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Poisoning questions, answered

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The four most-used triage calculators:

chocolate · open tool My dog ate dark chocolate — how much is dangerous? grapes & raisins · open tool My dog ate one grape. Should I panic? xylitol · open tool Dog ate sugar-free gum with xylitol — emergency? lily · open tool Cat licked a lily petal — is that fatal?
Full answer library
Cats · Food safety In my two-cat household, my 4 kg Persian ate a bite of cooked bass but my 2 kg Siamese did not — do I need to monitor both cats? Only the cat who ate the bass needs monitoring, and even then the risk is very low. Cooked bass is a safe… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg indoor cat nibbled one small wild mushroom cap from the garden — is this a single bite enough to cause liver failure? Yes, even one small bite of a toxic wild mushroom can be fatal for a 3 kg cat. Some wild species cause… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg French Bulldog licked turmeric powder that had been open for six months — could the expired spice cause stomach upset? Old turmeric powder will not become toxic from age, but it can lose potency and pick up moisture that… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate two brine-cured olives from the kitchen counter — is the salt content dangerous for her, or should I just watch her for dehydration? Two brine-cured olives are unlikely to cause serious harm to a 5 kg cat, but the salt content is not… Dogs · Food safety In my two-dog home, my 6 kg beagle ate a piece of spiced beef jerky while my 18 kg golden did not — is the smaller dog at higher risk from the onion powder? Yes, the smaller dog is at higher risk. Most spiced beef jerky contains onion or garlic powder, and alliums… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog ate a warm cooked cherry with the skin left on — is that safe? Yes — the flesh of a cooked cherry is fine as long as no pit, stem, or leaf is involved. Cooking actually… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg dog had two bites of cooked lamb with gravy last night — what should I watch for today? Lamb itself won't make your dog sick — the gravy is the only thing to keep an eye on. For a 5 kg dog, two… Cats · Food safety What common cat treats or supplements might contain lime or lime oil that a 5 kg cat with a sensitive stomach should avoid? Check the ingredient list for 'lime oil', 'citrus oil', or 'citrus extract' — it's sometimes added to dental… Dogs · Food safety My 20 kg dog ate a whole nectarine that was left on the counter for three days and now has blue mould on one side. What should I do? Watch for vomiting, diarrhoea, or tremors over the next 12–24 hours. The mould itself can produce toxins, and… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg Shih Tzu has eaten a few tangerine segments every day for three months. Could the tangerines be causing his soft stools and dull coat? It could be. Even the flesh carries small amounts of citrus essential oil, and feeding that every day adds… Dogs · Food safety My 4-kg Chihuahua ate two toast crusts this morning but my German Shepherd left them alone — do I need to do anything different for the smaller one? No, two crusts won't hurt your 4-kg Chihuahua, and you don't need to do anything special. There's nothing in… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg indoor cat snacked on a slice of cucumber left out on the counter overnight — is it still safe to give her more tomorrow? Discard it and don't offer more. Cucumber itself is safe and hydrating for cats, but a slice left out… Cats · Food safety Can I safely feed my 8 kg neutered male cat a small piece of plain cooked cod every day as a treat? Yes. Plain cooked cod is safe for cats and low in fat. The catch is nutrition: cod alone doesn't have… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg Shih Tzu licked the tomato-basil pasta sauce off his dinner plate. It's been 45 minutes. Should I make him vomit or watch him? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line now. Tomato leaves and stems contain solanine and tomatine, both toxic… Dogs · Food safety My 8-week-old puppy managed to steal a full handful of cooked bison chunks while I was plating dinner — is that safe for such a small dog? Yes, it's safe. Cooked plain bison is no different from lean beef for a dog, and even a small puppy can… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 3 kg dog got into my cold brew concentrate and is already trembling — what do I do right now? This is an emergency. Cold brew concentrate holds far more caffeine per millilitre than brewed coffee, and at… Dogs · Emergency guide My 3 kg Shih Tzu ate two autumn crocus bulbs from the garden — is this an emergency? Yes. For a 3 kg dog, two bulbs is a serious amount and this should be treated as urgent. Colchicine stops… Cats · Food safety Is a powdered digestive supplement containing spaghetti squash okay for my 6 kg cat with a sensitive stomach? Yes, the spaghetti squash itself is safe. Cooked and plain, it's a benign ingredient unlikely to upset a… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate a quarter of a pitted date—is that too much sugar for her? That's a lot for a small cat. Dates are very high in sugar and sticky, which isn't ideal for feline… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat licked the sugar glaze off a slice of baked ham—should I be concerned? The sugar itself isn't toxic, but the amount and the other ingredients are the issue. A few licks of glaze… Cats · Emergency guide A jade plant leaf fell into my cat's wet food and he ate around it—is the gravy that touched it dangerous? Yes, it can be. The thick, slightly sweet leaves contain an unidentified toxin that causes vomiting and… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat just licked garlic powder off some seasoned chicken—what's the first thing I should do? Move the chicken away and prevent further access immediately. Garlic powder is a concentrated allium and far… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg dog keeps trying to lick ibuprofen gel off my sore knee—is training 'leave it' effective for this? Training is part of the solution, but storage is non-negotiable. Topical NSAID gels are highly toxic; a few… Cats · Food safety How can I prevent my 4 kg cat from stealing raw, peeled kohlrabi pieces I'm prepping on the kitchen counter? Raw kohlrabi is hard and a choking hazard, so prevention is crucial. The most reliable method is to prep… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog ate one large raw Swiss chard leaf 2 hours ago—what should I watch for over the next day? Watch for signs of gastrointestinal upset and changes in urination. Swiss chard is high in oxalates, which… Cats · Food safety Are halibut oil supplements safe for improving my 8-year-old cat's dry skin and dull coat? Yes, halibut oil from a reputable supplement is generally safe. The fish itself is safe cooked and plain, and… Cats · Food safety Is it safe to feed my 6‑lb senior cat two bites of a butternut squash chew that sat on the counter overnight? Yes, those butternut squash treats are safe for your cat. The ingredient is plain cooked squash, which is… Cats · Food safety My 5-year-old 4.2 kg cat got into a bowl of raw cookie dough sweetened with erythritol — is that dangerous? Raw cookie dough itself is the bigger problem here, not the erythritol. The raw flour can carry bacteria like… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg cat chewed and swallowed part of a rodenticide block 15 minutes ago — what is the very first thing I should do? Find the packaging right now and note the active ingredient. That single detail decides whether your cat gets… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog licked a generous squeeze of hydrocortisone cream from my first aid kit — is that amount harmful? A generous squeeze from an 8 kg dog is enough to cause vomiting and diarrhoea, and that is the best-case…

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