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.

Prefer to run the tool?

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

Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg beagle had a glue trap surgically removed from his paw yesterday — what tests will the vet run during his recovery? The vet will check for skin damage and signs of infection. They’ll likely run a blood panel to screen for… Dogs · Emergency guide My pregnant 30 kg Labrador ate a 4-inch piece of corn cob from the trash — does pregnancy change the emergency plan? Yes, it makes it more urgent. A blockage from the cob risks both the mother and her puppies. The plan is the… Cats · Emergency guide Only my 4 kg cat ate raw beer bread dough left rising on the counter — my dog didn't touch it. What's the specific risk for the cat? High risk — the fermenting dough produces ethanol and expands in her stomach. For a cat that small, even a… Dogs · Emergency guide My pregnant 22 kg dog ate something unknown and is now drooling and wobbly — what do I tell poison control? Call a pet poison helpline or your vet immediately — say she's pregnant, her weight, and that she's already… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog with a sensitive stomach ate about 10 old, possibly rancid almonds 6 hours ago and now has diarrhea — what should I do? Withhold food for 12 hours but offer small amounts of water. The rancid oils and hard-to-digest fibre often… Cats · Food safety How much plain yogurt can I safely give my 4 kg adult cat as a treat without causing diarrhea? Start with half a teaspoon. Plain yogurt has less lactose than milk, but many adult cats are still… Dogs · Food safety Can I give my 3 kg Chihuahua a sprig of fresh parsley as a breath freshener, or is that too much for her size? Yes, a single small sprig is fine. Parsley is safe and the amount used for breath freshening is tiny — think… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog ate two old, mouldy pear cores left on the counter overnight. Is this an emergency? Yes, call your vet or the ASPCA poison line (888-426-4435) now. The mould adds a separate toxin risk, and… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked a spoonful of aloe vera juice from a salad dressing bottle that was left out overnight — is this an emergency? Yes, this is an emergency. The yellow latex under the leaf skin contains aloin, a powerful irritant that… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg senior cat with chronic kidney disease chewed open a hand warmer 30 minutes ago and is coughing — does her condition make this worse? Yes, her kidney disease makes this much more serious. The fine dust from a hand warmer can be inhaled… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog ate three expired levothyroxine 100 mcg tablets that were left out on the counter overnight — is the spoilage a problem? Yes, this is a serious problem, but the spoilage isn't the main concern. Levothyroxine is a thyroid hormone… Cats · Food safety For my 6 kg cat, is a weekly bite of cooked chicken liver more risky than the same amount of cooked chicken heart? Yes, cooked liver is far riskier in the long run. While both are organ meats, liver is extremely concentrated… Dogs · Food safety For a 25 kg dog, is a tablespoon of cooked onion in gravy less toxic than the same amount of raw onion? No, cooking does not make onion safe. The toxic compounds that damage red blood cells are still present and… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg beagle chewed a fresh pothos leaf this morning and is drooling — does the calcium oxalate crystal content differ between fresh and dried leaves? Yes, fresh leaves generally contain higher concentrations of insoluble calcium oxalate crystals compared to… Dogs · Emergency guide My 22 kg dog swallowed a paracetamol tablet wrapped in cheese from the kitchen counter — does the cheese coating change how fast the medication is absorbed? The cheese coating does not significantly change absorption, and paracetamol remains a time-critical… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg cat found and licked liquid alprazolam off my pillow — could this liquid form be more concentrated or dangerous than a tablet? Yes, liquid forms can be more concentrated and absorb faster than tablets, which makes even a small lick… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg Maltese has been eating small amounts of cooked leek every day for a month — what long-term damage could this cause to his red blood cells? Repeated daily exposure to leeks and chives can cause cumulative oxidative damage to red blood cells, leading… Cats · Food safety My nursing 4 kg cat ate a slice of pear with seeds while caring for her kittens — are the cyanide compounds in the seeds dangerous for her or the litter? The cyanide compounds in pear seeds are present in very small amounts, and a single slice is unlikely to… Cats · Emergency guide Is a 2‑month‑old 0.9kg kitten that ate two bites of sugar‑free gum with sorbitol within the last 20 minutes at risk of severe diarrhea? Yes, this is an urgent situation that requires immediate veterinary attention. Sorbitol pulls water into the… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat with chronic kidney disease walked through ice melt and licked her paws — does her condition make this more dangerous? Yes, her kidney disease makes this much more dangerous. The kidneys are already struggling to regulate sodium… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog ate two prenatal vitamins — is that worse than if he ate the same number of regular adult multivitamins? Yes, prenatal vitamins are far more dangerous for a dog. A regular multivitamin might just upset the stomach… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate one extra monthly heartworm pill — is a double dose enough to cause an overdose? Yes, a double dose can absolutely cause an overdose in a cat. These medications, like ivermectin, are dosed… Dogs · Emergency guide My 18 kg dog on heart medication lapped a tablespoon of paint thinner from a rag — does his heart condition make the poisoning worse? Yes, his heart condition significantly raises the risk. Petroleum distillates like paint thinner are thin… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 10 kg dog ate a few bites of beef stew that had a piece of 2 mg nicotine gum cooked into it — is the nicotine still active in cooked food? Yes, the nicotine is still active and dangerous even after cooking. Heat does not reliably destroy it, and… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat eats a premium canned food — could it secretly contain small cooked bone fragments that are dangerous? Reputable commercial cat foods should not contain cooked bone fragments, but mistakes happen. The real hidden… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat on thyroid medication ate a teaspoon of ground flaxseed — is it safe with her pills? A teaspoon is likely too much for a cat on medication. The high fibre in flaxseed can interfere with the… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate half a dried fig 30 minutes ago and vomited once — what does recovery look like over the next 24 hours? If she only vomited once and it contained the fig, she may have gotten rid of the main irritant. Recovery… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 4 kg cat gets a tiny square of milk chocolate every day as a treat. Is this causing harm over time? Yes, this daily habit is dangerous and will cause harm. Theobromine builds up in a cat's system because they… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat licked a dab of dried oven cleaner residue 8 hours ago and now has watery diarrhea. Could this be from the cleaner? Yes, the diarrhea is likely a direct result of ingesting the caustic chemicals. Even dried residue contains… Dogs · Emergency guide My 20 kg dog dug up and ate a daffodil bulb an hour ago. What symptoms should appear first, and how soon will I see them? The first signs are usually severe gastrointestinal upset, often within 30 minutes to 2 hours. Expect violent…

Page 256 of 337

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