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
Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat with a sensitive stomach had diarrhea after eating a small piece of honey-glazed ham — is that from the ham? Very likely, yes. Ham is extremely fatty and salty, which can overwhelm a sensitive digestive system, leading… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate two prenatal vitamin tablets overnight, but my other two cats didn't touch them. What's the risk for the one who did? This is an emergency. Iron in prenatal vitamins is corrosive and damages the liver. Two tablets for a 3 kg… Cats · Emergency guide How much paracetamol is toxic for a cat? My 5 kg cat just ate half of a 500 mg tablet. Any amount is toxic for a cat. Half a 500 mg tablet (250 mg) is a potentially fatal dose for a 5 kg cat. Cats… Dogs · Emergency guide My 6 kg terrier and my 30 kg Labrador were both bitten by a snake on a hike. Is the smaller dog in more danger? Yes, the 6 kg terrier is at much greater risk. Venom dose is relative to body size, so a small dog receives a… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 8 kg dog ate one low-dose aspirin and now has diarrhea and seems lethargic. Could this just be a stomach upset, or is it poisoning? This is likely aspirin toxicity, not just a simple upset. Lethargy combined with diarrhea after ingestion is… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog snatched a piece of deep-fried catfish with cornmeal batter from the counter. Is the fried batter safe? The plain, cooked catfish meat is safe, but the fried batter is not. The cornmeal batter is high in fat and… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog just bit into a dishwasher pod on the kitchen floor and is now foaming at the mouth — what are the first three things I should do right now? First, gently rinse his mouth with lukewarm water from a cup or the sink sprayer to flush out the detergent.… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked ibuprofen gel off my knee 90 minutes ago — what symptoms should I expect in the next 12 hours and when do they peak? Vomiting, sometimes with specks of blood, can start within 2–4 hours. Between 6 and 12 hours, watch for loss… Dogs · Emergency guide My 20 kg dog lapped a tablespoon of paint thinner from a rag 3 hours ago and now has watery diarrhea — is this just a stomach upset or a sign of poisoning? This is a sign of poisoning, not simple stomach upset. Petroleum distillates like paint thinner are toxic and… Dogs · Food safety Are commercial dental chews that list strawberry powder in the ingredients safe for my 8 kg adult dog with no allergies? Yes, they are generally safe. The strawberry powder is just dried, crushed fruit and adds a bit of natural… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog just drank about half a bottle of beer from a tipped-over glass — what should I do in the next hour before the vet? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 now. That amount of alcohol and hops is dangerous for… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat has diabetes — are sugar-free cat treats that use stevia extract as a sweetener safe for her condition? Check the ingredient list very carefully. Pure stevia extract is not toxic, but many 'stevia' blends are cut… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat just licked a few drops of fresh lemon juice off the cutting board and is now drooling — what should I do in the next 60 minutes? Rinse her mouth gently with a small stream of water from a syringe or a wet cloth to dilute the acid. Offer a… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg diabetic dog on insulin ate a jade plant leaf — does his condition make it more urgent? Yes, it's more urgent. A diabetic dog's system is already under stress, and the jade plant's toxins can… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat was treated for chewing one castor bean 36 hours ago — what monitoring and tests are needed during recovery at home? Recovery monitoring is intensive. Your vet will likely have run blood tests to check liver and kidney… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg dog only licked a lily of the valley flower — is that tiny contact enough to need the emergency vet? Yes, even a lick warrants an immediate call. The cardiac glycosides are potent and present in all parts of… Dogs · Emergency guide How can I prevent my 15 kg Australian Shepherd from getting into heartworm pills, especially with his breed sensitivity? Store pills in a locked cabinet high up — not just on a counter, as these dogs can jump. After giving the… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog just grabbed a corn cob from the trash 10 minutes ago — what should I do in the next hour? Call your vet now. A corn cob is a high-risk foreign body that can cause a complete intestinal blockage… Dogs · Food safety Which common human snacks or foods might secretly contain sesame seeds that my 10 kg terrier could steal? Sesame seeds hide in many everyday items. Check breads like burger buns, bagels, and sandwich rolls, which… Cats · Food safety Is a teaspoon of plain yogurt equally safe for my 3 kg cat and my 6 kg cat, or does portion size matter? Portion size absolutely matters. A teaspoon is a tiny treat for a 6 kg cat but represents a much larger… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat just bit a lily of the valley flower 15 minutes ago and is hiding — what do I do first? Call the ASPCA Poison Control line at 888-426-4435 or your emergency vet immediately. Every part of this… Cats · Emergency guide My 1.5 kg, 8-week-old kitten just licked a dab of hydrocortisone cream off my wrist 5 minutes after I applied it — should I worry about her developing system? Yes, worry immediately. An 8-week-old kitten’s small body weight and immature liver mean even a tiny dab of… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat chewed open a flavored ear-wax treat stick that lists acetic acid — is that safe? Acetic acid in ear cleaning solutions is irritating and toxic if swallowed. A flavored treat stick that lists… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10-week-old, 3 kg puppy swallowed a green potato sprout — how quickly should I act? Act immediately. Solanine glycoalkaloids are concentrated in green skins and sprouts, and a 3 kg puppy’s… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 5 kg cat chewed an aspirin tablet that had been left open in the bathroom for a week — is the expired aspirin still dangerous? Yes, still dangerous. Aspirin does not become safer as it ages; moisture and air degrade the coating but the… Cats · Food safety Is feeding my 4 kg cat half a cup of pine nuts every day safe long-term? No, not safe long-term. Pine nuts are high in fat, and daily feeding can lead to pancreatitis, liver stress… Cats · Food safety My 3.5 kg cat licked mayonnaise off my plate 2 hours ago — when will symptoms appear and how long do they last? Symptoms, if any, usually appear within 2–6 hours: vomiting, loose stools, or lethargy. Mayonnaise is mostly… Dogs · Emergency guide My 30 kg dog licked raw hand sanitizer gel off his paws after I applied it — is this a problem? Yes, this is a problem — the ethanol is toxic and gets absorbed fast. A typical pump holds 1–2 mL of pure… Cats · Emergency guide Does my 5 kg senior cat risk ethanol poisoning from raw bread dough left rising overnight on the kitchen counter? Yes, any ethanol source is dangerous for cats. Raw bread dough contains yeast that ferments starch into… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg Labrador gets a lick of alcohol hand sanitizer gel every day for two weeks — what long-term damage can this cause? Yes, this repeated exposure is dangerous. Daily licks of gel allow alcohol to build up in the system, causing…

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