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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
Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat chewed a pothos leaf 2 hours ago and her lips are swollen — how long will this mouth swelling last and what's the recovery timeline? The swelling from pothos crystals typically peaks within a few hours and can last 12-24 hours if untreated.… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat bit a laundry pod and the vet is keeping her overnight — what tests will they run and what does recovery at home look like? The vet will likely run bloodwork to check for chemical imbalances and take X-rays to rule out aspiration… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg counter-surfing dog got into my 5-HTP supplements once — how can I store them safely and is 'leave it' training effective for this? Store all supplements in a locked cabinet or a high drawer with a childproof latch — treat them exactly like… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg indoor-outdoor cat keeps nibbling my tomato plants — is it worth building a fence, or should I just train her to leave them alone? For an indoor-outdoor cat, a physical barrier is the only reliable solution. Train a simple chicken-wire… Cats · Food safety My 3 kg diabetic cat just licked a spoon with about a teaspoon of corn syrup on it — what should I do in the next hour to monitor her? For a diabetic cat, even a small amount of concentrated sugar is a concern. In the next hour, watch her… Dogs · Food safety My 8-week-old, 2 kg puppy snatched and swallowed one tiny, plain cooked haddock flake — is that one bite an emergency for such a small dog? No, one tiny flake of plain cooked haddock is not an emergency for your puppy. The main risk with fish for… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat just ate three large pieces of cantaloupe I left on the counter — what should I do in the next hour to prevent a stomach upset? First, remove any remaining melon and check that she didn't also swallow any rind, which is tough to digest.… Cats · Emergency guide My 11-year-old, 4 kg cat has been chewing foxglove leaves from my garden every day for two weeks and seems fine — should I still worry? Yes. The cardiac glycosides in foxglove accumulate in the body, so daily exposure is more dangerous than a… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog has been licking ibuprofen pain relief gel off my knee every evening for a month — what should I expect? Your dog is at real risk. Repeated small doses of ibuprofen build up over time and silently damage the… Cats · Emergency guide Is it safe to give my 3 kg cat commercial treats that list garlic powder as an ingredient? No. Garlic powder in any form — treats, supplements, or human food — is toxic to cats. The organosulfur… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg pregnant dachshund ate a laundry detergent pod that was left out overnight — is this more dangerous for her puppies? Yes, this is especially urgent. The surfactants and solvents in the pod can cause severe mouth and throat… Dogs · Food safety Are commercially made dog treats containing cooked taro safe for my 7 kg dog who eats one every day? Cooked taro is safe for dogs, so a treat made with properly cooked taro should be fine in moderation. The… Dogs · Emergency guide How much kerosene is dangerous for a 20 kg dog — is licking a teaspoon-sized spill a risk? Yes, any amount is a risk — a teaspoon can be enough to cause poisoning. Kerosene irritates the gut and… Cats · Emergency guide Can a small amount of ethanol, like from spilled wine, cause diarrhea or vomiting in my 5 kg cat? Yes, even a small lick can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and it's a sign of poisoning, not just a tummy upset.… Dogs · Emergency guide How can I stop my 25 kg Labrador from digging corn cobs out of the kitchen trash after summer BBQs? Use a trash can with a secure, locking lid that clicks shut—simple swing lids are no match for a determined… Dogs · Toxicity calculator Only my 8 kg Shih Tzu ate a 200mg ibuprofen tablet off the floor — how do I handle my two other dogs who were in the room? Get your Shih Tzu to the vet immediately—that dose is toxic for her size. For the other dogs, search the… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog ate his heartworm pill, then licked the gravy off the plate it was hidden in — is the gravy a problem? No, the gravy itself isn't the concern. The risk is that he may have ingested a second, hidden pill stuck in… Cats · Food safety Is it harmful to feed my 3.5 kg indoor cat plain cooked turkey breast every day as a topper to her kibble? Daily turkey is not toxic, but feeding it every day as a topper can gradually unbalance her diet. Plain… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg cocker spaniel has a sensitive stomach — can cooked buckwheat cause him diarrhea or gas? Cooked plain buckwheat is unlikely to cause problems for most dogs, but a sensitive stomach can react to any… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg terrier just snatched a handful of raw kale leaves off the kitchen counter — what should I do right now? Retrieve the kale stem and any remaining leaves from his reach, then watch him closely for the next few… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog ate green potato skins from the compost 5 hours ago — how long should I monitor him and what tests will the vet run? Keep watching him. Solanine affects the gut and nervous system, so monitor for vomiting, wobbliness, tremors… Dogs · Emergency guide Is foxglove more dangerous for my 5 kg dog than my 25 kg dog if they both chew one leaf? More dangerous for the 5 kg dog. Digitoxin and digoxin slow heart conduction, and a smaller body weight means… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat chewed tomato stems 3 hours ago and is now lethargic — how long should I monitor her and what will the vet check? Monitor her for at least 24 hours. Solanine and tomatine irritate the gut and can affect the nervous system… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat ate half of a 25 mg diphenhydramine tablet — is any amount safe? No, that is a toxic amount. For a 4 kg cat, even half a standard 25 mg tablet is too much and can cause… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat ate a moldy bread crust left out on the counter overnight — how dangerous is spoiled food? Very dangerous — mold can produce tremorgenic toxins that cause sudden, severe whole-body tremors within… Dogs · Emergency guide My 15 kg dog chewed open a bag of freeze-dried liver treats and ate two silica gel packets inside — are treats with desiccant safe? The treats are fine, but the packets are not food. For a 15 kg dog, two packets are a blockage risk… Dogs · Food safety My 20 kg dog eats about half a cup of plain cooked bulgur mixed into his meals every day — is this okay long-term? Yes, that's a safe amount as part of a balanced diet. Plain cooked bulgur is a good source of fiber and… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg pregnant cat licked a teaspoon of chocolate hazelnut spread off a spoon — is this riskier for her and the kittens? Yes, the chocolate is toxic and pregnancy doesn't change that — it's an emergency. Theobromine in chocolate… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 9 kg diabetic dog with kidney disease ate one blue metaldehyde slug bait pellet 45 minutes ago and is drooling — what's the risk? This is a critical emergency. Metaldehyde hits the nervous system fast — tremors and seizures can start… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog eats a full kilogram of raw chicken thighs every day — is that too much and what should I watch for? A full kilogram daily is a large and risky amount for a 12 kg dog. Raw chicken carries Salmonella, E. coli…

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