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

Every question has a direct answer, a symptom checklist and clear next steps — plus a matching tool that estimates the real risk.

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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 My 25 kg Labrador ate a large portion of cooked goose 3 hours ago. What should I watch for over the next 24 hours? Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, or a hunched, painful abdomen. Goose meat is safe but very fatty, and a large… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog ate a THC brownie that was left out on the coffee table overnight. Is the spoilage a bigger risk than the THC? The THC is the primary emergency. Spoilage adds a risk of bacterial upset, but the chocolate and THC are the… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate half a jade plant leaf and is wobbly. My dog didn't touch it — do I need to worry about him too? Yes, your cat needs a vet now — the wobbliness means the toxin is affecting her nervous system. Jade plant is… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog snatched a half-full mug of hot chocolate off the coffee table at a party. What should I do? Yes, this is urgent. A half-mug could easily contain a toxic dose of chocolate for a dog that size. Guests… Cats · Emergency guide My 7 kg cat just ate a whole slice of pecan pie — should I rush him to the vet? Yes, call your vet now. The high fat and sugar can cause vomiting and painful pancreatitis, and the nuts may… Dogs · Food safety My 4 kg puppy licked one floret of raw cauliflower off my counter — do I need the vet? No — one lick is not an emergency. Cauliflower is safe for dogs in small pieces, raw or cooked. Too much can… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg nursing cat licked three strawberry slices while I was chopping them — is that safe? Safe. A few slices won't hurt a nursing cat. Wash the berry and trim the green tops off first — those are… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog just got home after eating birth control pills — what tests will the vet run and how long do I watch for nosebleeds? Your vet will likely run a complete blood count now, then ask for another one in 2–3 weeks. The real danger… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg Chihuahua just ate a handful of pecans from the floor — what's the very first thing I should do? First, check the floor and his mouth for any shell pieces — those can cut gums or cause a blockage. Next… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog with a sensitive stomach ate a full bowl of plain rice — will it cause diarrhea and how soon? Plain rice is safe and usually helps settle a sensitive stomach, not upset it. Diarrhea would be very… Cats · Food safety Is a tablespoon of plain oatmeal safe for my 3 kg senior cat versus my 8 kg cat? Yes, a tablespoon is safe for both, but the smaller cat's stomach will notice it more. The 3 kg senior might… Dogs · Food safety My 8-week-old, 2 kg puppy licked a teaspoon of sesame seeds off the floor — is that okay for his tiny system? Yes, a teaspoon of plain sesame seeds is safe for a puppy that small. They'll likely pass right through… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog with heart disease licked zinc oxide cream — does his condition make poisoning worse? Yes, his heart condition makes this more urgent. Zinc toxicity destroys red blood cells, forcing the heart to… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat drank from a cup of cold coffee left out overnight — is stale caffeine still toxic? Yes, absolutely toxic — caffeine doesn't degrade overnight. Even cold, stale coffee contains enough to harm a… Cats · Emergency guide Besides sidewalks, where else might my indoor cat encounter ice melt salts in everyday items? Indoor cats can find salts in homemade play-dough, certain bath soaks, and some water-softener pellets kept… Dogs · Food safety Can I add a pinch of turmeric to food for my nursing 18 kg dog to help with inflammation? Yes, a small pinch in her meal is safe and unlikely to affect her milk or puppies. The key is 'pinch' — a… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg pregnant dog ate one cooked octopus tentacle. Is it safe for her and the puppies? Yes, one piece is unlikely to harm her, but the rubbery texture is a real choking risk. Watch for gagging… Dogs · Food safety How much seaweed can a 12 kg labrador eat before the iodine becomes a problem? A few small pieces of plain, unseasoned seaweed won't hurt a 12 kg lab, but the iodine warning applies to any… Dogs · Food safety Is cooked lobster meat safe for a 3-month-old puppy? Plain cooked lobster meat is safe for a puppy — the protein and minerals are actually helpful. What you must… Cats · Food safety My pregnant cat licked agave syrup off the counter — will this harm her kittens? Agave syrup is fructose-heavy and should be treated exactly like table sugar — a tiny lick won't cause… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat slipped a spoonful of cooked trout soup under the table. Is that a problem? Cooked trout itself is fine for cats — the protein is good and the fish is safe when thoroughly heated. The… Cats · Food safety My adult cat drank milk and threw up — how long should I monitor her before I relax? Monitor your cat for at least 24 hours after the vomiting stops. Lactose intolerance typically causes… Cats · Food safety Is pepperoni dangerous for a 3-month-old kitten? Pepperoni is far riskier for a kitten than for an adult cat. The salt, fat, and spice levels are calibrated… Dogs · Emergency guide My 7 kg Westie chewed four 'herbal flea-repel' pills an hour ago; the label lists chrysanthemum extract. What do I do now? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line (888-426-4435) now. Many natural flea-repel chews hide pyrethrins … Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate some slightly moldy sage leaves that were left out overnight—could that make him sick? The sage itself is safe for your cat, but the mold growing on those leaves is what you need to worry about.… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate a packet that says 'silica gel' — is that safer than the 'oxygen absorber' packet my other cat chewed on? Yes, a silica gel packet is far less dangerous than an oxygen absorber for a small cat. The clear beads in a… Cats · Food safety Can my 5 kg pregnant cat safely eat a few small pieces of fresh pineapple as a treat? Yes, a few small pieces of fresh pineapple flesh are safe for a pregnant cat. Remove all the spiky skin and… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog ate two pitted peach wedges — is that safer or riskier than if he ate the same amount of nectarine? The risk is about the same for pitted peaches versus nectarines for a medium-sized dog. The flesh of both is… Dogs · Emergency guide At a BBQ, my 15 kg dog rolled on a towel where I'd just applied cat flea treatment — could licking it off his fur make him sick within an hour? Yes, that's an urgent risk. Many cat flea treatments contain pyrethrins or permethrins, which are highly… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat just lapped up two spoonfuls of plain yogurt from a bowl left out for 30 minutes — what should I do in the next hour? First, check the yogurt ingredient list for xylitol or artificial sweeteners — if it contains any, call your…

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