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

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

All pets Dogs Cats

Cats · Food safety My 5 kg diabetic cat on insulin ate a thin slice of ripe pear flesh. Could this affect her blood sugar or condition? One thin slice is unlikely to cause a major spike, but you should monitor her. Pear flesh contains natural… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg cat licked one drop of liquid Baytril (enrofloxacin) 20 minutes ago and is now vomiting. How urgent is this? This is an urgent situation. For cats, even a tiny amount of enrofloxacin can be toxic, and vomiting is a… Cats · Emergency guide My pregnant 5 kg cat ate half a jade plant leaf and is now wobbly on her feet. Does this risk her unborn kittens? Yes, this is a serious risk to both her and the kittens. The wobbliness means the plant's toxins are… Cats · Emergency guide Is it dangerous to give my 4 kg cat a small piece of rawhide dental chew every day for her teeth? Yes, giving rawhide daily is a significant and unnecessary risk. Rawhide is difficult to digest and can swell… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate two adult iron gummy vitamins an hour ago. What are the first signs of poisoning and when will they show up? The first signs are usually vomiting and diarrhea, which can appear within 2 to 6 hours. The vomit may… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat with stage 2 kidney disease licked a little star fruit juice off a plate. Is this extra dangerous for her? Yes, this is significantly more dangerous for a cat with kidney disease. Star fruit is very high in oxalates… Dogs · Emergency guide I've been giving my 12 kg senior dog a few cooked rhubarb leaves in his food every day for weeks — what long-term damage could this cause? Stop immediately — daily feeding is extremely dangerous and can lead to fatal kidney failure. Rhubarb leaves… Dogs · Emergency guide Are commercial dog treats that list hemp or CBD safe for my 8 kg anxious dog, and could they secretly contain THC? No, they are not reliably safe — avoid them. The pet supplement market is unregulated, and products labeled… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat licked a plate with molasses-based BBQ sauce off the dinner table and now seems restless. Should I be worried? Watch closely, but don’t panic. The main risk from a few licks is the high sugar content, which can cause an… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat with a known heart murmur licked a small dab of prepared horseradish sauce. Could the spice stress her heart? The main risk is gastrointestinal upset, not direct heart stress. Horseradish is pungent and can irritate her… Dogs · Food safety My pregnant 15 kg dog snatched one chip with a little guacamole from the coffee table. Is this risky for her or the puppies? One chip with a small amount is low risk, but watch her closely. The primary concern with guacamole is the… Cats · Emergency guide My 4kg adult cat ate half a cup of chicken stew that accidentally contained a spoonful of oven cleaner, 20 minutes ago, and is now drooling. What should I do? Call your veterinarian or an emergency poison hotline right now. The sodium hydroxide in oven cleaner will… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog licked a bit of dusty soil from a dug-up daffodil bulb — is that a toxic amount? Probably not, but watch him closely for the next 12 hours. The bulb itself is the most toxic part, but the… Cats · Emergency guide Can the filling inside a hand warmer cause diarrhoea or a sensitive stomach in a 4 kg cat? Yes, it can. The iron powder and vermiculite are abrasive and not meant to be eaten, which often leads to… Dogs · Emergency guide My 5 kg dog licked a tiny smear of pet toothpaste off the brush — is one lick an emergency? It depends entirely on the ingredients. Check the tube right now for xylitol, which is extremely dangerous… Cats · Food safety Is a 3-inch piece of raw celery safe for my 3 kg adult cat, or is that too big for her size? Yes, it’s safe, but you must chop it into much smaller pieces first. A whole 3-inch stick is a choking hazard… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog grabbed a few salty french fries off the BBQ table — should I be worried about pancreatitis? A few fries are unlikely to cause pancreatitis in an otherwise healthy dog, but the high fat and salt can… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licks a tiny smear of hydrocortisone cream off my skin every morning for a week — what long-term damage could that cause? Yes, daily licking of hydrocortisone cream is dangerous. Over time, the steroid can be absorbed and suppress… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg indoor cat took one tiny nibble from a yew plant sprig and spat it out — is that single bite an emergency? Yes, even one nibble is an emergency. Yew contains potent cardiac toxins where a tiny amount per body weight… Dogs · Emergency guide My 3 kg Chihuahua ate one whole poinsettia leaf and is now drooling — does her tiny size make this more dangerous than for a big dog? Yes, her small size increases the risk. One leaf represents a much larger dose per kilogram of body weight… Cats · Toxicity calculator Could my 4 kg cat get nicotine poisoning from chewing on used nicotine gum I accidentally dropped under the sofa? Yes, used nicotine gum is a serious hidden hazard. Even a discarded piece retains enough nicotine to poison a… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog just lapped up the leftover milk and a few soggy cereal pieces from my breakfast bowl — is that dangerous if the cereal had raisins? It depends entirely on whether raisins were in that cereal. Check the ingredient list right now — if it… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg terrier ate a whole 30 g cheddar cheese wedge — is that amount likely to cause pancreatitis or just an upset stomach for a small breed? For a 5 kg dog, a 30 g cheese wedge is a large, rich fat load that can absolutely trigger pancreatitis, not… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked the chocolate coating off a protein bar wrapper — could the hidden chocolate in health snacks poison her? Yes, even the small amount of chocolate coating on a wrapper can be dangerous for a cat. Many protein bars… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog just licked up a puddle of clear hand sanitizer gel from the floor. Could this be isopropyl alcohol poisoning? Yes, many clear hand sanitizer gels are concentrated isopropyl alcohol, which is toxic to dogs. Signs like… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog chewed on a decorative floral arrangement that included cyclamen leaves. Could this cause poisoning? Yes, cyclamen leaves contain irritating saponins and can cause poisoning. Watch for drooling, pawing at the… Dogs · Emergency guide My pregnant 18 kg dog ate a large, slimy lotus leaf from our garden pond overnight. Is this risky for her pregnancy? Yes, there is risk. The leaf itself can cause stomach upset and vomiting, which is stressful during… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog with a sensitive stomach vomited twice after eating three high-potency beef liver treats yesterday. Could this be vitamin A toxicity? It's more likely a severe stomach upset from the rich treat, but repeated high doses can lead to vitamin A… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg dog ate some stuffing mix that lists 'spices' including thyme. Is dried thyme in packaged foods a hidden risk for dogs? No, the tiny amount of dried thyme in a stuffing mix is not a risk. The real hidden dangers in such mixes are… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg pregnant cat ate about 8 fertilizer pellets from the bag. Could this hurt her kittens? Yes, this is a high-risk situation for her and the unborn kittens. Fertilizers can contain iron or…

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The library keeps growing. Can’t find your situation? Open the matching toxicity calculator and enter weight plus amount for an instant risk level.