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 · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog licked one single drop of concentrated bleach off his paw — do I need to rush to the vet? Probably not, but watch his mouth closely. A single drop of concentrated bleach can cause a localized burn or… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat licked a blob of scented hand sanitizer gel off the table — does the isopropyl alcohol in it pose a hidden risk? Yes, the isopropyl alcohol in hand sanitizer is a real risk, especially for a small cat. Even a small blob… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg dog just drank a quarter cup of hot chocolate from my mug — what are the concrete first steps I should take in the next hour? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now. Theobromine in chocolate is toxic, and a quarter… Dogs · Food safety For my 30 kg dog, is cooked trout safer or more risky than cooked salmon, especially regarding bones and fat content? Both are safe when cooked and boneless, but trout typically has finer, more numerous small bones that are… Cats · Food safety My 2 kg, 4-month-old kitten stole and ate a small piece of pitted date — is her tiny size a bigger concern? Yes, her small size means even a tiny piece carries more relative sugar, which can upset her immature… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 3 kg cat chewed and swallowed the oily liquid from a broken 5000 IU vitamin D3 gel cap — is the raw oil more toxic than the capsule shell? Yes, the raw oil is the immediate danger. The capsule shell is inert, but the oily liquid inside is… Dogs · Emergency guide How much water is too much for a 7 kg dog to drink in one go before risking water intoxication? There's no exact safe volume, but a 7 kg dog drinking more than a litre in under an hour is a serious red… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog ate a piece of sugar-free gum I didn't know had xylitol — which other everyday snacks secretly contain this sweetener? Xylitol hides in many sugar-free products beyond gum, including mints, breath strips, some peanut butters… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat drank a lot of untreated sprinkler water from the garden — is raw outdoor water riskier for water intoxication than clean tap water? The intoxication risk is the same — it's the sheer volume swallowed quickly that dilutes blood sodium, not… Dogs · Food safety Is a wild mushroom more dangerous for my 5 kg Chihuahua than for my 30 kg Labrador if they both ate the same small piece? Yes, absolutely. With toxins, the dose per kilogram of body weight is what matters. That same small piece… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked a bit of turmeric butter off a holiday dinner plate — is the butter and spice mix from a party table safe? A tiny lick of turmeric butter is safe for a cat. The real concern with party plates is often the other… Dogs · Food safety Is a pinch of dried sage in Thanksgiving stuffing safe for my 15 kg pregnant dog who ate a spoonful? Yes, a pinch of dried sage in a spoonful of stuffing is safe for a pregnant dog. The real risks in stuffing… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5kg senior cat licked a dab of ibuprofen pain cream that I left on the kitchen counter overnight and is now drooling—could the cream be toxic? Yes, this is an emergency and you need to call your vet or the ASPCA poison line right now. The ibuprofen or… Cats · Emergency guide At a holiday dinner party, my 4 kg cat jumped onto the side table and chewed a long stretch of pothos vine — it's pawing at its mouth now. What should I do? This needs prompt veterinary attention. Pothos contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that cause intense… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat just licked one single drop of sugar-free gum containing sorbitol — do I really need to worry about such a tiny amount? Yes — even one lick of sorbitol can cause problems in a cat this small. Sorbitol draws water into the… Dogs · Food safety How much xylitol in sugar-free gum is dangerous for my 10 kg dog — is just one piece enough to cause a hypoglycemic emergency? Yes — any amount of xylitol is dangerous for dogs, and one piece of sugar-free gum can absolutely trigger a… Cats · Food safety My 4.5 kg cat ate barley that was left out overnight and seems a bit off this morning — is spoiled cooked barley dangerous for cats? Plain cooked barley is safe for cats, but once it is left out overnight it can grow mold and bacteria that… Dogs · Emergency guide What are the first signs and timeline of potato plant poisoning in a 15 kg dog who ate a handful of leaves? The first signs usually appear within a few hours, starting with vomiting and abdominal pain. You might see… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat chewed an aloe leaf — is she at higher risk than my 6 kg cat would be? Yes, her smaller size puts her at significantly higher risk. The toxic yellow latex under the leaf skin is a… Cats · Emergency guide Is a rawhide dental chew more likely to choke a 4 kg cat than a 20 kg dog? Absolutely, the risk is far greater for the cat. A cat's esophagus is much narrower, so even a small, soggy… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg pregnant cat was bitten on the leg by a spider — does this put her unborn kittens at extra risk? Yes, the primary risk is to the mother, and that indirectly threatens the kittens. Venom from spiders like… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat licked beef gravy that was left out overnight and now has diarrhea — is the spoilage or the onion worse? For a cat that small, both are problems, but the bacterial spoilage is the more immediate concern. Gravy left… Cats · Food safety For my 5 kg cat with a sensitive stomach, are cooked asparagus tips safer than green beans? Both are generally safe when cooked plain, but green beans are often the gentler choice. Asparagus contains… Cats · Food safety Can a small amount of cooked eel cause diarrhea in a 4 kg cat with a known sensitive stomach? Very likely, yes. Eel is extremely high in fat, which is a common trigger for digestive upset in cats with… Dogs · Emergency guide Could the stuffing inside my 5 kg dog's plush chew toy secretly contain expanding glue? It's unlikely but possible. Some cheaply made toys use polyurethane-based adhesives to bond the inner… Cats · Emergency guide Is a 5 mg melatonin gummy more dangerous than a tablet for my 4 kg cat who seems wobbly after eating one? The danger is the same — it's the 5 mg dose that matters, not the form. For a cat, that's a massive human… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog ate a wilted, yellowing jade plant leaf that fell on the floor — is a decaying leaf less toxic? No, a decaying leaf is not safer — the toxins remain. Jade plant leaves are thick and retain moisture, so a… Dogs · Emergency guide My 3-month-old, 2 kg puppy just swallowed a marble-sized ball of raw pizza dough — is his tiny size an emergency? Yes, this is an emergency. A puppy's stomach is small, so even a marble-sized dough ball can expand enough to… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog ate a raw chicken wing that was left on the counter overnight — is spoiled raw meat worse? Yes, spoiled raw meat is riskier. Bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli multiply rapidly at room temperature… Dogs · Food safety My 20 kg counter-surfer keeps stealing raw collard greens from the cutting board — how do I train him to leave veggies alone? Steamed plain collard greens are safe in small amounts, but you still want to stop the stealing. The key is…

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