Can dogs eat dates?
Updated 6 August 2026
Yes, in small amounts, and the confusion is worth clearing up first: dates are not raisins. A raisin is a dried grape and grapes are toxic to dogs; a date is a different fruit and is not on the veterinary toxic lists. Dates are very sugary and the stone can block a gut, so one small piece with the stone out is the ceiling.
The detail
Dates and raisins end up in the same category in people's heads because both are dark, sticky and dried. They come from completely different plants. A raisin is a dried grape, and VCA Animal Hospitals states that grapes, raisins and Zante currants can cause kidney failure in dogs. A date is the fruit of the date palm, and neither VCA nor Battersea lists it among the foods that are toxic.
That distinction is the whole reason this page exists. If your dog has eaten something dried and sticky and you are not sure which fruit it came from, work that out before anything else, because one answer is a phone call to the vet and the other is a glass of water and carry on.
Once you have ruled out the raisin question, dates are simply very sugary. One Medjool date holds around 16g of sugar in a piece the size of your thumb, which is more sugar than a whole medium banana.
The stone is the other issue. VCA's guidance on feeding fruit and vegetables says to take out stones, pits, seeds and cores first, because they cause choking and blockages. Date stones are hard, pointed and about the size of a small finger joint.
What is in one Medjool date (about 24g)
| Sugar | About 16gMore than a whole medium banana |
| Calories | About 66 |
| Fibre | About 1.6g |
| Anything toxic to dogs | NothingThe stone is a blockage and tooth risk, not a poison |
How much is sensible
| Dog size | Sensible amount |
|---|---|
| Small (under 10kg)Chihuahua, Jack Russell | Half a small date, stone removed, occasionally |
| Medium (10 to 25kg)Cocker spaniel, border collie | One small date, stone removed |
| Large (over 25kg)Labrador, German shepherd | One date, stone removed, no more than twice a week |
| Overweight or diabetic dogs | None. The sugar is the entire objection and there is no upside to weigh against it |
Dates are not raisins
This is the point to be firm on. A raisin is a dried grape, and VCA Animal Hospitals says grapes, raisins and Zante currants can cause kidney failure in dogs, with no reliable safe amount. Battersea lists grapes and raisins among its toxic foods too.
Dates come from the date palm and appear on neither list. If a dog eats a date, the questions are sugar and the stone. If a dog eats a raisin, the question is the vet's phone number.
When you genuinely cannot tell which one it was, treat it as a raisin and ring your vet. Being wrong in that direction costs you a phone call; being wrong the other way costs a lot more.
Fresh dates and dried dates
Both are sugary, and the difference is smaller than people expect. Fresh dates hold more water so the sugar is slightly less concentrated per gram, but a whole fresh date is bigger, which cancels most of that out.
The dried ones you buy in a UK supermarket, Medjool or Deglet Nour, are also stickier and cling to teeth. One date is plenty for any dog, and half of one is plenty for a small dog.
Date stones
Always take the stone out before your dog goes anywhere near a date. VCA's fruit and vegetable guidance says to remove stones, pits and seeds first, because they cause choking and blockages, and a date stone is hard enough to crack a tooth on top of that.
Pitted packs are not always fully pitted, so check each one. If your dog swallows a stone, ring your vet, especially for a small dog, and watch for retching, straining, refusing food or a hunched posture over the next couple of days.
Sticky toffee pudding and date desserts
Keep these away. Sticky toffee pudding is dates carried in butter, sugar and cream, which is a fat and sugar load rather than a fruit, and Vets Now links high-fat food with pancreatitis in dogs.
Date and oat flapjacks, energy balls and fruit loaves often carry raisins or sultanas alongside the dates, and some carry chocolate. If a slice of something goes missing, the ingredients list tells you whether this is a shrug or a phone call.
Signs to watch for
- Loose stools or wind after a large amount
- Retching, straining or refusing food after a swallowed stone
- A cracked or painful tooth after chewing on a stone
If your dog overdoes it
One date with the stone out needs nothing beyond fresh water. If a stone was swallowed, ring your vet, particularly for a small dog, and watch for vomiting, straining or a refusal to eat. If there is any chance the fruit was a raisin or sultana rather than a date, call your vet or the Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000 straight away.
Common questions
Are dates toxic to dogs like raisins are?
No. VCA Animal Hospitals lists grapes, raisins and Zante currants as causing kidney failure in dogs, and dates are a different fruit that appears on no such list. Dates are sugary rather than poisonous.
My dog ate a date with the stone in. What should I do?
Ring your vet, especially if your dog is small. VCA advises removing stones and pits before feeding fruit because they cause choking and blockages. Watch for retching, straining, vomiting or refusing food over the next couple of days.
How many dates can a dog have?
One date, stone removed, is plenty for a medium or large dog, and half of one is enough for a small dog. Keep it occasional rather than daily, because a single Medjool date carries around 16g of sugar.
Can diabetic dogs have dates?
No. Dates are among the sugariest things in the cupboard, and there is nothing in one your dog cannot get elsewhere. Cucumber or carrot gives the same moment without the sugar.
Can dogs eat sticky toffee pudding?
Keep it away. The dates are the harmless part; the butter, sugar and cream around them are a fat and sugar load, and Vets Now links high-fat food with pancreatitis in dogs.
I cannot tell whether my dog ate a date or a raisin. What now?
Treat it as a raisin and phone your vet or the Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000. Grape and raisin poisoning has no established safe amount, so a call is the right response to any uncertainty.