Toxic to dogs · Foods

Is Tamarind / Tartaric Acid / Cream of Tartar toxic to dogs?

Extreme severity No safe amount — No amount is considered safe.

Yes, Tamarind / Tartaric Acid / Cream of Tartar is extremely toxic to dogs. Even a small amount can be life-threatening, so treat any exposure as an emergency and contact a vet immediately. No amount is considered safe.

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Are tamarind and cream of tartar toxic to dogs?

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What to do right now

  1. Call your vet or an animal poison line now, even if your dog seems fine. Treatment works best while your dog still has no signs. In the US: Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 or ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435.
  2. Don't make your dog vomit at home unless a vet or poison-line expert tells you to. The vet uses a medicine to do it.
  3. Keep the package or the play dough recipe. Note roughly how much your dog ate, when it happened and your dog's weight. The vet uses these to judge the risk.
  4. If your dog ate homemade play dough, tell the vet: besides cream of tartar, it contains a large amount of salt, which can cause salt poisoning.

Go to an emergency vet if

  • Your dog ate cream of tartar, tamarind or homemade play dough and you can't reach your vet or a poison line. Go to the nearest emergency clinic: don't wait for signs.
  • Your dog vomits, has diarrhea, stops eating, has belly pain or seems weak or very tired.
  • Your dog drinks much more than usual, or pees less than usual or not at all. Making little or no urine can mean the kidneys are failing.
  • Your dog trembles, walks unsteadily or has a seizure.

Symptoms to watch for

  • vomiting
  • diarrhea
  • lethargy
  • acute kidney injury
  • renal failure

How much is dangerous

None of the sources we checked gives a toxic or a safe dose of cream of tartar or tamarind for dogs, and the ASPCA's 2021 letter notes that information on the toxicity of cream of tartar in animals is lacking. The amount of tartaric acid in tamarinds, grapes and raisins varies, so the effects of eating them vary too. The same letter cites an estimate that 5 g of cream of tartar holds about as much tartaric acid as 120 g of raisins. The published cases give an idea of the amounts involved. A 9.6 kg dachshund that ate 2 teaspoons (6.76 g) of cream of tartar, or 704 mg per kg of body weight, had severe kidney injury within 30 hours. A 28 kg dog that ate homemade play dough containing 13.52 g of cream of tartar (483 mg/kg) was put to sleep about 96 hours later, after seizures. Dogs also developed kidney injury after eating 6 to 7 tamarind pods (a 28 kg dog), 80 g of tamarind paste (an 11.3 kg dog) and 14 to 28 g of tamarind paste (two French bulldogs of 9.2 and 13.3 kg). These are amounts from a few individual cases, not safe limits: treat any amount your dog swallows as an emergency.

When signs appear

Vomiting or diarrhea usually comes first. In the published cases, dogs that ate cream of tartar started vomiting within 1 to 2 hours. After tamarind, vomiting started within 2 hours in one dog, within 12 hours in two others and 14 hours after eating in another. The Merck Veterinary Manual says most dogs poisoned by grapes, raisins or tamarinds vomit or have diarrhea within 6 to 12 hours. Kidney damage follows: one dog already had severe kidney injury on blood tests 24 hours after eating play dough, and another 30 hours after eating cream of tartar. Merck says kidney failure, with little or no urine, develops within 24 to 72 hours. Don't wait for signs before you call your vet.

Why it's dangerous

Tamarind, cream of tartar, and other concentrated tartaric acid sources can cause acute kidney injury and renal failure in dogs.

Toxic compound: Tartaric acid and potassium bitartrate

How vets treat it

If your dog still has no signs, the vet usually starts by making it vomit as soon as possible. Merck notes that it isn't known whether activated charcoal helps. After a large amount, or if diarrhea starts within 12 hours, Merck recommends a drip (IV fluids) for at least 48 hours to keep urine flowing, with blood tests to check the kidneys. If your dog makes little urine, medicines such as furosemide or dopamine may be given to help it pee. A dog that stops making urine is unlikely to survive unless it gets dialysis, and even then the outlook is guarded. The ASPCA says that, as with grapes and raisins, vets should consider decontamination and IV fluids after a significant amount of cream of tartar or tamarind.

Outlook

The sooner treatment starts, the better. In the six published cases, the dogs were not decontaminated and treatment was delayed: four dogs were put to sleep, and the outcome of the other two is unknown. The Merck Veterinary Manual says that once a dog stops making urine, most die or are put to sleep. For grape and raisin poisoning, which researchers link to the same acid, VCA says a dog that is treated promptly, before signs develop, generally has a good prognosis, and that dogs that survive kidney injury may develop chronic kidney disease.

Where pets are exposed

  • Cream of tartar. Its chemical name is potassium bitartrate, and it is a form of tartaric acid. In one reported case, a dog that ate 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar developed severe kidney injury.
  • Homemade play dough made with cream of tartar. A dog that ate homemade play dough developed acute kidney injury, and vets at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center connected this case to grape poisoning. Homemade play dough also contains a large amount of salt, which can cause salt poisoning.
  • Tamarind pods and tamarind paste. Tamarinds are naturally high in tartaric acid, and the ASPCA has reports of dogs that developed severe vomiting and kidney failure after eating large amounts.
  • Grapes, raisins and Zante currants, which also contain high levels of tartaric acid. Tartaric acid is one proposed reason they can damage dogs' kidneys.
  • Tartaric acid itself, and products that list tartaric acid or cream of tartar as an ingredient. None of the sources we checked gives a safe amount for dogs.

Prevention

  • Keep cream of tartar, tamarind pods, tamarind paste and foods made with them out of your dog's reach.
  • Store homemade play dough where your dog can't get it. It can contain both cream of tartar and a large amount of salt.
  • Don't share foods that contain tamarind with your dog.
  • Keep grapes, raisins and currants out of reach too, including in the trash and the compost.

Common questions

Is cream of tartar toxic to dogs?

It can be. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has reports of dogs that developed vomiting and severe kidney injury after eating cream of tartar, including one that ate 2 teaspoons and one that ate homemade play dough made with it. Cream of tartar is a form of tartaric acid, the substance thought to make grapes toxic to dogs. No safe amount is known, so call your vet or a pet poison line right away if your dog eats any.

Can dogs eat tamarind?

No. Dogs have developed kidney failure after eating tamarind pods or tamarind paste, and the Merck Veterinary Manual covers tamarind together with grapes and raisins. Tamarinds are naturally high in tartaric acid, and the amount varies, so the effect is hard to predict. If your dog ate tamarind, call your vet now.

Is tartaric acid what makes grapes and raisins toxic to dogs?

Probably, but it isn't proven. In 2021, vets at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center proposed in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association that tartaric acid and cream of tartar cause the kidney failure seen after grapes and raisins. They based this on dogs that developed similar vomiting, kidney failure and kidney damage after eating cream of tartar or tamarind, and on older studies showing that dogs are sensitive to tartaric acid. A 2022 report of six dogs called tartaric acid the likely toxic component. The Merck Veterinary Manual describes it as one proposed cause, VCA says the cause remains uncertain, and Pet Poison Helpline notes that the evidence comes from a small number of cases. Whatever the cause, treat any grapes or raisins your dog eats as an emergency.

My dog ate homemade play dough. What should I do?

Call your vet or a pet poison line now, even if your dog seems fine. Homemade play dough can harm dogs in two ways: it contains a large amount of salt, which can cause salt poisoning, and recipes made with cream of tartar contain tartaric acid, which has been linked to kidney injury in dogs. Keep the recipe so the vet knows what went into it.

How soon do signs appear after a dog eats cream of tartar or tamarind?

Vomiting can start within 1 to 2 hours after cream of tartar. After tamarind, vomiting started within 2 hours in one reported dog and 14 hours after eating in another. Blood tests showed severe kidney injury 24 hours after eating in one dog and 30 hours after in another, and Merck says kidney failure develops within 24 to 72 hours. Call your vet as soon as you find out, before signs appear.

Why are dogs so sensitive to tartaric acid?

Researchers think dogs can't clear it well. The Merck Veterinary Manual explains that dogs lack some of the transporters other species use to get rid of organic acids such as tartaric acid, so it can build up in kidney cells. Older studies found that dogs absorb a large share of the tartaric acid they eat and eliminate it quickly through the kidneys, while people absorb little of it. In people, tartrates are considered to have a wide margin of safety, so don't judge your dog's risk by what is safe for you.

Sources

This page is informational and is not veterinary advice. If your pet has been exposed to something risky, contact your vet or an animal poison control line right away.

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