Suspect poisoning? US: ASPCA Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · UK: 01202 509 000 · Severe symptoms → nearest emergency vet now.
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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
Dogs · Food safety Is cooked asparagus safe for a small dog like my 5 kg Shih Tzu, or does the size change the risk? Cooked asparagus is perfectly fine for a 5 kg Shih Tzu in small pieces. The main concern is the raw stem — it… Cats · Food safety Are commercial cat treats made with lamb and grain free safe for my 4 kg cat? Lean cooked lamb is safe for a 4 kg cat in small pieces — the issue with commercial treats is what else is in… Cats · Food safety My 3.5 kg cat knocked over a glass of spirits at a party and lapped up about a teaspoon — is this an emergency? Yes, treat this as an emergency. Ethanol is rapidly absorbed and even a teaspoon of spirits can be dangerous… Cats · Food safety Only my 4 kg cat ate a few small pieces of pitted apricot — my other cats didn't touch it. Do I need to watch the others too? The apricot flesh itself is safe in small pieces, so your 4 kg cat is fine as long as she did not eat the… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg dog ate one small bite of raw green onion about twenty minutes ago — should I call the vet now? Yes, call your vet now or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Centre at 888-426-4435. Green onion is toxic to… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat ate a tangerine segment that included a lot of peel and white pith — is that likely to make her sick? The peel and white pith of a tangerine are the problem, not the flesh. The essential oils in the peel can… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog snatched a whole rambutan from the buffet table and ate it, skin and all. What should I do? Watch it closely for choking or an upset stomach. The spiky skin is a physical hazard that can cause gagging… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat licked just a drop of ketchup from the counter — will she be okay? She'll likely be fine. One lick is a tiny amount — the sugar, salt and onion powder in that single drop won't… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog licked a plate with a tablespoon of apricot jam sauce from our takeaway. Is this okay? Yes, a tablespoon of apricot jam is generally okay for a dog that size. The main risk is the sugar, which can… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate some canned tuna and vomited once. The vet gave supportive care — what happens in the next 48 hours? Watch closely for 48 hours. The main concern after a single vomiting episode is dehydration and electrolyte… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog licked a whole dollop of whipped cream off a cake slice. Is the fat content dangerous for a dog his size? A single large lick is a high-fat load, but for a 12 kg dog it's unlikely to trigger pancreatitis on its own.… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog drank some cherry-flavored cough syrup that contains codeine. Are there other everyday human medicines that secretly have opioids? Yes, and this is an emergency — call the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 or your vet now. Codeine is an… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat ate an entire small chili pepper. Does her tiny size make the stomach irritation worse than for a larger cat? Yes, her small size concentrates the capsaicin dose, and the pain and irritation will likely be more intense.… Cats · Emergency guide Only one of my three indoor cats ate about 15 fertilizer pellets from a spilled bag. The other two didn't touch it — how do I keep them all safe now? Isolate the exposed cat in a carrier or bathroom immediately, and call your vet or a poison helpline. For the… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat ate two licks of chocolate ice cream. What symptoms should I watch for, and how soon could they start? Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, and restlessness within 2-6 hours. The danger here is twofold: the lactose and… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked about a teaspoon of garlic mayonnaise off my plate. At what amount does the garlic become a real concern for a cat her size? A teaspoon of mayo likely contains only a trace of garlic, which for a 4 kg cat is probably below the toxic… Dogs · Food safety My 2 kg, 10-week-old puppy licked a drop of spicy chili sauce off the kitchen floor. Is this an emergency for a puppy so young and small? Yes, treat it as urgent. A puppy's mouth and digestive tract are far more sensitive, and even a tiny amount… Dogs · Food safety My 20 kg nursing dog ate a granola bar that contained raisins. Could the toxins pass into her milk and affect her 3-week-old puppies? The main risk is to the mother, not the puppies through milk. Raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs, and a… Cats · Emergency guide My cat licked a small pile of boric acid powder from under the buffet table an hour ago and is now drooling. What should I do? Yes, this is urgent. Boric acid is corrosive and the drooling means it's already irritating his mouth and… Dogs · Food safety How can I teach my 15 kg dog to leave lamb chops on the counter alone? Yes, you can and should train that. Lean, cooked lamb is safe in small amounts, but the goal is to prevent… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat licked a spoonful of beef stew gravy from my bowl — is the onion in it dangerous for her size? It's a mild risk, but watch her closely. Almost all gravy is built on onion or garlic stock, which is toxic… Cats · Food safety Is it safe for my pregnant cat, due in two weeks, to have eaten one Brazil nut that fell on the floor? It's a mild risk, but one nut is unlikely to cause selenium toxicity. Brazil nuts are extremely high in fat… Dogs · Food safety Only one of my three dogs, a 10 kg terrier, ate a few fresh basil leaves from the garden — do I need to treat the others differently? No, basil is safe for dogs, so no special treatment is needed. A few fresh leaves are non-toxic and won't… Cats · Emergency guide How can I store melatonin gummies and zolpidem pills so my 4 kg agile cat can't get into them? You must store them absolutely out of reach. Human sleep aids are toxic to cats and can cause severe sedation… Cats · Food safety My pregnant cat, due next month, chewed on a nectarine pit but didn't swallow it — is the cyanide risk to her and the kittens real? The risk is very low if she didn't swallow pieces. Nectarine pits contain cyanide precursors, but the hard… Cats · Food safety How much seedless watermelon flesh can my 4 kg cat safely eat as a treat before it's too much? A few small, bite-sized cubes once or twice a week is plenty. Watermelon is mostly water and sugar, so too… Cats · Food safety My 4.5 kg cat ate three tablespoons of plain cooked plantain from a party table �� is this dangerous? Cooked plain plantain is safe for your cat in small amounts — three tablespoons won't hurt a 4.5 kg cat. The… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat got into my leftover chicken stir-fry that I had crumbled two oxycodone tablets into overnight — should I rush to the vet now? Yes — this is an emergency. Oxycodone is an opioid; even a small crumble mixed into food can depress your… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg Beagle ate some wild venison — is that safer for him than farmed rabbit he once vomited after? Both are safe plain lean meat for dogs; the real difference is how they're sourced and prepared. Wild venison… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8-year-old diabetic dog (9 kg) with chronic kidney disease took two paracetamol tablets yesterday — is this still life-threatening now? Yes, still life-threatening. Paracetamol is absorbed and metabolized slowly, and kidney disease means his…

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