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

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
Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 4 kg Westie swallowed half a piece of 2 mg nicotine gum 20 minutes ago — isn't he too small to handle this? That is exactly why this is an emergency. At 4 kg, even half a 2 mg piece delivers a dose that overwhelms his… Cats · Emergency guide My 4.5 kg senior cat ate a moldy probiotic supplement capsule left in the kitchen drawer for weeks — should I worry about tremors? Yes, and you should act fast. Mold growing on supplements, nuts, cheese, and bread produces tremorgenic… Dogs · Emergency guide My 7 kg Shih Tzu licked avocado skin but spat it out within seconds — is that tiny exposure an emergency? Not a major emergency, but don't ignore it entirely. Avocado contains persin, which irritates the… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg senior dog with a heart murmur chewed two peace lily leaves this morning and is now drooling heavily — what's the real risk? The drooling and oral pain are expected — insoluble calcium oxalate crystals embed in the mouth and throat… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 5 kg cat ate a zinc penny three days ago and the vet removed it — what should I monitor at home over the next week? Good that the coin was removed early, but monitoring matters because zinc damage can linger. Watch for pale… Cats · Food safety Is mac and cheese more dangerous for my 4 kg cat than plain cooked pasta, or is it the pasta itself causing trouble? It's the mac and cheese that's the concern, not the plain pasta. Plain cooked pasta is safe for cats in small… Dogs · Food safety My 9 kg dog with a sensitive stomach ate raw broccoli stems yesterday and has had gas all day — will steaming help next time? Steaming will definitely help. Raw broccoli stems are tough and fibrous, and the isothiocyanates that cause… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg Dachshund with a dairy-sensitive stomach ate a commercial dog treat labeled 'probiotic' — could it contain kefir? It's possible. Some pet food manufacturers add kefir or other fermented dairy cultures to treats and… Cats · Emergency guide My 8-year-old cat ate half a decongestant gummy supplement from the kitchen counter an hour ago — she's now restless. What do I do? This needs immediate attention — call your vet or the ASPCA Poison Control line at 888-426-4435 right now… Dogs · Toxicity calculator For my 6 kg dog, is one low-dose aspirin worse than a single ibuprofen tablet? Both are dangerous, but ibuprofen is often worse. Aspirin can ulcerate a small dog's stomach with a single… Dogs · Emergency guide Could my 12 kg dog get sick from licking the lid of a canned food that touched oven cleaner residue? Yes, that's a real risk. Oven cleaner residue is caustic and doesn't just disappear — a tiny smear on a can… Dogs · Emergency guide My 18 kg dog on heart medication ate one 25 mg diphenhydramine pill — is the risk higher? Yes, the risk is significantly higher. Diphenhydramine can cause a fast heart rate and agitation, which… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog ate a few daisy petals from the yard — is that as risky as eating chrysanthemums? It depends on the exact daisy, but many common daisies are in the same toxic family as chrysanthemums. They… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat licked hydrocortisone cream — is this more dangerous for her than for a 30 kg dog? Absolutely, her small size makes it much more dangerous. The same pea-sized amount of cream delivers a much… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog vomited after lapping up soy sauce — what should I watch for over the next 24 hours? Watch closely for signs of sodium poisoning, which can develop over several hours. The main things are… Dogs · Food safety My senior dog's joint supplement lists yam extract — is that safe, or could it be a hidden risk? It's safe. Yam extract in supplements is typically from the cooked, processed root and is not a hidden toxin.… Cats · Food safety My 2 kg, 12-week-old kitten nibbled a tiny piece of green potato skin — is this an emergency? Yes, treat it as an emergency. Kittens are far more vulnerable because of their small size and developing… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate a quarter tube of fluoride toothpaste 10 minutes ago — is this a toxic dose? Yes, call the ASPCA poison line (888-426-4435) or an emergency vet now. A quarter tube for a small cat is a… Dogs · Emergency guide How many yew berries are toxic for a 5 kg dog? Even one yew berry can be toxic for a 5 kg dog. The taxine alkaloids in yew affect the heart and nervous… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg pregnant cat walked through wet organophosphate granules on the patio — is this riskier for her and the kittens? Yes, this is a high-risk emergency for a pregnant cat and her unborn kittens. Organophosphates are absorbed… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat chewed on the dried, woody stem of a lily arrangement from last week — is the dried part toxic too? Yes, all parts of a lily plant are toxic, including dried stems and leaves. Even a small amount of dried… Dogs · Food safety Is a teaspoon of olive oil safer than coconut oil for my 8 kg dog's dry skin? Both are safe in a teaspoon for an 8 kg dog, but olive oil is often the simpler choice. Coconut oil is higher… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg diabetic cat licked sugar-free blackberry jam off my toast — is the xylitol a concern? Yes, xylitol in sugar-free jam is a serious concern, especially for a diabetic cat. Xylitol can cause a rapid… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked sauce off a frozen pizza that has pepperoni — is the hidden grease and spice a risk? Yes, the grease and spices from pepperoni pizza sauce pose a mild risk. Even a few licks can cause vomiting… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate a whole zinc oxide supplement chew for cats — she vomited once and is now hiding. What do I do? Yes, this is an emergency — call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 right now. A whole chew is… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg Labrador got into my levothyroxine bottle and ate maybe 5 tablets an hour ago, but my other two dogs didn't touch them — what do I do for all three? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now — your Labrador needs urgent care. This overdose… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg cat just ate a tramadol pill I found under the sofa — it's been there for months and looks mouldy. Is it still dangerous? Yes, extremely. The mould is irrelevant — the pill's active ingredients remain potent. For a 6 kg cat, any… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg border collie got most of my leftover garlic-butter salmon pasta — is this dangerous? The cooked salmon in it is safe. The real question is the garlic-butter sauce — cooked garlic isn't instantly… Dogs · Emergency guide My 6 kg dog ate lily of the valley leaves chopped into his soup this morning — how urgent is this? This is an emergency. Lily of the Valley contains cardiac glycosides that interfere with heart function, and… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog might have nibbled an oleander clipping left on the patio table at a family BBQ — should I go to the vet now? Yes, go now. Oleander contains cardiac glycosides that disrupt the heart's rhythm, and even a nibble can be…

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