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

Poisoning questions, answered

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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

Dogs · Emergency guide My 6 kg dog swallowed a pea-sized blob of fluoride toothpaste 20 minutes ago — what symptoms should I watch for in the next few hours? Watch for drooling and foaming at the mouth within 15 to 30 minutes, followed by vomiting that may contain… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog with heart disease ate one naphthalene mothball an hour ago — is his condition a bigger risk factor? Yes, his heart condition makes this more dangerous. Naphthalene damages red blood cells, reducing oxygen… Dogs · Emergency guide Only my 10 kg dog chewed a snake plant leaf; my other two dogs didn't touch it. What should I do for the one who ate it and the others in the house? For the dog who ate it, watch for heavy drooling and pawing at his mouth within 15 minutes, then vomiting in… Dogs · Food safety Can my 25 kg, 6-weeks-pregnant dog have one regular marshmallow as a treat, or is it risky for her and the puppies? One regular marshmallow is unlikely to harm her, but it's an empty-calorie treat with no benefit. The main… Dogs · Food safety My 5 kg dog licked a spoon of peanut butter that might contain xylitol 30 minutes ago — what symptoms should I watch for and how soon? Watch for vomiting, weakness, and loss of coordination within 30 minutes to an hour. The most dangerous sign… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog ate a handful of chrysanthemums and the vet gave him activated charcoal yesterday — what tests and monitoring happen over the next few days? Your vet will watch for delayed tremors and check his liver enzymes. The pyrethrins in chrysanthemums are… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat was stung on the lip by a bee at our backyard BBQ — what's the first thing I should do in the next 10 minutes? Look for the stinger and scrape it out sideways with a credit card. A lip sting is urgent because swelling… Dogs · Emergency guide Should I buy a dog chew toy that's advertised as 'extra-sticky' with a glue-like adhesive to clean teeth? No, do not buy it. Any product mimicking industrial adhesive poses the same risks as a glue trap: it can… Dogs · Food safety Is it safe to give my 10 kg dog a teaspoon of honey every day for his kennel cough, or will that cause problems over time? A daily teaspoon is too much sugar long-term and will likely lead to weight gain and dental decay. While a… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog has had cat flea treatment applied weekly for 3 weeks — could this be making him sick slowly? Yes — repeated weekly exposure is a real problem, not just a one-off mistake. Pyrethrins and permethrins in… Dogs · Emergency guide What happens after a vet treats my 12 kg senior dog for vitamin A supplement toxicity, and how long should I monitor him at home? Monitoring continues long after discharge. The bone and liver damage from vitamin A toxicity don't heal… Cats · Emergency guide Can alcohol hand sanitiser give my 3.5 kg cat with a sensitive stomach chronic diarrhoea and gas, or is it always acute poisoning? Chronic low-level exposure is very different from a single large lick. If your cat has been repeatedly… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg beagle knocked over a baby formula bottle at a Christmas party and drank most of it — what should I expect over the next 12 hours? Expect gastrointestinal distress within a few hours. Infant formula is high in lactose, sugar, and fat — all… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate two tablespoons of plain cooked butternut squash — what signs should I watch for and how soon would they appear if something was wrong? Nothing bad should happen. Plain cooked butternut squash is safe for cats in small amounts and is actually… Cats · Food safety Is a daily pinch of fresh cilantro safe for my 3.5 kg pregnant cat, and could it harm her developing kittens? A daily pinch of fresh cilantro is safe for your pregnant cat and will not harm her kittens. Cilantro is not… Dogs · Emergency guide Can my 3 kg, 10-week-old puppy get water intoxication from playing with the garden hose for 15 minutes? Yes, a puppy that small is at significant risk. He can swallow a dangerous amount of water very quickly while… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg indoor cat — what common human foods like soups or dips secretly contain green onions that could poison her? Many do. Check labels and recipes for onion powder, which often includes green onion, in things like canned… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog ate 8 grapes and was treated at the emergency vet — what tests and monitoring happen over the next 72 hours? The vet will run blood tests to check his kidney values, specifically BUN and creatinine, at 24, 48, and 72… Dogs · Emergency guide My 25 kg dog licked a few grains of crystallized drain cleaner powder off the garage floor — is the solid form as dangerous as the liquid? Yes, the solid crystals are just as caustic as the liquid and can cause immediate chemical burns to the mouth… Dogs · Emergency guide How many mistletoe berries would be toxic for a 10 kg beagle, and what happens if he eats just three? Even one or two berries can cause vomiting and drooling in a 10 kg dog, and three berries warrant a call to… Dogs · Food safety Are raw, unshelled hemp seeds safe for my 15 kg dog to eat, or do they need to be cooked and hulled first? Only shelled hemp hearts are safe for dogs; the hard outer hull is difficult to digest and can cause an… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat with early kidney disease licked a fresh lime wedge once — is the citric acid or peel oil worse for her kidneys? The peel oils are the bigger concern, as they cause immediate drooling, vomiting, and gastrointestinal upset… Dogs · Food safety At our family BBQ, my 12 kg lab ate several pieces of grilled okra that were seasoned with garlic and oil from the buffet table — should I be worried? The okra itself is safe, but the garlic seasoning is toxic to dogs and can cause anemia in large amounts. A… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 15 kg dog ate one acetaminophen pill but my 5 kg dog didn't touch it — how do I handle the house now? This is an emergency for the 15 kg dog. Acetaminophen damages red blood cells and the liver, and signs like… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg nursing cat walked on a floor mopped with ammonia cleaner 30 minutes ago — can the kittens be poisoned through her milk? The immediate risk is to the mother, not directly through her milk. Ammonia is a corrosive that burns paws… Dogs · Emergency guide My 3 kg Chihuahua ate a pea-sized amount of pet toothpaste with xylitol — is this more dangerous for her tiny size? Yes, her small size makes even a pea-sized amount high-risk. Xylitol triggers a massive insulin release… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog ate cooked duck breast that was left out overnight — will the spoilage cause food poisoning? Spoiled duck can cause food poisoning, with signs like vomiting, diarrhoea, and lethargy appearing within a… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg cat just ate a slice of ripe guava with several hard seeds — what are my first steps in the next 30 minutes? First, check how many seeds she actually swallowed — cats often chew around them and leave the seeds on the… Cats · Food safety My 2 kg kitten just swallowed a whole raw snap pea pod — is choking the main risk in the next hour? Yes, choking or a throat blockage is the immediate concern for a kitten this small. Watch for pawing at her… Cats · Emergency guide Are cat treats that list 'glow stick liquid' as a preservative safe for my 4 kg senior cat with kidney disease? No, absolutely not. Any product claiming to contain glow stick liquid is dangerous and should be thrown away…

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