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.

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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

All pets Dogs Cats

Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat ate a few rhubarb leaves from the garden — is this worse for her than if she ate the same amount of spinach leaves? Yes, rhubarb leaves are far more dangerous than spinach for cats. Spinach contains oxalates but in much… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg curious kitten keeps opening the under-sink cabinet — how can I cat-proof it to keep laundry pods and cleaners out of her reach? Secure that cabinet immediately with childproof locks — the push-and-slide or magnetic kinds work well on… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat with a sensitive stomach ate some buttered collard greens from the holiday buffet table — will this likely give him diarrhoea or gas? Yes, the butter and any seasonings are more likely to upset his stomach than the collard greens themselves.… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat with a history of a sensitive stomach ate three cheese-flavored crisps two hours ago — is diarrhoea or vomiting the more likely reaction? Diarrhoea or soft stools are more likely than vomiting from the high fat, salt, and dairy flavorings in… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog got wobbly about two hours after chewing a yew branch — how long do yew poisoning signs last? The weakness and wobbliness mean the taxine alkaloids are affecting his nervous system, and this is a… Cats · Emergency guide How do I keep my 5 kg indoor cat out of the compost bin after a big holiday party with lots of leftover food? Secure the bin with a tight-fitting, lockable lid immediately after scraping plates — the smells of… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat walked across a patio buffet table where insecticide spray had been used earlier — what's the party-specific risk? The risk is high because organophosphates can be absorbed through her paw pads, and she'll lick them clean… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog was treated for licking Voltaren gel — what tests will the vet run during his 48-hour aftercare? The vet will likely run blood tests to check his kidney values and red blood cell count, since NSAIDs can… Dogs · Food safety How do I stop my 8 kg terrier from stealing grilled octopus tentacles off the BBQ at a summer party? Keep him on a leash or in a separate, gated area away from the grill — the rubbery texture is a genuine… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat just chewed a 500 mg paracetamol tablet 15 minutes ago — what’s the first thing I should do right now? This is an emergency. Call your vet or the ASPCA poison line at 888-426-4435 immediately. Do not try to make… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog licked a pea-sized patch of green scum on a garden pond edge once — is that a tiny bite or an emergency? Yes, treat it as an emergency. The neurotoxin anatoxin-a can paralyse muscles with a tiny amount, and the… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg indoor cat nibbled some cocoa mulch that's been mouldy in a damp pot for weeks — is spoiled mulch more toxic? Yes, the mould adds risk but the cocoa mulch itself is the main emergency. Theobromine toxicity doesn't… Dogs · Emergency guide Is one boric acid roach bait pellet more dangerous for my 5 kg terrier than for a 30 kg dog? Yes, absolutely. A small dog's lower body weight means the same pellet delivers a much higher dose per… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat licked psoriasis cream off my wrist while we were in bed last night — which everyday products hide this risk? The risk hides in any topical cream you use on yourself. Psoriasis creams like calcipotriene are especially… Dogs · Emergency guide My 7 kg dog just chewed and swallowed about an inch of fluoride toothpaste from a tube 10 minutes ago — what do I do in the next hour? Call your vet or a poison helpline right now. Fluoride irritates the gut and can affect calcium levels… Dogs · Food safety How can I train my 15 kg food-obsessed dog to leave crawfish tails alone, and what's the safest way to store them after a BBQ? Store leftover crawfish shells and tails in a sealed container in the fridge immediately — the smell attracts… Dogs · Toxicity calculator At a party, my 4 kg Pomeranian ate two small US pennies from the change bowl on the counter. Is this a zinc emergency? Yes, call your vet immediately. Pennies minted after 1982 are mostly zinc, and even one coin can be toxic for… Dogs · Emergency guide My 6 kg dog licked a thick layer of zinc oxide sunscreen off my raw, sunburned shoulder. Is the raw skin a bigger risk? Yes, the risk is high. Zinc oxide is toxic when ingested, and licking it directly from skin means your dog… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate a bit of hummus that leaked from a store-bought veggie wrap. Could there be hidden garlic in the wrap's seasoning too? Yes, check the wrap's ingredient list. Hummus itself contains garlic, and many prepared wraps, sauces, or… Dogs · Food safety At our Christmas buffet, my 12 kg Beagle ate three assorted cookies from the dessert table. Some had sprinkles, one had raisins. What now? The raisin cookie is the main concern. Even a few raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs, and signs like… Cats · Food safety During a BBQ, my 4 kg cat licked garlic butter off a used plate that was left on the patio table. Is that enough to be toxic? Yes, it can be. Garlic is highly toxic to cats, and butter concentrates the garlic oils, making it easy to… Cats · Food safety My 3.5 kg cat ate a bite of a hot dog that was still in its bun, left out on the counter overnight. Is the stale bun a problem too? The main risks are the hot dog's high salt and the potential for bacterial spoilage from being left out. The… Cats · Emergency guide What happens if my 5 kg cat ate four moldy pecans? Yes, call your vet immediately. If she's 5 kg and ate four moldy pecans, she's at high risk. The vet may run… Dogs · Emergency guide My 14 kg dog drank from an open bottle of ammonia floor cleaner that was left out overnight — is it less dangerous after sitting out all night? It is still dangerous. Ammonia does not "go bad" like food — it simply becomes more dilute as the liquid… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat chewed a glow necklace from Halloween and is drooling — what should I do to clean her up and how do I prevent this from happening again? The liquid inside glow sticks is intensely bitter, so the drooling is a taste reaction rather than a sign of… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg dog licked a dab of polyurethane expanding glue off a toy and now has soft stool — could this be from the glue or just a sensitive stomach? Soft stool alone is unlikely to be the primary concern — the real worry with expanding glue is that even a… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat ate a dollop of sour cream off my cereal — is sour cream worse for cats than plain yoghurt, or are they equally risky? Both sour cream and plain yoghurt carry the same two problems for cats: lactose and fat. Sour cream has a… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg terrier just licked a spoonful of bone meal fertilizer from the garden bag — is this a cooked bone risk? Yes, this is a high-risk situation for the same reasons as cooked bones. Bone meal is finely ground, but it's… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10-week-old golden retriever puppy weighed just 1.5 kg and got into a tube of pet dental gel with xylitol — he's already wobbling, what do I do right now? This is a true emergency. Xylitol triggers a rapid and massive release of insulin in dogs, and at 1.5 kg body… Dogs · Emergency guide Is it harmful to feed a 12 kg dog a small slice of raisin bread every day over several months? Yes — feeding raisin bread daily is a serious risk. The toxin in raisins is heat-stable, so baking does not…

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