diff --git a/pkg/kv/transport.go b/pkg/kv/transport.go
index e28453d334ce..505e0530b1b4 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/transport.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/transport.go
@@ -248,6 +248,9 @@ func (gt *grpcTransport) send(
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
+		if err := grpcutil.ConnectionReady(conn); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 		reply, err := roachpb.NewInternalClient(conn).Batch(ctx, &client.args)
 		if reply != nil {
 			for i := range reply.Responses {
diff --git a/pkg/util/grpcutil/grpc_util.go b/pkg/util/grpcutil/grpc_util.go
index 9fd696c9a3f5..14a8dbbfc4bc 100644
--- a/pkg/util/grpcutil/grpc_util.go
+++ b/pkg/util/grpcutil/grpc_util.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ package grpcutil
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/connectivity"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/transport"
 )
@@ -73,6 +75,9 @@ func IsClosedConnection(err error) bool {
 // TODO(bdarnell): Replace this with a cleaner mechanism when/if
 // https://github.com/grpc/grpc-go/issues/1443 is resolved.
 func RequestDidNotStart(err error) bool {
+	if _, ok := err.(connectionNotReadyError); ok {
+		return true
+	}
 	s, ok := status.FromError(err)
 	if !ok {
 		// This is a non-gRPC error; assume nothing.
@@ -87,3 +92,29 @@ func RequestDidNotStart(err error) bool {
 	}
 	return false
 }
+
+// ConnectionReady returns nil if the given connection is ready to
+// send a request, or an error (which will pass RequestDidNotStart) if
+// not.
+//
+// This is a workaround for the fact that gRPC 1.7 fails to
+// distinguish between ambiguous and unambiguous errors.
+//
+// This is designed for use with connections prepared by
+// pkg/rpc.Connection.Connect (which performs an initial heartbeat and
+// thereby ensures that we will never see a connection in the
+// first-time Connecting state).
+func ConnectionReady(conn *grpc.ClientConn) error {
+	if s := conn.GetState(); s == connectivity.TransientFailure {
+		return connectionNotReadyError{s}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+type connectionNotReadyError struct {
+	state connectivity.State
+}
+
+func (e connectionNotReadyError) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("connection not ready: %s", e.state)
+}