Can dogs eat plums?
Updated 6 August 2026
Only with care, and only the flesh. Ripe plum flesh is not toxic and a small stoned piece is fine for most dogs, but the stone is the whole story: it chokes, it blocks small guts, and it holds cyanogenic compounds if it gets crunched open. Windfalls are the usual route in.
The detail
Plum flesh will not poison a dog. A small piece of ripe plum with the stone taken out is a reasonable occasional treat, and the only limit on the flesh itself is the sugar, at around 7g in a medium plum.
The stone is why this page sits in the amber tier rather than the green one. It is roughly 2cm of hard, ridged, splintery material, close to the worst possible shape and size for a small dog's intestine.
Inside the stone is a kernel carrying cyanogenic compounds, the same family found in cherry and apricot stones. Those compounds only get released when the stone is chewed open, so a stone swallowed intact is mostly an obstruction question rather than a poisoning one.
The route into most UK dogs is not the fruit bowl. It is a plum tree dropping fruit on the lawn through August and September, where a dog can hoover up a dozen whole plums, stones included, in the time it takes to hang out the washing.
Risk by part of a plum
| Ripe flesh, stone removed | Fine in small amountsAround 7g of sugar in a medium plum |
| The stone, swallowed whole | Choking and blockage riskWorst in dogs under about 10kg |
| The stone, chewed open | Releases cyanogenic compoundsRing your vet the same day |
| Prunes and dried plums | Skip. Around 38g of sugar per 100g, plus a laxative effect |
| Windfalls fermenting on the lawn | Alcohol and mould toxinsClear the ground daily in late summer |
How much is sensible
| Dog size | Sensible amount |
|---|---|
| Small (under 10kg)Chihuahua, Jack Russell | One or two small pieces of stoned flesh, occasionally |
| Medium (10 to 25kg)Cocker spaniel, border collie | Up to half a plum, stone out, once or twice a week |
| Large (over 25kg)Labrador, German shepherd | One plum, stone out |
| Overweight or diabetic dogs | None. The sugar is most of what a plum brings |
Plum stones
Take the stone out before your dog ever sees the fruit. A plum stone is hard, about 2cm long and ridged along one edge, and it does not break down in the gut.
Swallowed whole by a labrador it will usually pass in a day or two. Swallowed by a terrier or a spaniel it can lodge in the small intestine, which is surgery rather than a wait-and-see. Several stones at once raise the odds for a dog of any size.
Crunched open is the other problem. The kernel inside carries cyanogenic compounds, and Vets Now is specific that plum stones are dangerous if crushed or broken before being eaten. Signs of that are fast, within an hour or so: laboured breathing, bright red gums, dilated pupils, wobbliness or collapse.
If a stone has gone down, ring your vet with your dog's weight, how many stones, and whether you heard crunching. For a chewed stone or a small dog, ring now rather than watching.
How much plum flesh is sensible
Keep it to the amounts in the table above. A medium plum carries around 7g of sugar, so half a plum is a fair treat for a collie and a whole one is a lot for a Jack Russell.
Cut the flesh off the stone rather than handing over a plum and hoping. Bite-sized pieces also remove the choking risk that comes with a whole slippery fruit.
Plum skin is fine and does not need peeling. Too much fruit in one go loosens stools in plenty of dogs, so if the answer to a treat is a bowlful, use carrot instead.
Dried plums and prunes
Prunes are best skipped. Drying concentrates the sugar to around 38g per 100g, so a small handful of prunes is a much bigger sugar dose than the fresh fruit ever gives.
The laxative effect is the other half. Prunes work on dogs the way they work on people, and a dog that has eaten several will usually tell you about it on the carpet by morning.
A single stolen prune is not an emergency. Offer water, expect a soft stool, and ring your vet if the diarrhoea runs past a day or two or your dog stops drinking.
Windfall plums in the garden
This is how most UK dogs actually eat plums. A mature plum tree drops fruit steadily through late August and September, and a dog left in the garden will eat whole plums off the grass, stone and all.
Walk the lawn before you let the dog out during dropping season. Picking up windfalls once a day takes two minutes and removes the entire problem, which is cheaper than counting stones afterwards.
Damson and greengage trees do the same thing with smaller fruit, and smaller stones swallow more easily. Neighbours' trees overhanging the fence count too.
Fermenting windfalls and alcohol
Windfall plums left on the ground for a few warm days start to ferment, and fermenting fruit produces alcohol. Dogs are far smaller than us and alcohol hits them accordingly, with wobbliness, vomiting and drowsiness the usual signs.
Mould is the other reason to clear them. The Royal Kennel Club warns that mouldy food can contain a range of toxins and advises keeping food waste in a sealed container your dog cannot get into, and rotting windfalls are the garden version of the same hazard.
If your dog has eaten a pile of rotting fruit and seems drunk, unsteady or is twitching, ring your vet. This one does not need a wait.
Signs to watch for
- Retching, gagging or pawing at the mouth straight after eating a whole plum
- Vomiting, a hunched posture, refusing food or straining in the 48 hours after a stone goes down
- No stools for a day or more after swallowing stones
- Laboured breathing, bright red gums, dilated pupils or wobbliness after crunching a stone open
If your dog overdoes it
For one stone swallowed whole by a medium or large dog, watch for vomiting, refusing food, straining or no stools over the next 48 hours and ring your vet if any of those appear. For a small dog, several stones, or a stone you heard being crunched, call your vet now. Out of hours, Vets Now runs emergency clinics across the UK, and the Animal PoisonLine is on 01202 509000.
Common questions
My dog swallowed a plum stone. What should I do?
Ring your vet with your dog's weight, how many stones went down, and whether you heard crunching. A single stone swallowed whole by a large dog usually passes, but a small dog or a chewed stone needs advice the same day.
Can dogs eat plum flesh?
Yes, in small pieces with the stone removed. A medium plum holds around 7g of sugar, so half a plum suits a medium dog and less suits a small one.
How long does a swallowed plum stone take to pass?
Usually 24 to 48 hours in a dog big enough to pass it at all. Watch for vomiting, a hunched back, refusing food or no stools, and ring your vet if any of those show up.
Are prunes safe for dogs?
Better avoided. Prunes carry roughly 38g of sugar per 100g and act as a laxative, so a handful means a mess and no benefit.
My dog ate windfall plums off the lawn. Is that a problem?
It depends on the stones and the state of the fruit. Count what is missing, watch for blockage signs over 48 hours, and ring your vet sooner if the fruit was rotting or your dog seems unsteady.
Can puppies eat plums?
A small piece of stoned flesh will not hurt one, but puppies are small enough that a stone is a serious blockage risk. There is no need for it, so leaving plums out of a puppy's diet costs nothing.
Are damsons and greengages the same as plums?
Same family, same advice. The fruit is smaller, which means smaller stones that go down more easily, so clear the ground under those trees just as carefully.