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 4 kg cat sneaks raisin bread crusts from the table every week — what long-term damage could this cause? Even small, regular amounts can cause sudden kidney failure. The toxin in raisins isn't destroyed by baking… Dogs · Emergency guide My nursing 20 kg dog licked a plate with garlic butter sauce — is the garlic riskier for her or the puppies? The garlic is risky for her, and it can pass into her milk, affecting the puppies. Allium toxins damage red… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog ate a cup of turmeric rice from the BBQ buffet — will the spice and oils upset his stomach? A small amount of turmeric is safe, but a whole cup of spiced rice is likely to cause stomach upset. The oils… Cats · Food safety Only one of my three 4 kg cats licked plain kefir off the floor — do I need to watch the other two as well? Just watch the cat who actually licked it. Plain kefir in a tiny amount might cause mild gas or soft stool in… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog ate a piece of cooked chicken with skin and BBQ sauce — is the seasoning or skin worse for him? The seasoning is the bigger worry, especially if the sauce contains onion or garlic powder. The fatty skin… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog ate a silica gel packet 2 days ago and the vet sent him home. What should I watch for during his recovery? Watch for vomiting, retching, or a loss of appetite over the next week — these could signal a late-forming… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate some poinsettia leaves that were mixed into a leftover salad bowl overnight. What now? Rinse her mouth with water to wash away the sticky white sap, which is the main irritant. Poinsettia is more… Dogs · Food safety My 15 kg dog keeps stealing whole dill pickles off the kitchen counter. How can I stop him safely? Store pickles in the fridge or a high cabinet immediately after use—never leave the jar on the counter. The… Dogs · Food safety My 20 kg dog ate about a cup of cooked barley that was left out in a warm kitchen for two days and looks mouldy. What should I do? The mould is the risk, not the barley itself. Mould can produce toxins that cause vomiting, tremors, or even… Dogs · Food safety My 3-month-old, 4 kg puppy swallowed one whole pitted date from the coffee table. Is this okay for a puppy? One pitted date is unlikely to be toxic, but its high sugar and fibre content can upset a puppy's sensitive… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg cat just licked some green powder off the floor — is it rat poison or flea powder, and what do I do first? It is an emergency until you know for sure. Green powder could be either, but rat poison acts on the nervous… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked a bowl that had ammonia cleaner left out overnight — is that more dangerous than fresh cleaner? Yes, it's just as dangerous. Ammonia doesn't spoil or become less corrosive over a few hours. The risk is the… Cats · Emergency guide My 1.5 kg, 10-week-old kitten groomed lily pollen off her chest — is a kitten more at risk than an adult cat? Yes, a kitten is at extreme risk. Her tiny size means even a few grains of pollen can deliver a concentrated… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat licked the same amount of ibuprofen gel as my 6 kg cat — does the smaller cat need the vet faster? Yes, the 3 kg cat is in much greater danger. With toxins like ibuprofen, risk is about dose per kilogram of… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog with early kidney disease ate a few chrysanthemum petals — does his condition make the poisoning worse? Yes, his kidney disease adds significant risk. While chrysanthemums typically cause vomiting or skin… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog ate a whole overripe, brown mushy banana I left on the counter overnight — will this make him sick? Probably not from toxicity, but it might upset his stomach. An overripe banana is just high in sugar and soft… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat is obsessed with tearing open beef jerky bags — how can I store it to keep her out? Store jerky in a sealed, hard-sided container inside a closed cupboard — the bag alone is no match for… Dogs · Food safety What common packaged human foods might secretly contain chives, putting my 15 kg dog at risk? Watch for sour cream and onion dips, flavoured cream cheeses, seasoned potato chips, and pre-made mashed… Dogs · Emergency guide Does my 7 kg dog's new joint supplement secretly contain hydrocortisone cream from the first aid kit? No, reputable joint supplements do not secretly contain hydrocortisone. The real hidden risk is when a dog… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate a bit of cocoa mulch and now has runny stools but no other symptoms — is this just a tummy upset? No, diarrhea alone is not a reliable sign that this is just a tummy upset. Cocoa mulch contains theobromine… Cats · Emergency guide How can I train my 5 kg indoor cat to leave wasps alone when they get inside the house? Training a strong 'leave it' cue is your best defense. Start with a high-value treat in your closed hand… Cats · Emergency guide Only one of my three cats, a 4 kg tabby, licked a big smear of hand sanitizer off the table — how do I handle the other two cats now? Focus on the exposed cat first. Wipe its mouth and muzzle thoroughly with a damp cloth to remove any clinging… Dogs · Food safety Is raw chopped cabbage or cooked cabbage with a little beef gravy safer for my 15 kg dog's stomach? Cooked plain cabbage is gentler. Raw cabbage contains more complex sugars that can ferment and cause gas… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg kitten just licked a tiny piece of raw cabbage from the floor and seems fine — do I need to call the vet? No, a single lick of raw cabbage is not an emergency. The tiny amount of plant material from a lick is highly… Dogs · Food safety What are the first signs and timeline if my 10 kg dog eats a whole cup of plain sweetcorn kernels? The first signs are usually gastrointestinal and appear within 4 to 12 hours. You might see vomiting or… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat ate a piece of snake plant that was cooked into a vegetable stew 30 minutes ago — is the cooked form less dangerous? No, cooking does not destroy the saponins that make snake plants toxic. The thick leaf in a stew likely still… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg curious cat keeps jumping on the counter for raw chicken — what's the best way to train her to leave it alone and store it safely? Store raw chicken in the fridge immediately, or use a sealed, latch-top container if marinating. For… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 12 kg dog just ate a 5000 IU vitamin D3 pill I dropped — what are the concrete first steps I should take in the next hour? First, secure the bottle and note the exact strength and how many pills are missing. Do not induce vomiting… Dogs · Emergency guide My 7 kg dog licked a toad in the yard last night and now has diarrhea — is this just a tummy upset from the toxin or something more serious? Diarrhea alone, appearing hours later, can be a milder gastrointestinal reaction to the bufotoxins. However… Cats · Food safety My nursing 5 kg queen cat ate two salted cashews I dropped — is this dangerous for her milk or her 3-week-old kittens? The main risk is to her, not directly to the kittens through her milk. The high fat and salt can cause…

Page 267 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.