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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 Is corn syrup a problem at Christmas baking when my 4 kg cat jumps the counter? Yes — corn syrup is concentrated sugar and cats get zero nutritional benefit from it. It's especially risky… Dogs · Toxicity calculator What are the first signs of grape poisoning in my 10 kg dog, and how soon after eating should I expect them? Vomiting and diarrhoea usually start within a few hours. Lethargy, weakness, and loss of appetite follow… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 8 kg dog licked a crushed acetaminophen pill — is this an emergency even though it was only a lick? Yes. Even a lick of crushed acetaminophen can deliver a significant dose to an 8 kg dog. The early signs look… Dogs · Food safety Can cooked venison jerky cause diarrhoea in my 15 kg dog with a sensitive stomach? It can, but not because of the venison itself. Plain cooked venison is a safe lean protein for dogs. The… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat licked chrysanthemum petals from my leftover soup — is this more dangerous than just chewing a leaf? It could be. Chrysanthemums contain pyrethrins, which affect nerve sodium channels — the same compounds found… Cats · Food safety Is star fruit worse for my 4 kg cat than papaya — can I feed her papaya instead? Star fruit is definitively worse. It is very high in oxalates and has been directly linked to kidney injury… Cats · Food safety What happens if I feed my 6 kg cat cooked chicken liver every day as a topper? Bone problems. Liver is extremely high in vitamin A, and cats accumulate it in their liver and fat stores.… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat with a sensitive stomach licked a lotus leaf — could this cause diarrhea? Yes, that's a real risk. Cats are sensitive to the irritating compounds in lotus plants. For a cat with a… Cats · Emergency guide Is a 4 kg cat stung by a wasp on the lip worse off than one that licked a plate with dead bee fragments in honey left out overnight? It depends on where the sting happened. A wasp sting on your 4 kg cat's lip is the real emergency because… Cats · Food safety What happens if I feed my 5 kg senior cat a tablespoon of ripe papaya every day for weeks? Nothing bad should happen. Ripe papaya flesh is safe and gentle on a cat's stomach, and a daily tablespoon is… Dogs · Food safety Is a whole raw water chestnut safe for my 3 kg chihuahua versus my 25 kg golden retriever? Yes, both can eat it safely if peeled and sliced. A 3 kg chihuahua and a 25 kg golden retriever handle raw… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg cat licked just one drop of liquid alprazolam from my pillow — is this an emergency? Yes, treat this as urgent. Even one drop of concentrated liquid alprazolam can cause profound sedation… Cats · Food safety How do I keep my 4 kg indoor cat from getting into my granola bars stored in the kitchen pantry? Store granola bars in airtight containers on high shelves your cat can't jump to, and keep pantry doors… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg terrier ate nutmeg from my spice jar while my 20 kg lab didn't get any — what should I do for each? Focus on your 8 kg terrier because nutmeg is toxic in moderate amounts and causes tremors, seizures and… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate a paracetamol tablet 12 hours ago and the vet treated her — how long do I monitor at home and what tests did they run? Monitor your cat at home for at least 24 to 48 hours after discharge because paracetamol's liver and red… Dogs · Food safety What happens if I feed my 12 kg dog a few slices of avocado flesh every day for a month? Your dog may develop pancreatitis from the high fat content, and long-term daily feeding isn't recommended. A… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg indoor cat slipped under the table and swiped a spoonful of beef stew — is that safe for her? It depends on what went into that stew. Plain cooked lean beef is fine for cats, but a typical beef stew… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat licked the eel sauce residue from my dinner plate — should I be concerned? A small lick of cooked eel sauce is unlikely to cause serious trouble, but this situation has two concerns… Dogs · Food safety Only one of my two dogs ate a handful of cooked clams — my other dog stayed away. Is the one who ate them okay? Your dog is most likely fine, especially if the clams were cooked plain. Cooked clam meat is safe for dogs in… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 9 kg dog ate a macadamia-nut treat from a pet store package yesterday and is now slightly wobbly on his hind legs — is this an emergency? This needs attention now. Macadamia nut toxicity typically begins within 12 hours of ingestion, and… Dogs · Emergency guide My 7 kg dog found pecan pie crumbles scattered on the kitchen floor and ate them all — what am I dealing with? You are dealing with a combination of risks. Pecans are high in fat and can trigger pancreatitis, which… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg pregnant dog is due in three weeks and I accidentally gave her steamed okra from my plate — will it affect her pregnancy? A few pieces of plain steamed okra are very unlikely to affect her pregnancy or her upcoming litter. Cooked… Cats · Food safety At a New Year's party my 2.5 kg cat slipped out and lapped about a tablespoon of spilled red wine from the floor — what should I do? This is an emergency. A tablespoon of wine in a 2.5 kg cat is a serious amount of ethanol, and ethanol… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg Labrador ate half a cup of plain sweetcorn kernels from the dinner table — is that too much for one sitting? Half a cup of plain sweetcorn kernels is well within safe limits for a 12 kg dog. Corn itself is not toxic to… Cats · Food safety My cat ate cooked quince seeds and vomited. What happens at the vet and how long to watch her after? The seeds are the risk, and vomiting means the vet should see her. They'll check her mouth and gums, then… Cats · Food safety My 12-year-old cat with kidney disease just ate a few fresh oregano leaves from my windowsill plant. Is this safe? Yes, that amount is safe even with kidney disease. The main risk for cats with kidney issues is dehydration… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate a slice of plain white bread that had been sitting on the counter overnight — is it still safe for her to eat? It's fine. A slice of plain bread that sat out overnight isn't going to poison her — the real danger with… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog ate sugar-free candies that were mixed into leftover pasta sauce and swallowed them whole — should I take him to the vet now? Yes. Go now. Xylitol in sugar-free candy drops a dog's blood glucose fast and can be fatal — an 8 kg dog is… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat has been chewing on a cabbage-flavoured dental treat every day for two weeks — could that treat be making her gassy? It could. Cabbage itself is safe for cats, but a processed dental chew with cabbage flavouring often contains… Cats · Emergency guide Only my 3 kg Maine Coon ate a fallen tramadol pill — my other two cats didn't touch it. Do I need to rush just her to the vet? Yes, rush her in. Tramadol is hard on cats and a 3 kg cat can't metabolise even a small piece the way a…

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