation	Hulled and sliced
Raspberries	Safe in small amounts	A few at a time
Pear	Safe	Flesh only, pips and core removed
Watermelon	Safe	Flesh only; no rind or seeds
Cantaloupe	Safe in moderation	Small pieces; high in sugar
Mango	Safe in moderation	Flesh only; never the stone
Orange and other citrus	Small amounts	A segment or two of flesh, no peel or pips
Pineapple	Safe in small amounts	Fresh flesh only, no skin or crown
Peach	Flesh only, with care	Cut all flesh off the stone; skip tinned peaches in syrup
Plum, apricot and other stone fruit	Not worth the risk	Stones carry cyanide compounds and can block the gut
Cranberries	Small amounts	Fresh or plain; not sweetened dried
Pumpkin	Safe	Cooked or 100% pumpkin purée, not pie filling
Grapes, raisins, sultanas, Zante currants	Never	Emergency if eaten
Cherries	Avoid	Stones, stems and leaves contain cyanide compounds
Avocado	Avoid	Large stone can block the gut; fatty flesh
Tomato	Ripe flesh only, or skip	Green parts and plant contain solanine

The verdicts above draw on the American Kennel Club (AKC), the ASPCA and the Merck and MSD veterinary manuals. If you’re checking a food that isn’t fruit, try our is it toxic? tool.

How much fruit can a dog have?

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) says treats of all kinds should make up less than 10% of a dog’s daily calories. Fruit counts towards that, alongside chews, training treats and the bit of cheese hiding a tablet.

Using WSAVA’s calorie ranges for healthy adult dogs and USDA calorie figures for raw fruit, here is our arithmetic for the most a dog should have if fruit were its only treat that day:

Dog’s weight	Daily treat allowance (10%)	Banana (89 kcal/100 g)	Apple, no skin (48 kcal/100 g)	Blueberries (57 kcal/100 g)	Watermelon (30 kcal/100 g)
5 kg (11 lb)	28–35 kcal	31–39 g	58–73 g	49–61 g	93–117 g
10 kg (22 lb)	47–59 kcal	53–66 g	98–123 g	82–104 g	157–197 g
20 kg (44 lb)	79–99 kcal	89–111 g	165–206 g	139–174 g	263–330 g
30 kg (66 lb)	108–135 kcal	121–152 g	225–281 g	189–237 g	360–450 g

Allowance is 10% of WSAVA’s 2020 calorie range for an average healthy adult dog in ideal body condition. Fruit weights are for prepared flesh. 28 g is about 1 oz.

Two practical rules sit on top of the numbers:

Aim for half the figure in the table if your dog gets any other treats, and less still if your dog is overweight or inactive. WSAVA notes that some dogs need fewer calories than average.
Start with a piece or two. New foods, including fruit, can upset some stomachs. The AKC notes that too many cranberries can cause stomach upset, and the ASPCA says the same of fresh coconut.

Our dog food calculator can help you work out your own dog’s daily needs.

Fruit dogs can eat, and how to prepare it

Apples and pears

Apples are one of the easiest fruits to share. The AKC recommends removing the seeds and core first. The ASPCA lists the stems, leaves and seeds of apple trees as containing cyanogenic glycosides, compounds that release cyanide. There’s no reason to offer them.

Rings of peeled apple with the core removed, laid out on a metal tray — Cored apple is the easy way to share it: the seeds and stalk are the parts to avoid. Photo: cogdogblog (Alan Levine) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Pears get the same treatment. The AKC advises cutting them into bite-size chunks and removing the pips, and skipping tinned pears in syrup.

Bananas

Bananas are safe, but they’re one of the more sugary and calorie-dense fruits. USDA data puts raw banana at 89 kcal and about 12 g of sugar per 100 g, roughly three times the calories of strawberries or watermelon. The AKC suggests treating banana as an occasional treat rather than a regular part of the diet. We’d peel it and give a few thin slices; frozen slices make a decent summer chew.

Blueberries, strawberries and other berries

Blueberries are about the most convenient fruit for dogs: small, no stone, and easy to use as training rewards. Strawberries are lower in calories than most fruit (32 kcal per 100 g, according to USDA data) but still contain natural sugar, so the AKC advises moderation.

Fresh blueberries in a glass bowl with a few scattered on a pale surface — Blueberries are small, low in calories and easy to use as training rewards. Photo: Brigitte Tohm / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Raspberries contain small amounts of naturally occurring xylitol. The AKC says to limit raspberries to no more than 8 oz (about 225 g); our portion table suggests most dogs should have far less.

Don’t let the word “currant” fool you. Dried Zante currants are tiny grapes and are dangerous. True currants (the Ribes plants, such as blackcurrants) have not been linked to kidney injury in dogs, according to the MSD Veterinary Manual, but we’d still avoid them rather than risk a mix-up.

Watermelon and cantaloupe

Watermelon is low in calories, at 30 kcal per 100 g. The AKC says to remove the rind and seeds, which can cause intestinal blockage. Cantaloupe is safe but higher in sugar, so the AKC suggests sharing them sparingly, especially with dogs that are overweight or diabetic.

Wedges of red watermelon with black seeds lined up on a red surface — Watermelon is mostly water, but the rind and seeds should stay on your side of the table. Photo: Harsha K R / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Mango, peaches and other stone fruit

Mango flesh is fine in moderation. The stone is not: the AKC says it contains small amounts of cyanide and is a choking hazard.

The AKC says small amounts of fresh or frozen peach flesh are fine, but warns that the stone contains cyanide. Peaches, plums, apricots and cherries all belong to the Prunus group. Merck’s toxicology chapter explains that seeds and leaves have higher cyanide potential than fruit flesh, and that crushing and chewing is what releases it. Cut the flesh off and put the stone in a bin your dog can’t open.

Oranges and other citrus

A segment or two of orange is fine for most dogs. The ASPCA says citrus peel, seeds and stems contain citric acid and essential oils that can irritate, but that eating the fruit itself is unlikely to cause more than minor stomach upset. The AKC advises offering flesh only.

Pineapple, cranberries and pumpkin

Pineapple: fresh flesh in small chunks, with the spiky skin and crown removed. Avoid tinned pineapple in syrup, says the AKC.
Cranberries: a few plain ones. Sweetened dried cranberries add sugar your dog doesn’t need.
Pumpkin: the AKC suggests 100% pumpkin purée, not pie filling, which is sweetened and spiced.

Fruit dogs should never eat

Grapes, raisins, sultanas and Zante currants

These cause acute kidney injury in some dogs. The MSD Veterinary Manual names tartaric acid as one proposed cause; dogs appear unable to clear it from their kidneys the way some other species can. Tamarinds have caused kidney failure in dogs too.

Nobody can predict which dogs will react or how much is too much. MSD notes that more than one grape or raisin per 4.5 kg (10 lb) of body weight may contain enough tartaric acid to be a risk, but the amount varies between fruits. The AKC says no amount has been proven safe. Most affected dogs vomit or have diarrhoea within 6 to 12 hours, and kidney failure can follow within 24 to 72 hours.

Watch out for hidden sources: fruit cake, hot cross buns, mince pies, trail mix, cereal bars and some breads. Our list of foods toxic to dogs covers the other kitchen hazards.

Cherries

The ASPCA lists cherry as toxic to dogs because the stems, leaves and stones contain cyanogenic glycosides. The flesh itself is not the problem, but cherries are small enough that dogs tend to swallow them whole, stone and all, so they aren’t worth the risk.

Avocado

Avocado is much more dangerous to birds and livestock than to dogs. Merck describes dogs as “relatively resistant,” but warns that a swallowed stone can block the intestines. The AKC adds that the fatty flesh may contribute to pancreatitis. It’s simpler to leave it out.

Tomatoes

Ripe tomato flesh is generally safe, according to the AKC, but the leaves, stems and unripe green fruit contain solanine. If you grow tomatoes, fence the plants off.

Fruit products to skip

Dried fruit: calories and sugar are concentrated, and raisins and dried currants are often mixed in.
Tinned fruit in syrup: lots of added sugar.
Fruit yoghurts, jams and sugar-free desserts: check every label for xylitol, which WSAVA lists among foods toxic to dogs.
Fruit juice and smoothies: sugar without the fibre, and sometimes grape juice.

See a vet now if:

Your dog has eaten any grapes, raisins, sultanas or currants, or food containing them, even if it seems well.

Your dog swallowed a fruit stone, a whole core or a large piece of rind and is vomiting, retching, off food or has a sore or swollen belly.

Your dog chewed cherry, peach, plum or apricot stones and has brick-red gums, dilated pupils, fast breathing or seems weak.

Your dog ate something sugar-free and is wobbly, weak or vomiting, since it may contain xylitol.

In the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is on (888) 426-4435 and Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Elsewhere, call your vet or local poison service.

Dogs that need extra care with fruit

Overweight dogs: fruit is lower in calories than most treats, but it isn’t free. Count it.
Dogs with diabetes: the AKC flags sugary fruit such as cantaloupe for diabetic dogs. Ask your vet before adding any.
Dogs on a prescription diet: WSAVA says conventional treats may not be appropriate for dogs with medical conditions or on vet-prescribed diets.
Puppies: their treat allowance is small. Keep pieces tiny and introduce one fruit at a time.

The bottom line

Most everyday fruit is a perfectly good treat for dogs once you take out the cores, stones, seeds, peel and rind. Keep it small: fruit and all other treats together should stay under about 10% of your dog’s daily calories. Grapes, raisins, sultanas and Zante currants are the hard line, and any amount eaten is a reason to call your vet straight away.