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

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
Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat chews everything — which common household items or supplements secretly contain coal tar or vitamin D psoriasis cream? The cream itself is the primary risk, but it hides in plain sight. Cats find it by chewing the empty tube… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat chewed a glow bracelet that was left outside overnight and is now drooling — is the liquid more toxic after sitting for 12 hours? No, the toxicity doesn't increase with time. The liquid inside glow jewelry is a stable irritant, and the… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog found and ate a glow necklace left in the damp camping gear for a month — could mould on the plastic make him sicker than just the liquid? The mould is a separate and serious risk. While the glow liquid mainly causes drooling from the bitter taste… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat got into the treat jar and ate one stick of sugar-free gum that lists sorbitol — will this cause explosive diarrhea in a cat this size? Yes, one stick is enough to cause severe, watery diarrhea in a cat that small. Sorbitol draws water into the… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat ate some moldy compost from the garden — is that worse for causing tremors than if she ate a moldy bread crust from the trash? Yes, compost is often riskier. While both can contain tremorgenic moulds, compost piles are warmer and more… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat licked a plate with dark chocolate sauce from last night's dessert — should I worry even though it was mixed with cream and sugar? Yes, you should worry. Theobromine in dark chocolate is toxic regardless of what it's mixed with, and a small… Dogs · Emergency guide My 11 kg Pug licks my ankle where I apply calcipotriene psoriasis cream every night for the past two weeks — is this going to damage his kidneys? Yes, this will likely cause damage. Repeated daily contact means each evening's application adds to what's… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat got into a bowl of stew that had a smear of wet calcipotriene cream stirred into it — how do I know how much she actually ate? That's a serious exposure. Wet cream mixes into liquid and gravy easily, so she may have swallowed more than… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat with chronic kidney disease bit a glow stick last night and has been drooling since — is this different for her because of her condition? The drooling itself is the same bitter-irritant reaction any cat would have, but her kidney disease changes… Dogs · Emergency guide My 14 kg dog with heart disease chewed a glow bracelet an hour ago and is foaming at the mouth — does his heart condition change what I should do? The agitation from that awful taste can elevate heart rate, and in a dog with pre-existing heart disease that… Dogs · Emergency guide My 3 kg Chihuahua licked just a pea-sized blob of fluoride toothpaste 20 minutes ago — should I rush to emergency care right now? Call your vet or a poison helpline now. Even a pea-sized amount can deliver a toxic dose to a 3 kg dog … Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate a breadcrumb-sized piece of anticoagulant rodenticide but my 7 kg cat didn't touch it — what do I do about the exposed cat versus the safe one? The 3 kg cat needs urgent care — even a breadcrumb-sized piece of brodifacoum can cause internal bleeding in… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked one piece of sugar-free xylitol gum yesterday and seems fine — should I still be worried? Cats are far less sensitive to xylitol than dogs, so one lick from a 4 kg cat is unlikely to cause… Cats · Food safety My 2 kg cat knocked over a plate of cooked rye at a family dinner and ate about two tablespoons — is that safe for such a small cat? Plain cooked rye in that amount is safe for a 2 kg cat. It offers no toxicity, though the fibre may loosen… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate three almonds that had been left out overnight and are starting to smell slightly rancid — should I be concerned? Rancid almonds won't poison her, but the oxidised fats can irritate her stomach. Watch for vomiting… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog's joint supplement lists calcitriol — is that the same toxic ingredient as in psoriasis creams? Yes, calcitriol is the same potent vitamin D analog found in psoriasis creams, and it is toxic to dogs. It… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg pregnant cat chewed a glow stick and is drooling heavily — is this more dangerous for her and her unborn kittens? The immediate danger is the same: the bitter liquid is a severe irritant, causing the drooling and pawing at… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat nibbled a leaf — is cyclamen more dangerous than the African violet plant also on my windowsill? Yes, cyclamen is far more dangerous. Its roots contain toxic saponins that cause intense oral irritation… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog ate moldy bread from the bin and is now trembling, but my other dog didn't touch it — what's my plan for both tonight? The trembling dog needs a vet now. Mold toxins cause violent whole-body tremors that dangerously raise body… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg terrier just licked a tiny piece of raw Swiss chard off the floor — is that enough to cause bladder stones? No, one lick is extremely unlikely to cause bladder stones. Swiss chard contains oxalates, which can… Dogs · Food safety My 3-month-old, 2 kg puppy managed one small bite of fresh durian flesh — is his tiny size a bigger concern than for an adult dog? Yes, his small size and developing system make even a small bite more concerning. Durian is very high in fat… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog licked a salad plate that had a plain kefir-based dressing on it — is that different from drinking kefir straight? Licking a plate with a small amount of plain kefir dressing is essentially the same as a tiny taste of… Cats · Emergency guide Only my 4 kg cat licked psoriasis cream off a towel while my other two cats slept nearby — what do I do for just her? Treat this as an emergency for the cat that licked it. These creams are extremely dangerous for cats, causing… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg Labrador ate a large portion of beer-braised beef stew about 30 minutes ago and is now wobbly — what's the risk? The wobbliness means the ethanol is already affecting his nervous system, and this is an emergency. Dogs… Cats · Emergency guide I've been diffusing tea tree oil in my living room daily for a month, and my 5 kg cat now seems lethargic and coughs sometimes — could this be related? Yes, daily exposure to diffused tea tree oil is likely causing these signs. Even without direct contact, the… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg senior cat with chronic kidney disease ate three pieces of plain, air-popped popcorn — is this okay for her condition? A few plain pieces are unlikely to cause immediate harm, but it's not recommended. Popcorn offers no… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat licked agave syrup off a dessert plate at a holiday buffet last night — should I be worried about the sugar spike? A single lick is not an emergency, but agave syrup is pure sugar and can cause an upset stomach. Watch for… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg terrier puppy just snatched and swallowed one whole snap pea pod from the floor — is that tiny amount safe? Yes, one whole pod is perfectly safe for a dog that size. Snap peas are non-toxic, and the pod is digestible.… Dogs · Emergency guide My 9 kg collie drank the potato gravy from a dinner plate 2 hours ago — it had your calcipotriene psoriasis cream on it. Should I worry? Yes — this is an emergency. Calcipotriene in gravy is far more dangerous than licking a dab off skin because… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat was treated for 5-HTP poisoning and sent home — what blood tests did the vet run, and how long until she's fully recovered? The vet likely ran a complete blood count and a serum chemistry panel, focusing on kidney and liver values.…

Page 262 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.