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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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 25 kg counter-surfing dog keeps stealing raw eggs. How can I train him to leave them alone and store them safely? Store eggs in the fridge immediately, and use a latch if your dog can open the door. For training, practice… Cats · Emergency guide Only one of my three 4 kg cats licked up a spilled bottle of infant formula. How do I handle her and monitor the others? Isolate the cat that licked it in a quiet room with a litter box. Watch her for vomiting, diarrhea, or… Dogs · Emergency guide Are those packaged bone marrow chews safe for my 6 kg Cavalier puppy who swiped one from the counter? Yes, leave them on the shelf. Cooked bone in any packaged chew is just as brittle and splinter-prone as a… Cats · Emergency guide My 3kg indoor cat ate three tiny pieces of cooked chicken bone within 5 minutes — could that amount cause trouble? Yes, even a few small pieces can become an emergency for a 3kg cat. Cooking makes the bone brittle, so the… Cats · Emergency guide My 4.2kg cat ate two bites of a chicken wrap that I rubbed with ibuprofen pain cream 10minutes earlier and is now drooling—could this hidden cream be toxic? Yes, the ibuprofen cream on the wrap can quickly poison a 4.2kg cat and you need veterinary help right now.… Dogs · Emergency guide Could a human joint supplement chew, like a glucosamine gummy, secretly contain topical pain cream ingredients that would harm my 12 kg dog if he ate two? Yes, call your vet now. Some over-the-counter joint supplements, especially those labeled for pain relief… Dogs · Emergency guide My 4 kg Chihuahua ate a few spoonfuls of leftover soup made with infant formula. What should I do? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now, especially given your dog's small size. The high… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dachshund ate half a cooked beef bone at a backyard BBQ. Should I go straight to an emergency vet? Yes — this is an emergency. Cooked beef bone is far more dangerous than raw, because heating makes it snap… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg cat got a double dose of ear infection drops — does her small size make an overdose worse than for a 10 kg cat? Yes — a 3.5 kg cat given a double dose is at higher risk than a 10 kg cat. Gentamicin in ear meds can cause… Cats · Emergency guide My 4.5 kg cat ate a well-done rib bone from the kitchen floor — how dangerous is cooked bone compared to raw for a small cat like this one? Cooked bone is far more dangerous than raw for a small cat — the cooking process makes it brittle and prone… Cats · Emergency guide Is human infant formula safer than kitten formula like KMR for my 4 kg cat who knocked over an open container? It's worse — human infant formula is not a substitute for kitten milk replacer and can make your cat sick.… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg golden retriever ate half a cup of prepared infant formula while my other two dogs ignored it. What do I watch for? Call your vet or the ASPCA Poison Control line at 888-426-4435 now — half a cup is enough to upset a 12 kg… Dogs · Emergency guide My 5 kg puppy licked up all the ear drops prescribed for his infection — is this an emergency? Yes, this is an emergency. Puppies are at higher risk for overdose due to their small size and developing… Cats · Emergency guide My 2.5 kg cat ate cooked meat mixed with ibuprofen cream — urgent? Yes, urgent. Ibuprofen is toxic to cats, especially at this small size. Signs include vomiting, lethargy, and… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg West Highland White Terrier ate three of those raw-egg-white-chew treats from the pet store yesterday. Are they safe? No — raw egg white contains avidin, which locks up biotin in the gut and blocks its absorption. A single… Cats · Emergency guide My 6-year-old, 4 kg cat found a heartworm pill that sat open in a drawer for months — is it safe, or do I call the vet now? Call your vet or the ASPCA Poison Control line at 888-426-4435 now. A pill that's been sitting open for… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked a little raw egg white from the punch bowl at a party — is this an emergency? Yes, contact a vet. Raw egg white contains avidin, which binds to the essential vitamin biotin and prevents… Dogs · Emergency guide How much cooked chicken bone is too much for a 15 kg dog — is one wingtip okay but a whole thigh bone dangerous? Any amount of cooked bone is a risk — there is no safe portion. Cooking makes bones brittle and prone to… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg cat ate one tiny piece of cooked chicken bone she found on the floor — do I need to rush to the emergency vet? Yes, you should call an emergency vet immediately. For a small cat, even a fragment the size of a fingernail… Cats · Emergency guide My senior cat with chronic kidney disease ate a dog's heartworm pill — does her condition make the overdose worse? Yes, her kidney disease significantly increases the risk. The drugs in heartworm medication are processed by… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog snatched and ate a raw egg that fell off the kitchen counter during holiday baking — what should I do right now? Call your vet. While a single raw egg is unlikely to cause the biotin deficiency that comes from chronic… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg Lab got his monthly heartworm pill yesterday and now has itchy skin and looser stools — is this an allergy? Yes, this can be a reaction to the medication's inactive ingredients, like flavorings or fillers, rather than… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat lapped up about a quarter cup of spilled, mixed infant formula an hour ago. Could this cause diarrhea? Yes, that amount of formula is very likely to cause diarrhea in a small cat. Infant formula is high in… Cats · Emergency guide My 8-year-old cat licked diclofenac cream off my leg, my other cat didn't — do I need to watch the second one too? Yes, this is an emergency for the one that licked it. Human NSAID creams like diclofenac are extremely toxic… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg dog just ate about a tablespoon of leftover chicken gravy that had Voltaren gel mixed in it. What do I do? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now. The NSAID in that gel is extremely toxic to dogs… Dogs · Emergency guide Is a bowl of infant formula more dangerous for my 10 kg dog than the milk he sometimes drinks? Yes, infant formula is more concerning than plain milk. While both contain lactose, formula is far more… Dogs · Emergency guide My 30 kg Labrador ate a whole raw beef bone but my neighbour's small dog got a cooked chicken wing — which is more dangerous? The cooked chicken wing is the immediate emergency. Cooking makes bones brittle and prone to splintering into… Dogs · Emergency guide Does a 4 kg Chihuahua face a higher risk from ear medication overdose than a 40 kg Great Dane if they both get two extra drops? Yes, the Chihuahua's risk is far greater. Medications like gentamicin are dosed by weight, so two extra drops… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat licked up about half a raw egg white from a cracked shell — is that enough to cause a biotin deficiency? A single exposure to that amount is very unlikely to cause a deficiency. The risk from avidin in raw egg… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat needs ear drops twice daily for a chronic infection — what are the risks of using them long-term over several weeks? Long-term use increases the risk of systemic absorption and local damage. Medications like gentamicin can…

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