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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 My 4 kg cat just grabbed and chewed a 3-inch piece of raw celery stick I dropped. What are my first steps in the next hour? First, see if she actually swallowed it or just shredded it — cats often chew fibrous things and spit them… Dogs · Emergency guide My 3-month-old, 2 kg puppy just swallowed one prenatal vitamin that fell on the floor. Is this a more urgent emergency because of his tiny size? Yes, this is critically urgent. His small body cannot handle the concentrated iron dose — even one pill can… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg puppy just ate a raw chestnut he found in the park — what do I do in the next hour? That raw chestnut is not toxic, but it's hard to digest and could cause an upset stomach. Check his mouth for… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog with kidney disease ate about 15 ripe mulberries from a bowl. Is this safe? Yes, ripe mulberries are safe. The risk is from the extra potassium and sugar, but this small amount won't… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg adult cat has been eating four fresh blackcurrants every day for the past month — what's actually happening inside from the sugar buildup? Not an emergency, but don't keep this up. Blackcurrants themselves aren't toxic to cats, so you won't see… Dogs · Food safety My 4 kg Shih Tzu got into a bowl of star fruit while my other pets didn't — does it still matter? Yes — star fruit is toxic to dogs regardless of how many pets are in the house. Carambola is very high in… Cats · Food safety Is a pitted apricot worse for cats than a cherry? Yes, a pitted apricot is more dangerous. While the flesh is safe, the pit contains cyanide, which can be… Cats · Emergency guide My cat just ate a whole aloe vera leaf — what should I do first? First, keep your cat calm and offer water. If they're vomiting or having diarrhea, do not give them anything… Dogs · Emergency guide My dog ate something toxic from a hidden household source — what should I do? First, stay calm. Assess the situation. If you know what was eaten, note the amount and time. If not, look… Cats · Food safety My 2.8 kg cat stole a bite of plain cooked lobster tail — is that amount risky for such a small cat? Safe — plain cooked lobster meat poses no toxicity risk for any cat size. Lobster shells and drawn butter are… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg dog ate a handful of unsalted pine nuts an hour ago — what's the first thing I should do? Do nothing drastic yet. Watch him closely for the next hour — check his gums for paleness, note any vomiting… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat knocked half the jar of onion powder into her kibble at dinner time. My other two cats are still waiting at their bowls. What do I do right now? Stop everything and pull those other bowls away now — those two cats are fine as long as they haven't eaten.… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked my topical steroid cream about 20 minutes after I applied it to my wrist. Is this dangerous and what should I do now? Yes — this is urgent. Cats lick whatever is on their owner's skin, and even a small amount of steroid cream… Dogs · Food safety Are goji berries worse for my 12 kg dog than the dried cranberries I give him as a treat? Goji berries are not toxic to a 12 kg dog, but they carry more sugar than dried cranberries and can interact… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg beagle ate 3 tablespoons of white sugar while my 9 kg labradoodle didn't touch the spilled jar — should I worry about either of them? Neither dog is in danger. White sugar isn't toxic to dogs — it has no nutritional value and it feeds obesity… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat ate half a piece of nectarine flesh an hour ago — when will symptoms show and what does recovery look like over the next 24 hours? Most cats show nothing at all; a few may vomit or become a little loose within a few hours, but the flesh… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg Labrador ate two leftover salmon sushi rolls from the counter, but my other dog didn't — what should I watch for in just the one who ate it? Watch the Labrador for vomiting or diarrhoea over the next 12–24 hours. The rice is fine, but raw fish can… Cats · Emergency guide Are cat calming treats with valerian root safe for my 4 kg senior cat with arthritis, or could they make her wobbly? No, I would not give those treats. Valerian root can cause significant drowsiness, wobbliness, or the… Cats · Food safety My 3-month-old, 1.5 kg kitten licked a spoon of vanilla ice cream — is her tiny size and age a bigger concern for diarrhoea? Yes, her small size and young age make diarrhoea more likely. A kitten's digestive system is still developing… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog ate a bowl of leftover chicken and banana curry stew — are the spices and cooked banana a problem? The cooked banana itself is safe in small amounts. The bigger concern is the curry stew — onions, garlic, and… Cats · Food safety Only one of my two cats, a 5 kg adult, ate a few small slices of banana from my breakfast plate — do I need to separate them or watch both? You only need to watch the cat that ate the banana. Banana slices are safe for cats in moderation, but the… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog ate three dried figs — is that worse for his stomach than if he ate three dried dates? Yes, dried figs are more likely to cause stomach upset than dried dates. Figs contain a milky sap that can be… Cats · Food safety At a BBQ, my 4 kg cat snatched two small, rind-free cantaloupe pieces from a low table — is the sugar from party food a concern? Two small, peeled pieces are safe. Cantaloupe is not toxic to cats, and the main risk from a one-time party… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog ate a few plain boiled crawfish tails that were left out overnight — could the spoilage cause vomiting within a few hours? Yes, spoiled seafood can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, or loss of appetite within a few hours. The plain cooked… Dogs · Emergency guide My pregnant 20 kg dog chewed a pothos leaf — are the calcium oxalate crystals more dangerous for her or her unborn puppies? The immediate danger is to the mother. The insoluble calcium oxalate crystals cause intense mouth pain… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate a teaspoon of sesame seeds from the table — is her small size a problem? No, her size doesn't change the safety. A teaspoon of plain sesame seeds is still a tiny, safe amount for a 4… Dogs · Food safety Is an instant-noodle-flavored chew treat safe for my 4 kg Shih Tzu, or does the seasoning hide onion risk? No, don't give anything flavoured with instant-noodle powder to a 4 kg dog. The seasoning packet inside those… Cats · Food safety My 4.5 kg indoor cat sneaked two full teaspoons of poppy seeds from my breakfast bagel — will she fail a drug test or get sick? A couple of teaspoons is more than the crumbs you'd find on a bakery bagel, so I wouldn't risk it. Poppy… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg Dachshund chewed four castor bean seeds from my ornamental garden — is this worse than him eating regular garden soil? Yes, far worse. Chewed castor beans release ricin, a toxin that stops cells from making protein and attacks… Dogs · Food safety Can corn syrup in a chocolate muffin harm my 6 kg dog more than the chocolate itself? Not on its own — corn syrup is just concentrated sugar, and dogs handle small amounts of sugar without issue.…

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