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 My 7 kg diabetic dog ate a metformin pill I mistook for his bland chicken treat — which is more dangerous, the pill or a sugar-free treat? The metformin pill is far more dangerous right now. While sugar-free treats with xylitol cause a rapid… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg pregnant dog chewed a single Dieffenbachia leaf and is now pawing at her mouth — does this risk her puppies? The immediate risk is to the mother, not directly to the puppies. The intense mouth pain and swelling from… Dogs · Emergency guide Are 'digestive aid' dog treats containing sorbitol safe for my 8 kg dog with a history of explosive diarrhea? No, they are a bad choice for a dog prone to diarrhea. Sorbitol is a laxative that draws water into the… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg dog with a sensitive stomach had diarrhea overnight after eating food seasoned with a teaspoon of paprika — is the spice to blame? Yes, paprika is likely the culprit, especially if it was a hot or smoked variety. A teaspoon is a significant… Dogs · Food safety My 20 kg dog has been getting kitchen scraps with chopped green onions daily for weeks — what long-term damage could this cause? This daily habit is damaging his red blood cells and will lead to anemia. The toxins in alliums like green… Dogs · Food safety My 18 kg pregnant dog licked a spoon with about half a teaspoon of vanilla extract — is the alcohol content risky for her and the puppies? A single lick of that amount is unlikely to cause alcohol poisoning, but it's best avoided. The main risk for… Dogs · Food safety My 25 kg dog lapped up a bowl of beef gravy that was left on the stove overnight — is the spoilage or the onions more dangerous? The onions in the gravy are the consistent toxic threat, but spoilage adds a separate risk of bacterial… Dogs · Emergency guide My 3-month-old, 2 kg puppy swallowed a button battery two hours ago and is now drooling — is his small body at higher risk? Yes, this is an immediate emergency for a puppy that small. The battery is likely causing a severe chemical… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked a dropped insulin pen 4 hours ago and now has diarrhea — is this a sign of hypoglycemia or just a sensitive stomach? Diarrhea alone is not the typical first sign of insulin poisoning — that's usually weakness or wobbliness.… Dogs · Emergency guide At our BBQ, my 15 kg dog ate a whole 6-month supply of heartworm pills that fell out of a guest's bag — what do I do with guests here? This is an urgent poisoning risk. Get your dog away from the party and call your vet or a poison helpline… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 4 kg cat got sick with vomiting 8 hours after chewing one 5000 IU vitamin D3 supplement — how long until she fully recovers if we act now? Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 right now. Vomiting at 8 hours means the calcium is… Cats · Emergency guide My 7-year-old cat was treated for licking diclofenac cream 48 hours ago. What tests will the vet run and how long should I watch her at home? Your vet will run bloodwork to check her kidney function and likely repeat it in 24-48 hours, because NSAID… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate two ibuprofen tablets I accidentally dropped into her wet food 15 minutes ago — is this a vet emergency? Yes, this is an emergency. Ibuprofen is an NSAID painkiller that can cause severe stomach ulcers, kidney… Cats · Toxicity calculator Only my 3 kg cat chewed a 7 mg nicotine patch — my 12 kg dog didn't touch it, but should I worry about him too? Your dog is at lower risk because of his larger size, but nicotine is so potent that even a 12 kg dog could… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat with chronic kidney disease ate two grapes off the floor yesterday and the vet treated her — what should I monitor at home over the next 48 hours? With a history of kidney disease, your cat is at higher risk for grape-induced kidney damage, so the next 48… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg terrier ate one small bite of raisin bran cereal about 30 minutes ago but my other dogs didn't get any — should I still watch the others too? Your other dogs are fine as long as they did not lick the bowl, the floor where crumbs fell, or get near the… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog swallowed raw beef bones two days ago and is eating normally now — what should I monitor for and what tests will the vet run during recovery? Yes, stay alert for the next week. Raw bone fragments can still cause delayed intestinal obstruction even… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg senior cat got into a thick smear of zinc oxide diaper cream on my leg — is the thicker the cream, the worse the exposure? Yes, a thicker smear means more prolonged skin contact and more opportunity for the cat to lick it off over… Cats · Emergency guide My 2.5 kg cat with kidney disease licked wet psoriasis cream off her collarbone — is coal tar cream worse for cats than regular hydrocortisone cream? The vitamin D analog in psoriasis cream is far more dangerous for cats than hydrocortisone. Hydrocortisone is… Dogs · Emergency guide My 3-month-old male puppy (1.5 kg) licked diluted household bleach from a mop bucket — what should I do in the first hour? Gently rinse his mouth with cool water and wipe his chin and any fur that got wet with the solution. Do not… Dogs · Food safety My 15-pound dog ate endive leaves that were left on the counter overnight — is the endive itself dangerous, or is it what it was stored near? Endive itself is safe for dogs, even raw. The real risk comes from cross-contamination — if the endive was… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat stole a piece of fried catfish with cornmeal batter — what should I do right now before calling the vet? Remove any remaining fish from her reach and check her mouth for sharp bones or hot crust. Fried catfish with… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat with kidney disease ate a granola bar with raisins — is this an emergency even if she only had a small piece? Yes, raisins are toxic to cats regardless of size, and kidney disease makes this far more dangerous than for… Dogs · Emergency guide Is a sago palm seed more dangerous for my 10 kg Beagle than chewing on a regular palm tree frond? Yes, vastly more dangerous. A regular palm frond might just cause a mild tummy upset, but a single sago palm… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat chewed a raw daffodil bulb I was planting — is it worse than if she ate a cooked one? Yes, raw is worse, but both are toxic. The bulb contains the highest concentration of lycorine, and cooking… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat sniffed an azalea bouquet on the holiday dinner table — how do I keep her safe during parties? Keep all azalea arrangements completely out of the room, because even a nibbled leaf can poison a cat that… Dogs · Emergency guide How much THC is dangerous for a 25 kg dog — is one bite of a brownie an emergency? Yes, one bite of a THC brownie is an emergency for any dog. Dogs are far more sensitive to THC than humans… Dogs · Emergency guide What should I pack in a first-aid kit for my 20 kg hiking dog in case of a hidden snake bite on the trail? Pack a slip leash to replace a collar if the neck swells, a compact blanket for shock, and your vet's… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat snatched and swallowed a whole stick of sugar-free gum from a guest's purse at a BBQ — will the sorbitol cause explosive diarrhea? Yes, sorbitol in sugar-free gum draws water into the intestines and almost always causes severe, watery… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 5 kg Chihuahua just ate a 10-gram square of 85% dark chocolate — is this amount more dangerous for a small dog? Yes, even a small piece of dark chocolate is extremely dangerous for a 5 kg dog. Theobromine toxicity depends…

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