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
Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat nibbled a peace lily leaf and vomited once — could this be a sensitive stomach instead of poisoning? Vomiting after chewing a peace lily leaf is the expected toxic reaction, not a sensitive stomach. The… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog has diarrhea after switching from kibble to raw food — is raw food riskier than kibble for causing this? Yes, raw food is a much higher risk for causing serious diarrhea than kibble. Kibble can cause mild stomach… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat ate a small chunk of moldy bread from the compost bin — is this worse than him just eating some stale bread from the counter? Yes, compost mold is a high risk. Moldy food from a compost pile can contain tremorgenic mycotoxins that… Cats · Emergency guide One of my two cats got stuck on a glue trap and is panicking — do I need to worry about my other cat who's just sniffing it? Yes, the situation is urgent for the trapped cat and the other cat is also at immediate risk. The industrial… Dogs · Emergency guide My 7 kg poodle just ate two peace lily leaves — my other two dogs didn't touch them. What do I do for the one that ate it? Call your vet now — the poodle will likely have immediate mouth pain. Those crystals cause intense burning… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg kitten keeps stealing tubes of fluoride toothpaste off the bathroom counter — should I train 'leave it' or just lock it up? Yes, lock it up immediately and train 'leave it' for long-term safety. A kitten that size swallowing even a… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg terrier just ate a peace lily leaf — is it worse than him chewing my aloe vera plant? Yes, a peace lily is a more urgent risk than aloe vera for a dog right now. Aloe causes vomiting and… Cats · Emergency guide My 7 kg cat with a sensitive stomach dug in the compost bin and had diarrhea — is that the compost or just his usual issue? Yes, the compost is the likely cause and needs a vet check. Compost contains spoiled food, mold, and bacteria… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog ate some old spaghetti from the compost bin and is wobbly — is this worse than just eating old pasta off the floor? Yes, the compost bin itself is the bigger danger. Old pasta from the floor might cause a mild stomach upset… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat stepped on a glue trap, not duct tape — is this an emergency? Yes, this is an emergency — a glue trap is nothing like duct tape. The industrial adhesive is strong enough… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate some raw dog food that was left out overnight — is it dangerous? Yes, that's a high-risk situation. Spoiled raw food has had hours for bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli to… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg dog just ate a bowl of beef stew with several cooked garlic cloves in it. What should I do? Yes, this is a high-risk situation and you should call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog has soft stool and gas after starting raw food — could it be an intolerance? Yes, raw food often causes digestive upset like gas and soft stool when first introduced. The high fat and… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog swallowed a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste, the vet gave him fluids and sent him home. What should I watch for now? Watch him closely for the next 24 hours. Fluoride can still cause delayed vomiting or diarrhea after the… Dogs · Emergency guide Is a glue trap more dangerous for my 10 kg dog than if he got stuck in regular packaging tape? Yes, a glue trap is significantly more dangerous. Packaging tape is annoying, but the industrial adhesive on… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog with a sensitive stomach licked some wet compost and now has gas and soft stools — is this just an upset tummy? Yes, but that's the best-case scenario and you need to watch for worse. Compost is a bacterial soup that… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked a dental chew that lists fluoride in the ingredients — should I be worried about poisoning? Yes, this is a poisoning risk and warrants an immediate call to your vet or the ASPCA poison line at… Cats · Emergency guide My cat licked a glue trap and now has diarrhoea — is this from the adhesive? Yes, the adhesive can cause diarrhoea if ingested. The industrial glue is not meant to be eaten and can… Dogs · Emergency guide My 4 kg puppy found a half-used tube of fluoride toothpaste I left on the bathroom counter. How do I keep him away from it? Yes, a puppy that small is at high risk from even a small amount of fluoride toothpaste. Store all human… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg cocker spaniel got into a bowl of raw dog food that was left out for 12 hours this morning, and now he's vomiting. Should I be worried? Yes — after 12 hours at room temperature that raw food is a bacterial time bomb. Salmonella, E. coli, and… Cats · Emergency guide My 10-year-old cat chewed peace lily leaves that had been left wilting in a vase for three days — does the age of the leaves change the poisoning risk? It makes no difference — the insoluble calcium oxalate crystals don't break down when leaves go soft or… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat with kidney disease ate a few bites of raw dog food overnight — is this an emergency? Yes, this is urgent — call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now. Raw meat carries bacteria… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog vomited once and has soft stool after chewing a peace lily leaf yesterday. Is this from the plant? Yes, the peace lily likely caused the vomiting, but the soft stool is less common. The plant releases tiny… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate a few chopped chives — is that worse than a whole scallion stalk for a 5 kg cat? Yes, any amount of chives is a serious risk for a cat and needs immediate action. Both chives and scallions… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat ate a chunk of fermented fruit from the compost bin — he's wobbly now. What do I do? Yes, this is urgent. Fermenting fruit produces ethanol, and even a small amount can cause alcohol poisoning… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg terrier ate a handful of raw chives from the garden 20 minutes ago, but my other dogs didn't touch them. What do I do? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now. Only the dog that ate the chives is at risk, but… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog has a sensitive stomach — will one crushed hazelnut cause diarrhea? Probably not from one nut, but watch for loose stool tonight. Hazelnuts are very fatty, and that fat is the… Dogs · Food safety My 8-year-old golden retriever ate half a cup of plain cornmeal that was left out overnight on the kitchen counter. Is it safe? It's safe, but watch her for a few hours. Cornmeal left out overnight can pick up mould spores from the air… Dogs · Food safety My 18 kg golden retriever just ate a few bites of plain roasted turkey breast from the counter — what symptoms should I watch for and how soon will they appear? No symptoms. Plain cooked turkey breast is safe for dogs. You don't need to watch for anything because there… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg nursing cat just ate two mandarin segments — could that harm her kittens through her milk? A small segment of flesh is generally safe for a nursing cat, but the peel and seeds must be avoided. There…

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