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 · Food safety My 2 kg cat has been nibbling raw elderberries from my garden bush for weeks — what could happen? Yes, this is a serious risk. Raw elderberries contain cyanide-producing compounds that build up with repeated… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked a spoonful of blackcurrant sauce from a takeaway dish — is that safe? Yes, that amount is safe. The blackcurrants themselves aren't toxic to cats, but the sauce is the real… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat gets a bite of my peppered chicken dinner every night—will this cause stomach problems over time? Yes, long-term it can cause chronic stomach irritation. A nightly bite means the pepper's irritating… Cats · Food safety Can my 4 kg senior cat with kidney disease have a few cooked peas as a treat? Yes, plain cooked peas are safe and can be a good low-calorie treat. For a cat with kidney disease, the low… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog on daily medication for seizures ate a used teabag. Should I be extra worried? Yes, call your vet now. The caffeine in tea can cause tremors and a racing heart, which could interact with… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat chewed and swallowed one whole piece of sugar-free gum. Is that amount of xylitol dangerous for her? Probably not, but watch her closely. Cats are far less sensitive to xylitol than dogs, so a single piece is… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg Yorkie ate about ten raw elderberries from the garden. Is this more serious for a small dog? Yes, size makes a big difference. The cyanide-producing compounds in raw elderberries are dose-dependent, so… Cats · Emergency guide Could my 5 kg cat get diabetes medicine from licking a plate that had sugar-free pudding or diet snacks? It's very unlikely. Diabetes medicines like metformin and insulin are prescription drugs, not ingredients… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog swallowed a large piece of rawhide 2 hours ago. When should I expect choking or blockage signs? Signs can appear immediately or take up to 24 hours. Choking or gagging usually happens right after… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog chewed a whole aloe leaf an hour ago. How soon will vomiting and diarrhea start, and how long do they last? Vomiting often starts within 2-6 hours, followed by profuse, watery diarrhea. The diarrhea can last 24-48… Dogs · Food safety My 4kg toy poodle ate two bites of a chocolate‑coated protein bar from the holiday buffet within 20 minutes. What should I do? Call your vet or the ASPCA Poison Control line (888‑426‑4435) right now. The chocolate coating likely… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog on heart medication ate two mistletoe berries. What should I do? Yes, call your vet or the ASPCA poison line (888-426-4435) now. Mistletoe slows the heart rate, and that… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog ate three pomelo segments an hour ago and seems fine — how long should I monitor him and what tests might the vet run? Monitor him closely for at least 12 hours. The citrus oils can sometimes cause delayed vomiting or mild… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog chewed poinsettia leaves yesterday evening around 6 p.m. and hasn't vomited yet. What symptoms should I watch for and when will they show up? Symptoms usually start within 1–2 hours of chewing, though some dogs show nothing at all. You'd see drooling… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg kitten keeps shoving my stevia powder canister off the counter — how can I store sweeteners so she never gets to them? Store stevia products in a latched or locked cabinet — the kind a determined kitten can't paw open. Check the… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat with kidney disease ate about three dried goji berries. Is this a problem? This is a mild risk, but you should watch her closely. Goji berries are high in sugar, which can be harder… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat with kidney disease licked wet organophosphate off a leaf and is now drooling heavily. What do I do? This is an emergency — her kidney disease means she may not clear the toxin well. Organophosphates cause… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat drank from a bowl of water with oleander leaves on the party buffet table. She seems fine now — is this an emergency? Yes, this is an emergency. Oleander toxins are in the water, not just the leaves. A cat that seems fine can… Dogs · Food safety My 3 kg Yorkie ate a whole slice of honey-glazed ham off the counter, but my other dogs didn't. What do I do? Focus on the Yorkie. That much ham is a huge salt load for a 3 kg dog. Watch it closely for the next 24 hours… Dogs · Food safety Our holiday buffet had a whole roast goose on the table — my 15 kg dog grabbed a small piece with gravy. Is this okay? Yes, that small amount is fine. The gravy might be the bigger issue if it contained onion or garlic. Watch… Dogs · Food safety Is a tablespoon of garlic powder more dangerous for my 5 kg Chihuahua than my 25 kg Labrador? Yes, the risk is far greater for your small dog. Garlic powder is concentrated, and a tablespoon contains a… Cats · Emergency guide My cat just nibbled a leaf from a potted plant. Is autumn crocus more dangerous than spring crocus for a 5 kg adult cat? Yes, it is a critical emergency. Autumn crocus contains colchicine, which poisons the bone marrow and… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate three okra-based dental chews from a new brand. Are they safe? Yes, the okra itself is safe. The main risk is the other ingredients in a commercial chew, like gums… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog with a sensitive stomach ate a raw chicken thigh. Will this give him diarrhoea? Yes, raw chicken is a likely trigger for diarrhoea in a dog with a sensitive stomach. The bacteria on raw… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate a few unsalted sunflower seeds, but would salted ones be much worse? A few unsalted seeds are low risk, but salted ones are a bigger problem. The main danger with salted seeds is… Dogs · Emergency guide My 7 kg terrier ate a piece of beef jerky from a bag I later found had mothballs in it — is the jerky dangerous now? Yes, treat this as an emergency and call the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now. The fumes from mothballs… Cats · Food safety My cat licked a teaspoon of mouldy, rancid coconut oil left out for a week. Is this toxic? No, the mould itself isn't toxic to cats, but rancid oil can upset her stomach. The main risk is vomiting or… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog just ate a tablespoon of passion fruit pulp. What should I watch for in the next 24 hours? Monitor for mild stomach upset like vomiting or diarrhea; the pulp itself is the low-risk part. The real… Cats · Food safety My 10 lb cat ate a 1-inch piece of salami, but my other cat didn't get any — do I need to separate them or watch them both? Watch the cat that ate it, but you don't need to separate them. That small piece is a lot of salt and fat for… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog ate a gravy treat that had ear infection medicine hidden in it — what should I look for in the next few hours? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now, as this is a high-risk ingestion. The gravy…

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