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 · Emergency guide My 5 kg, 4-month-old puppy just licked a drop of wet oven cleaner off the floor — is this a vet emergency? Yes, treat this as an emergency. Oven cleaner contains strong alkali that causes immediate chemical burns… Dogs · Emergency guide My tiny 3 kg dog just licked a cane toad once in the yard and is now drooling — is her small size a bigger risk? Yes, her small size dramatically increases the risk. The toxin is absorbed through the gums, and a smaller… Dogs · Food safety Can I give my 9-week-old, 2kg puppy a tablespoon of plain kefir as a treat after his 8-week vaccination? Yes, a single tablespoon of plain kefir is low‑risk for a 9‑week, 2kg puppy if you give it carefully. Only… Dogs · Food safety My 50 lb dog is obsessed with coconut. How can I train him to leave it alone when it's on the counter? Yes, training a solid 'leave it' is the best prevention for a food-motivated dog. Store whole coconuts and… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg kitten licked some tomato sauce off a plate, but this time it was persimmon sauce. Is that worse? Yes, persimmon sauce is a high-risk food for cats, while plain tomato sauce is usually just messy. The unripe… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg Chihuahua licked a tiny cube of plain tofu off the kitchen counter — is that a vet emergency for a small dog? No, that tiny amount is not an emergency. Plain, unseasoned tofu is safe and easy for dogs to digest, even… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat stole a thin slice of apple with peel from the Christmas dinner table — are the seeds or peel dangerous for a small cat? It’s a mild risk, but one slice is unlikely to cause harm. The flesh and a little peel are safe; the real… Dogs · Emergency guide My 6 kg terrier was bitten once on the nose by a tiny snake while digging in the garden — is a single bite from a small snake an emergency for a dog his size? Yes, treat this as an emergency. Venom dose is relative to body weight, so a small dog receives a… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 5 kg Pomeranian ate three blue slug bait pellets, but my 30 kg Lab ate the same amount — does the small dog's size make it more urgent? Yes, the small dog is at much higher risk. Metaldehyde toxicity is dose-dependent, so three pellets deliver a… Cats · Food safety My cat licked a seasoned sausage left on the counter overnight — is the dried seasoning more concentrated? It's a mild risk, so watch for vomiting or diarrhea. Dried seasoning does concentrate onion and garlic… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate a small piece of anchovy that was left out overnight. Could it be spoiled? Watch for vomiting or diarrhea, not poisoning. The bigger worry is bacteria from sitting out, not the fish… Cats · Food safety My 8-year-old cat gets a tablespoon of cooked salmon mixed into her food every evening — is this okay long-term? Yes, that small daily amount is safe and can be a good source of omega-3s. The main risk is nutritional… Dogs · Food safety Is it safe to give my 4 kg dachshund a few leaves of watercress daily as a green treat? Yes, it's safe. A few leaves of watercress daily is a fine, low-calorie green for a small dog. The main risk… Cats · Emergency guide My cat snatched a lily leaf off the Easter centerpiece during our brunch. She's a 3-year-old indoor cat and seems fine now — do I need to rush her in? Yes, this is an emergency — call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now. All parts of a true… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat drank a tablespoon of undiluted vinegar — is that worse for her than lemon juice? No, vinegar and lemon juice are similarly acidic and irritating. A tablespoon of either can cause immediate… Dogs · Emergency guide Only my 12 kg golden retriever ate jade plant leaves off the windowsill while my 8 kg beagle watched but didn't bite — do I need to worry about my beagle too? Yes, call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435. Even though only your 12 kg golden retriever was… Cats · Emergency guide My 6-week-old kitten found a chunk of moldy cheese in the open compost bin and ate it — how soon before whole-body tremors start? Yes, this is an emergency. Mould on compost and cheeses produces tremorgenic mycotoxins that over-stimulate… Cats · Food safety My 3.5 kg cat gets gas and itchy skin every time I give her a small marshmallow — is this a sugar allergy or something else? It's likely a sensitivity to sugar and gelatin rather than a true allergy. Cats don't need sugar in their… Cats · Food safety Is cooked plain rye safe for my 4 kg nursing mother cat who ate a few spoonfuls from the kitchen counter? Cooked plain rye is safe for your 4 kg nursing cat. A few spoonfuls won't harm her or her kittens. Stick to… Cats · Food safety Can my 5 kg cat with chronic kidney disease who is on prescription medication eat a tiny piece of plain pickle? A tiny piece of plain pickle is unlikely to help your 5 kg cat with chronic kidney disease. The vinegar… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat knocked over a bowl of raw bread dough at a holiday dinner party and ate about two tablespoons — is this life-threatening? Yes, this is life-threatening. Raw bread dough expands in the warm stomach and can cause fatal bloat, and the… Dogs · Food safety Can a 12 kg dog eat a whole rambutan safely, or is the flesh only okay in small amounts? A couple of fleshy arils is fine; a whole one isn't — the seed is toxic and the spiky skin is a choking… Dogs · Food safety My 8-week-old puppy just licked a tablespoon of raw blackstrap molasses off the floor — is this dangerous for such a small dog? It isn't an emergency, but it isn't a treat either. Blackstrap molasses is only high in sugar and potassium … Dogs · Food safety My 25 kg Golden Retriever ate half a mango including the skin and pit, but my 3 kg Chihuahua didn't touch it — should I still worry about the small dog? The larger dog ate the bigger risk, but you should still keep a close watch on both of them tonight. Mango… Dogs · Food safety My pregnant Corgi, eight weeks along, ate a bowl of plain cooked millet that was left out overnight — is this safe for her and her puppies? Yes, it is safe. Plain cooked millet is a perfectly fine grain for dogs, and it happens to be gluten-free… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat nibbled some cooked Swiss chard from a birthday party buffet table — what should I monitor at home over the next day? Watch her litter box closely for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Swiss chard is high in oxalates… Cats · Food safety My nine-year-old 8 lb cat ate two pieces of cooked okra that had been left out all afternoon — is she at risk of anything, and what should I do? She is likely fine, and honestly, nothing needs to happen right now. Cooked plain okra is safe for cats, and… Dogs · Food safety My 4 kg Chihuahua drank from an open can of energy drink that was left out overnight — should I take her to the vet immediately or can I wait and watch? Take her to the vet now. Energy drinks combine caffeine, sugar, and sometimes other stimulants, and in a 4 kg… Cats · Food safety How can I keep my 3 kg indoor cat from getting into the salsa bowl on the kitchen counter while I am preparing dinner? Get the salsa off the counter entirely. Onions, garlic, and chilli in salsa are all irritants for cats, and a… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat ate two 1 g pill-pocket treats from a bag I just opened, and bison is listed as the second ingredient — is this actually safe for my cat? Yes, it's safe. That little amount of bison in a pill pocket won't cause any harm — bison is nutritionally…

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