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

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

All pets Dogs Cats

Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat licked a smear of pesto-flavored vegan cheese spread off a cracker — could the hidden garlic hurt her? No, a single lick of pesto-flavored spread is very unlikely to cause harm. The bigger risk comes from… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg beagle ate about half a cup of cooked bamboo shoots from my plate. Is that too much? No, that amount of cooked bamboo shoots is very unlikely to harm your 10 kg dog. The real danger is from raw… Cats · Emergency guide My cat is wobbly and drooling — could it be from licking a muscle cream or did she get into my Baclofen pills? Yes, Baclofen is a serious emergency for cats. Muscle creams are a skin irritant, but Baclofen causes deep… Dogs · Emergency guide Is drain cleaner worse for my 15 kg dog than dish soap if he licked a small spill an hour ago and is now drooling? Yes, drain cleaner is far worse — it's a corrosive chemical emergency, not just a mild stomach upset. Dish… Dogs · Emergency guide My 30 kg dog just ate a bowl of leftover chicken soup that had organophosphate insecticide in it about 30 minutes ago — is he in danger? Yes, this is an immediate danger. The insecticide is toxic whether it's on a plant or mixed into food, and… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog ate a cooked piece of sausage that had anticoagulant rodenticide mixed into it — is cooking it safer for him? No, cooking does not make it safer — the toxic compounds in rodent baits are heat-stable and remain just as… Cats · Emergency guide Only my 4 kg indoor cat licked organophosphate insecticide off a plant leaf; my other two cats didn't. What do I do for her and the household? Get the exposed cat to a vet immediately — even a lick can cause severe poisoning in a small cat, with signs… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg senior cat just took one tiny bite of a green rodent bait block, maybe the size of a pea, and seems fine. Is that an emergency? Yes, treat this as an emergency — a pea-sized amount is more than enough to poison a 3 kg cat. The bait is… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat with a sensitive stomach licked a drop of drain cleaner off the sink and now has foamy drool — is this just an upset stomach? No, this is not a simple upset stomach — it's a corrosive injury. That foamy drool is a classic sign of… Dogs · Food safety How much cooked artichoke heart can my 20 kg dog safely eat as a treat, and what happens if he eats a whole one? A few small, cooked pieces — about a tablespoon's worth — are a safe treat for a 20 kg dog. The main risk of… Dogs · Food safety At a BBQ, my 12 kg beagle snatched and ate a whole coconut macaroon cookie — will the sugar and coconut oil give him diarrhea? Yes, that much sugar and fat from the coconut oil in a cookie is very likely to cause diarrhea or vomiting in… Cats · Food safety Are those freeze-dried strawberry cat treats safe for my 4 kg indoor cat to have a few pieces daily, or is the sugar a problem? Yes, a few pieces of a plain freeze-dried strawberry treat are safe for a 4 kg cat. The sugar in strawberries… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat licked a spoonful of leek soup from my bowl. Is a small cat more at risk? Yes, a smaller cat is at greater risk from the same amount. Alliums like leek damage red blood cells, and the… Dogs · Emergency guide My 4 kg puppy licked a crumb of anticoagulant rodenticide off the floor an hour ago. Is he in danger? Yes, call the ASPCA poison line (888-426-4435) or your vet now. Even a crumb contains enough poison to block… Dogs · Emergency guide My 5 kg Chihuahua licked a tiny bit of liquid drain cleaner off a spoon and now has diarrhoea. Is this from the cleaner? Yes, that diarrhoea is a sign of poisoning, not just a sensitive stomach. Drain cleaner is highly alkaline… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg cat ate a square of rodenticide bait an hour ago and is now lethargic — what are the first steps? Yes, this is an emergency. The lethargy you see is a classic early sign of internal bleeding starting. Do not… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg senior cat lapped up a puddle of drain cleaner left on the kitchen floor overnight — what do I watch for right now? This is an emergency — call your vet or the ASPCA poison control line (888-426-4435) now. Highly alkaline… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat slipped some chia pudding that was left out overnight — any risk of mould or spoilage hurt her more than the seeds would? The chia seeds are fine — cats can eat soaked chia. The worry is the pudding sat out overnight. If it smells… Dogs · Emergency guide Only my 15 kg border collie ate the organophosphate granules I spread on my lawn yesterday — is my 4 kg shih tzu at risk from walking on the same grass today? Yes, any dog that walks on or licks treated soil can absorb enough to get sick, even without eating the… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg indoor cat chewed through a permethrin flea collar and started trembling within 10 minutes — is that worse than organophosphate poisoning? Yes. Permethrin hits a cat's nervous system faster and is often deadlier than organophosphate. Both cause… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg dog got organophosphate insecticide on his fur — is that worse for him than a typical flea collar? Yes, it's far more dangerous. Organophosphate insecticides are concentrated agricultural or garden chemicals… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog licked a puddle of drain cleaner left in the sink overnight — is it more dangerous now that it's been sitting? Yes, it's still an emergency. Drain cleaner doesn't lose its caustic strength from sitting overnight — the… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat with a sensitive stomach walked through organophosphate granules — could this cause diarrhoea or just an upset stomach? This is not a simple stomach upset — it's poisoning. Organophosphates cause severe nerve toxicity through… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg senior cat with kidney disease lapped a drop of drain cleaner — is her condition going to make the poisoning worse? Yes, her kidney disease complicates this emergency. Drain cleaner causes rapid, severe tissue damage on… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate a pea-sized bit of anticoagulant rodenticide — what are the first signs and when might they show up? The first signs like lethargy and weakness can take 1-3 days to appear, which is why this is so dangerous.… Cats · Food safety My 1.5 kg, 3-month-old kitten licked a tiny bit of erythritol-sweetened yogurt — is this riskier for a kitten than an adult cat? Yes, kittens are more vulnerable. Their digestive systems are still developing, so sugar alcohols like… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate some poultry-flavoured pet toothpaste gel — is the flavouring or the gel base itself more dangerous? The danger is in the ingredients, not the flavour. Check the label immediately for xylitol, which is… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg beagle ate anticoagulant rodenticide bait about an hour ago and seems perfectly fine — what should I do right now? This is an emergency. Even though your beagle looks fine, internal bleeding from brodifacoum may not show… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat gets a tiny piece of milk chocolate as a treat every few days. What are the long-term risks? Yes, this is dangerous. Chocolate is toxic to cats, and small repeated doses still build up theobromine in… Cats · Emergency guide My 8-week-old kitten chewed a pea-sized piece of anticoagulant rodenticide bait left on the kitchen floor — what should I do? This is an emergency regardless of how small the bite is. Brodifacoum blocks vitamin K recycling, so even a…

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