Suspect poisoning? US: ASPCA Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · UK: 01202 509 000 · Severe symptoms → nearest emergency vet now.

Poisoning questions, answered

Every question has a direct answer, a symptom checklist and clear next steps — plus a matching tool that estimates the real risk.

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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

All pets Dogs Cats

Dogs · Food safety My 3 kg 10-week-old Maltese puppy nibbled a small raw cauliflower floret off the counter — is that safe for such a tiny pup? Yes, a single small raw floret won't harm a 3 kg puppy. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces is safe for… Dogs · Emergency guide My 6 kg beagle chewed up and swallowed an ethanol-pet wipe 45 minutes ago and is now drooling heavily — should I rush him to the vet? Yes, take him in now. Ethanol is absorbed rapidly from the gut, and a 6 kg dog is far more sensitive to its… Cats · Food safety My 3.8 kg indoor cat ate wet used hops from a brewing bowl left on the kitchen counter — will this kill her? Used hops are toxic to cats and can trigger malignant hyperthermia, a rapid and fatal rise in body… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg Labrador found and ate most of a 60 gram tube of pet dental gel that contains xylitol — how much is dangerous for a dog his size? Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs and a 60 gram tube eaten by a 12 kg Labrador is a serious emergency.… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg indoor cat stole a bite of lobster ravioli from a grocery store packaged meal last night — could the lobster in that product harm her? Plain cooked lobster meat is safe for cats, but the real risk here is what else is in that packaged ravioli.… Cats · Food safety My cat snatched a granola bar with raisins from the party table. She's a small 3 kg cat and ate about half of it. What do I do? That much raisin is a real problem for a cat that small. The sugar and fat can also cause vomiting and… Cats · Food safety My 8 lb cat stole three cheese crisps off the coffee table while my two other cats watched — should I worry about them too? The one cat that ate them is the one to watch; the other two didn't ingest anything. Cheese-flavoured crisps… Cats · Emergency guide I've been giving my 5 kg cat a tiny bit of my phenylephrine liquid for his sniffles every morning for two weeks. Is this dangerous? Yes, this is extremely dangerous and you must stop immediately. Even small daily doses of a decongestant… Dogs · Emergency guide My 5 kg dog ate a jade plant leaf yesterday and has had soft stool and gas today — is this an allergy? This is a toxic reaction, not an allergy. The plant directly irritates the gut and can cause vomiting… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog ate a raw taro leaf 3 hours ago and seems fine — how long should I watch him and what would the vet do? Watch him closely for the next 12 hours. The calcium oxalate crystals in raw taro can cause immediate mouth… Dogs · Food safety My 8‑week‑old, 3kg puppy just licked one fresh cranberry from the garden a few minutes ago — do I need to call the vet? No, that single fresh cranberry isn’t an emergency for a 3kg puppy. Fresh cranberries without added sugar are… Dogs · Food safety My 6‑kg senior dog on insulin for diabetes ate half a slice of plain bread 20 minutes ago and is now vomiting—should I be concerned? Call your vet right away. Plain bread contains only empty carbs and won’t poison a diabetic dog, but it can… Cats · Food safety For my 4 kg cat with a sensitive stomach, which is worse: a few bites of plain boiled chicken or a few bites of plain hot dog? A few bites of hot dog is worse for a sensitive stomach. Plain boiled chicken is a bland, low-salt protein… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog just licked a whole bowl of onion dip at a BBQ 30 minutes ago — what do I do? Yes, this is an emergency — onion is toxic to dogs and a whole bowl is a dangerous amount. The dip is… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog's new jerky treats list 'liver meal' as the third ingredient — is this a long-term risk? No immediate emergency, but yes, it's a long-term risk. Liver meal is concentrated, so it adds a steady dose… Dogs · Food safety My 8kg small breed dog ate half a cup of cooked lean lamb within 20 minutes, is that okay? Yes, a half‑cup of plain cooked lean lamb is safe for an 8kg dog in a single serving. The meat should be… Dogs · Food safety My 8-week-old, 2 kg puppy just nibbled a raw green onion stalk from the garden — is this an emergency for his small size? Yes, this is an emergency. Green onions are in the same family as garlic and onion, and they damage red blood… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked gravy that had a few drops of his ear infection medication mixed in — will this cause an overdose if he swallowed it? Yes, it can cause an overdose. Ear medications often contain antibiotics and steroids that are not meant to… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate several bites of beef stew that had a spoonful of sour cream stirred into it — will this cause diarrhea for her sensitive stomach? It very likely will. Sour cream is high in fat and lactose, which are common triggers for diarrhea in cats… Cats · Food safety My 10-week-old, 1.5 kg kitten just ate a green tomato leaf from the plant on the windowsill — is this more dangerous for a kitten than an adult cat? Yes, it is more dangerous. The green parts of tomato plants contain solanine, which is toxic. A kitten's… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate a small slice of pear that was left out overnight and had a spot of white mold on the skin — could this make her sick? It could. Mold can produce toxins that cause vomiting, diarrhea, or tremors in cats. The small slice means… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat licked a quarter-sized blob of alcohol hand sanitizer gel off the table — does her medium size make this less risky than for a tiny kitten? Her size offers a little more buffer than a 1 kg kitten, but this is still a high-risk situation. A… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat with a history of food sensitivities licked a plate dusted with onion powder — could this cause an allergic skin reaction instead of poisoning? The immediate danger is poisoning, not an allergy. Onion powder is concentrated and damages red blood cells… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat just lapped up some beer spilled on the kitchen floor. What's the first thing I should do? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) now. A cat that size can get very sick… Cats · Food safety Can my 4 kg cat eat shredded lettuce that was left out on the counter all night? Fresh lettuce is fine, but once it sits out overnight it picks up bacteria and starts to ferment. The edges… Cats · Food safety Can ground flaxseed cause gas or loose stools in my cat? Yes — a cat with a sensitive stomach can react to the extra fibre with gas or softer poops. A pinch of ground… Dogs · Food safety Is a lime wedge more dangerous for my 10 kg dog than a lemon wedge? No, both are equally risky for a dog that size. Limes and lemons share the same problem: the acidic juice and… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate some holiday couscous with chicken stock left on the party table — is that a problem? Plain couscous is safe, but the chicken stock is the worry. Stock often contains onion and garlic powder… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg dog ate mashed potatoes that had a crushed 100 mcg levothyroxine tablet mixed in — is this an emergency? Yes, this is an urgent situation. Even a single tablet can cause acute hyperthyroidism in a dog, leading to… Cats · Emergency guide My 2 kg, 10-week-old kitten licked a tiny smear of antibiotic ointment from the first aid kit — is her small size a bigger concern? Yes, her tiny body weight makes any medication exposure more serious. Even a pea-sized amount of ointment can…

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The library keeps growing. Can’t find your situation? Open the matching toxicity calculator and enter weight plus amount for an instant risk level.