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 What everyday snacks or supplements for my 15 kg dog might secretly contain pseudoephedrine? Pseudoephedrine isn't typically added to dog products, but it hides in many human medications left within… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked a spoonful of applesauce that had cinnamon mixed in from my breakfast plate — is that amount dangerous? A single lick of cinnamon-spiced applesauce is unlikely to cause poisoning in a 4 kg cat. The main risk from… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg dog just ate a large bite of chocolate cake with buttercream frosting at a party — what are the very first things I should do in the next hour? First, try to determine exactly what was in the cake—dark chocolate, raisins, or xylitol in sugar-free… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog ate a few pieces of overripe, slightly fermented star fruit that fell on the ground yesterday — is fermented fruit more toxic? Yes, fermentation doesn't reduce the oxalate content that makes star fruit toxic to dogs. Overripe fruit may… Dogs · Emergency guide My 5 kg dog was treated for eating a few azalea leaves two hours ago and is home now. What do I watch for over the next 48 hours? Yes, you need to watch closely for at least two full days. The vet likely gave activated charcoal and IV… Cats · Emergency guide At a family BBQ, a guest dropped a heart pill and my 4 kg kitten licked it. What should I do right now? This is an emergency. Human heart medications like beta blockers lower blood pressure and heart rate… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat chewed a peace lily leaf, was treated at the vet, and is still drooling a bit at home. How long does recovery take? The drooling should improve within 24 to 48 hours. The vet likely flushed her mouth and may have given pain… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog drank some kerosene from a garage can, was treated, and now has a mild cough at home. What's the monitoring plan? Monitor closely for 72 hours — the biggest risk now is chemical pneumonia from aspiration. That cough is a… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate a sacred lotus petal, vomited once, and saw the vet. What does home care involve for the next day? Home care means watching for more vomiting or diarrhea over the next 24 hours. The vet likely checked her… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 8-week-old, 1 kg kitten licked a tiny bit of melted dark chocolate off a spoon. Is this an emergency? Yes, treat this as urgent. Kittens are far more sensitive to theobromine due to their tiny size and immature… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate some beef gravy that had onion powder in it and was left out overnight. Is the spoilage a bigger worry than the onion? Both are serious concerns, but the onion powder is the immediate poison risk. Onion damages red blood cells… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat with a sensitive stomach got a few bites of plain cooked beef and now has diarrhea. Is this an allergy or just upset? It's more likely a simple tummy upset from a rich new food, not a true allergy. Beef is a novel protein for… Dogs · Food safety My 4.5 kg Shih Tzu is nursing three puppies and chewed half a cooked celeriac root — will it affect her milk supply? Safe in this situation. Peel, cook, and cut celeriac into small pieces — that way a small nursing dog won't… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg senior dog keeps begging for his grain-free training treats ��� do cooked rice or rice flour hide inside them? Most grain-free treats don't contain rice — they swap it for potatoes, peas, or sweet potato as a binder.… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat walked through ice melt and now has diarrhoea — could this be from the salt? Yes, the salt from ice melt can definitely cause diarrhoea and vomiting. Cats lick their paws clean, so they… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog chewed a laundry pod — is that worse than if he drank some liquid detergent? Yes, a pod is more dangerous. The detergent inside a pod is highly concentrated, so a small puncture releases… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 4 kg cat got into the garden — is metaldehyde slug bait more toxic to her than an old beer trap for slugs? Yes, metaldehyde bait is far more dangerous. The chemical targets the nervous system and can cause severe… Dogs · Emergency guide My 20 kg dog is curious about everything — how can I keep him away from liquid drain cleaner under the sink? Use a childproof lock on the cabinet door — the push-to-open kind won't stop a determined nose. Always wipe… Cats · Food safety Could my 5 kg cat be poisoned by elderberry if it's in my cold syrup or immune supplements? Yes, elderberry is toxic to cats in any form, including syrups, gummies, or dried berries in supplements. The… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg cat just licked a plate with moldy pasta bolognese sauce from last night — could she get tremors? Yes, call your vet or the ASPCA Poison Control line at 888-426-4435 now. The sauce can carry tremorgenic… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat drank a few tablespoons of infant formula and vomited once. What's the recovery timeline and what tests might the vet run? That single vomit is a common sign of lactose intolerance. Recovery usually takes 12-48 hours if no more… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate one 25 mcg levothyroxine tablet and had mild diarrhoea 3 hours later — is the diarrhoea a sign of poisoning or just a tummy upset? The diarrhoea is likely an early sign of poisoning. Levothyroxine overdose causes hyperthyroidism, and… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog snatched a paracetamol tablet from a guest's open handbag at a BBQ — how urgent is this for a dog his size? Extremely urgent. Even one tablet can cause fatal liver damage and prevent his blood from carrying oxygen.… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg cat ate half a 0.25 mg alprazolam pill that fell on the floor — does her tiny size make this a higher risk of poisoning? Yes, her small size drastically increases the risk. That half-pill is a significant dose for a cat under 4… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat swallowed an avocado pit whole 30 minutes ago — what are the first signs of a blockage and how soon could they appear? The first signs of a pit blockage are usually vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. These can… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked a pecan crumb off a bran muffin I was eating — could the muffin's other ingredients like raisins or xylitol make it worse? The pecan crumb itself is fatty but not toxic. The real danger is the hidden ingredients you mentioned. Even… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog ate a teaspoon of raw bread dough — is cooked bread safe for him instead, or should I avoid all bread now? No, cooked bread is not the problem. The emergency is the raw dough. Even a teaspoon can expand in his warm… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog with a sensitive stomach ate two plain steamed scallops and now has diarrhoea — is this an allergic reaction or just intolerance? It's most likely an intolerance, not a true allergy. Scallops are rich and unfamiliar, which can easily upset… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat chewed on a piece of tangerine peel that was left in the fruit bowl for a week and looks mouldy — is the mould more dangerous than the citrus oils? Yes, the mould is the greater danger. Moulds on old fruit can produce toxins that cause vomiting, tremors, or… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg pregnant dog was bitten on the leg by a spider and is shivering — is the venom more dangerous for her and the puppies? Yes, this is an emergency for her and the unborn puppies. The shivering means the venom is already affecting…

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