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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
Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog drank a bowl of prepared infant formula that was left out overnight and now seems bloated — what should I do? This is urgent. Spoiled formula can cause severe gastrointestinal upset and bacterial infection, on top of… Dogs · Emergency guide What happens if my 30 kg dog licks dried Gorilla Glue residue off his toy every day for a week? This is a high-risk habit that must stop immediately. Polyurethane glue continues to react with moisture, so… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat stole a bite of cooked lamb with a small, sharp bone fragment attached — is that safe? No, the bone fragment is the danger. Cooked bones splinter easily and can puncture the mouth, throat, or… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat licked a bit of raw spaghetti squash flesh I was cutting — is that an emergency? No, it's not an emergency. Raw spaghetti squash is non-toxic, though cooked is easier to digest. A lick or… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg dog ate a tangerine peel — is that worse for him than an orange peel? No, the risk is the same. Both tangerine and orange peels contain the same essential oils that cause stomach… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog licked a spoonful of plain pork gravy from my plate — should I call the vet? No, that tiny amount of plain gravy is not an emergency. Plain cooked pork is safe for dogs in small amounts… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog ate a whole acai bowl with chocolate chips 6 hours ago and the vet induced vomiting — what happens now during recovery? The immediate crisis is over, but monitoring is crucial. The vet likely checked his blood sugar and watched… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog chewed on some English ivy leaves that were left in a damp pile overnight — could mold make it worse? Yes, mold adds significant risk. English ivy itself contains irritating saponins that cause drooling and… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg dog just licked one thin slice of raw turnip I dropped — should I panic and call the vet? No, don't panic. A single lick of raw turnip is harmless for a dog that size. Raw turnip is not toxic, though… Dogs · Emergency guide My 18 kg dog found and ate two moldy castor beans from the ground yesterday — is the mold an extra danger with ricin? The ricin is danger enough, but mold adds another serious layer. Castor beans are extremely toxic on their… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat just ate several pieces of dry rice cereal from an open box — is that a hidden source of trouble? Plain rice cereal is safe, but the hidden risk is in the added ingredients. Many cereals contain sugar, salt… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat just swallowed a thin slice of plain cooked lotus root that fell — what's the first thing I should do in the next hour? First, stay calm — plain cooked lotus root is safe for cats. Check that the slice was truly plain, with no… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat has been sneaking a small piece of pepperoni from my lunch plate every day for two weeks. Is this a problem? Yes, daily pepperoni is a problem for a cat. That much salt and fat over weeks can cause chronic vomiting… Dogs · Food safety My 8-week-old puppy just ate a small piece of wild mushroom from the backyard. Should I worry? Yes, this is an emergency. Puppies are especially vulnerable because of their small size and developing… Dogs · Food safety Can a few bites of pitted apricot cause gas or diarrhea in my 12 kg dog? It can, especially if your dog has a sensitive stomach. The natural sugars and fiber in apricot flesh are new… Dogs · Emergency guide My 4 kg Cavalier King Charles Spaniel ate one whole daffodil bulb — is that dangerous? Yes, that is dangerous. A single daffodil bulb contains the highest concentration of lycorine in the entire… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg dog ate 2 tablespoons of ketchup and vomited 2 hours later — is this serious? It is not usually an emergency, but it does deserve monitoring. Ketchup contains onion powder, which is toxic… Dogs · Emergency guide At a garden party my 8 kg dog chewed on yew hedge clippings left on the patio table — what should I do? This is an emergency. Yew contains taxine alkaloids that attack the heart and nervous system, and even a few… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 10 kg dog ate 8 macadamia nuts an hour ago and is now limping on his hind legs — should I go to the vet? Yes, you should go. Eight macadamia nuts is well above the dose where clinical signs appear — about 2.4 grams… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg indoor cat licked a small piece of avocado flesh about an hour ago — no pit involved. Do I need to call the vet? You do not necessarily need to rush to the vet, but you should monitor her closely. A small lick of flesh… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat knocked over and drank about two tablespoons of coconut water 30 minutes ago — is that too much? Two tablespoons is unlikely to cause serious harm, but it is more than a cat normally needs. Coconut water is… Dogs · Emergency guide My 4 kg spaniel sat on a wet patch where a cane toad had secreted and is now a bit drooly — is that an emergency? Yes — this is an emergency. Wipe the dog's gums and mouth repeatedly with a damp cloth for 10 to 15 minutes… Dogs · Emergency guide My 4 kg Yorkie licked sauce off my dinner plate that contained calcium chloride — she's now wobbly and drooling. Do I call the vet right now? Yes — this is urgent. Calcium chloride reacts with moisture and releases heat, so it can chemically burn the… Cats · Emergency guide My 9-year-old diabetic cat chewed a sacred lotus leaf yesterday and is now drooling and pawing her mouth. Should I be worried? Call your vet now. Your cat's diabetes makes any vomiting or diarrhea much more dangerous than it would be in… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg indoor cat got into a chunk of fresh durian flesh around 8 p.m. — what signs should I watch for and how soon would they appear? It's a mild risk at most — a single chunk is unlikely to cause serious harm. Watch for vomiting or soft stool… Dogs · Emergency guide What happens after vet treats dog for THC gummy (5 kg)? Symptoms can last 24-72 hours. Vet may run blood tests, urine tests, and liver function tests. Recovery looks… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate leftover corn cob from the compost, should I worry? No, one kernel is fine. But if the cob is large, watch for vomiting. If she keeps eating, call your vet. It's… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg cat licked my hands after I applied zinc oxide cream — should I be worried about the small amount she ingested? Yes, any ingestion is a concern for a cat. Zinc oxide cream is thick and sticky, so a cat's tongue can pick… Cats · Food safety Can my 9-month-old cat eat a few snap peas cooked in butter and a pinch of salt? The peas are fine; the butter and salt aren't. A small amount won't poison your kitten, but cats don't need… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg cat ate a capsule labeled 'fish oil' but it was actually cod liver oil. How bad is this for her? Cod liver oil is far worse for cats than regular fish oil — it's packed with vitamin A, while normal fish oil…

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