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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 · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg cat has been licking hand sanitiser gel off the kitchen counter every day for a week — is this harmful? Yes, daily licking is harmful and can add up to a toxic dose. Gel formulas cling to the tongue and muzzle, so… Dogs · Emergency guide Is a 5 kg dog at greater risk from moldy pecans or moldy walnuts — which should I worry about more? You should worry about both equally. Moldy pecans and moldy walnuts both harbour tremorgenic mycotoxins that… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate four grapes from a grape salad at a picnic — what happens at the vet and how long do I monitor her? Grapes are toxic to cats with no known safe amount, and kidney damage can begin within hours. At the vet… Cats · Food safety My 3.5 kg senior cat licked plain cooked oatmeal from a rice pudding dish — is this safe or could the dish itself be a problem? The plain oatmeal itself is safe for cats in small amounts and can even be gentle on a sensitive stomach. The… Cats · Food safety Is plain cornmeal safe for my pregnant 5 kg cat who licked some off the kitchen floor? Yes, plain cornmeal is safe for a pregnant cat in the small amount she likely licked off the floor. The real… Dogs · Emergency guide My 6 kg Shih Tzu ate a 5-HTP capsule and now has diarrhea. Is that a common reaction? Yes, diarrhea can be an early sign of 5-HTP poisoning, not just a simple stomach upset. 5-HTP directly raises… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat chewed a dieffenbachia leaf that was yellow and moldy — is that more dangerous than a fresh one? Yes, get your cat to the vet. Mold adds its own toxins, which can cause vomiting or tremors on top of the… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat with early-stage kidney disease ate two salted cashews I dropped. Is this dangerous for her kidneys? No, two salted cashews are not a kidney toxin, but the salt and fat are unhelpful for her condition. Her… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate cocoa mulch from a plate of leftover stew — should I take her to emergency vet now? Yes — cocoa mulch contains theobromine and caffeine, and a 4 kg cat needs only a small amount to become… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat chewed three chrysanthemum petals and is now drooling — is this poison or just gut irritation? This is toxic exposure, not a simple tummy upset. Chrysanthemums contain pyrethrins, which irritate the gut… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog with arthritis licked Voltaren gel from my knee — how much is too much? Voltaren contains diclofenac, an NSAID that is extremely toxic to dogs even in small amounts. The exact… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat has been eating scraps of rum-soaked bread dough from my kitchen counter each evening for two weeks — what long-term damage could this cause? Daily ethanol exposure is dangerous for a 5 kg cat. Even small amounts of rum-soaked dough can accumulate… Dogs · Emergency guide Is it more dangerous for my 15 kg adult dog to eat beef liver treats or vitamin A pills every day for six months? Beef liver treats are the bigger danger. Liver concentrates vitamin A at levels far above what a dog needs … Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog ate half a 5 mg melatonin tablet — is that safe, and when should I worry? Half a 5 mg tablet (2.5 mg) is unlikely to harm an 8 kg dog, but it can cause noticeable drowsiness and… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg dachshund ate rice mixed with chopped jalapeño from my plate — will he need emergency care? Yes — capsaicin in jalapeños causes severe mouth burning, drooling, and stomach irritation in dogs. A 6 kg… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg pregnant dog ate a bowl of cumin-spiced lamb stew — could the cumin harm her puppies? Cumin is safe for dogs in the small amounts used in cooking, and it will not harm her puppies. The lamb and… Cats · Food safety My 1.5 kg, 3-month-old kitten licked pesto sauce off my plate — is the garlic in it dangerous? Yes — garlic is toxic to cats, and pesto is built on a garlic base. A 1.5 kg kitten is especially vulnerable… Dogs · Food safety My 4-month-old Shih Tzu puppy (1.5 kg) just licked garlic cream cheese off the kitchen floor — will one lick hurt him? One lick won't hurt him. Garlic and chive flavourings in cream cheese can be toxic to dogs, but a single lick… Cats · Toxicity calculator Only one of my three cats ate a slug bait pellet — how do I handle my other two cats? Take the cat that ate the bait to the vet immediately — metaldehyde acts fast and can cause seizures within… Cats · Toxicity calculator What happens if my 5 kg cat finds and chews a piece of 2 mg nicotine gum every day for a week? Repeated exposure is extremely dangerous. Nicotine is a fast-acting neurotoxin, and even small daily doses… Dogs · Emergency guide My 5 kg Chihuahua and my 30 kg Labrador both ate the same amount of anticoagulant rat poison — is the risk the same? No, the risk is much higher for your 5 kg Chihuahua. Anticoagulant rodenticides work by dose per body weight… Dogs · Emergency guide Is it safe for my pregnant 25 kg dog to eat a bowl of commercial raw dog food daily? No, feeding raw to a pregnant dog is not recommended. Raw diets carry bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat licked a plate with roasted goose skin and gravy — is the seasoned skin safe? A few licks are unlikely to harm her, but goose skin is very fatty and often heavily seasoned with salt… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog on heart medication ate about a tablespoon of dried goji berries — is this a concern? Yes, it's a concern because goji berries can interact with heart medications, potentially altering their… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked some sesame oil and soy sauce from my stir-fry plate — is that okay? A few licks are usually fine, but the problem is the soy sauce, not the sesame. Soy sauce is very high in… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate one small dried oleander leaf that blew onto our balcony. Is this a toxic dose? Yes, go to the vet now. Dried leaves are still highly toxic, and even a small amount can cause fatal heart… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog just ate three 100 mg Baytril pills. How much is a dangerous amount? Yes, that's a dangerous overdose. A 10 kg dog just ingested 300 mg, which is a 30 mg/kg dose. For growing… Cats · Food safety My 4.5 kg pregnant cat ate a whole dried fig from the table last night — is it safe for her and the kittens? Yes, one dried fig is unlikely to harm her or the kittens. The main risk is upsetting her stomach, which… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked a bit of green scum off a decorative holiday water bowl centerpiece—should I be worried? Yes, this is an emergency. That green scum could be blue-green algae, which produces liver and nerve toxins… Dogs · Emergency guide Could a handful of raw chives from my garden give my 12 kg dog with a sensitive stomach diarrhoea and gas? Yes, but the bigger risk is delayed poisoning, not just an upset stomach. Chives contain compounds that…

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