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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 corner of a 10 mg Baclofen tablet — how dangerous is that tiny amount for her size? Very dangerous, even that small crumb. Human baclofen tablets contain 10 to 20 mg per pill, which is a… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat licked a piece of seasoned sausage off the floor — should I worry about the onion powder and salt, or is it just a minor tummy upset? You should worry about both. Onion and garlic powders contain compounds that damage red blood cells in cats… Cats · Food safety My 3.5 kg cat licked whey protein powder off the kitchen counter — plain whey or sweetened, does her small size change the risk? Her small size absolutely matters. Plain whey protein powder is not toxic to cats, but most commercial… Dogs · Emergency guide Can fipronil spot-on cause diarrhoea or itchy skin in my 12 kg dog, or does that mean poisoning? Mild diarrhoea or itchy skin at the application site is a known side effect and not the same as poisoning.… Cats · Emergency guide My 4.5 kg cat with kidney disease got fipronil on her fur from grooming my dog — is this more dangerous for her? Yes, much more dangerous. Your cat already lacks the liver enzymes needed to break down fipronil efficiently… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg indoor cat groomed lily pollen off her fur after brushing past a vase — is this a hidden emergency? Yes — pollen on fur is one of the most common hidden sources of lily poisoning in cats. Even a few grains… Dogs · Emergency guide How many diphenhydramine capsules can a 20 kg dog safely chew — two or three? Do not give diphenhydramine to a dog without your vet's direction. While a single standard capsule may be… Cats · Food safety Can a 5 kg cat with kidney disease safely eat gravy that contains onion powder? No. Onion powder is concentrated, and in a cat with kidney disease the risk is even greater because her body… Cats · Food safety What should I monitor in my 4 kg cat after she licks raw oyster shells from the kitchen floor today? Raw oyster shells can carry Vibrio bacteria, which may cause vomiting, diarrhoea, or lethargy within 12 to 24… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg dog licked a fipronil spot-on tube left out overnight — is it still toxic? Yes, it is still toxic. Fipronil does not degrade quickly, so a dried or old tube remains a risk. The… Cats · Emergency guide My pregnant 4 kg cat groomed my dog's fipronil spot-on site — is this an emergency for her and the kittens? Yes, this is an emergency. Cats lack the enzymes to process fipronil efficiently, and pregnancy adds strain.… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat with kidney disease groomed a surface cleaned with isopropyl alcohol — is this riskier for her? Yes, this is significantly riskier. A cat with compromised kidneys cannot clear toxins efficiently, making… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog just ate a whole bowl of roasted butternut squash — what should I do first? First, stay calm — plain cooked squash is safe and gentle on the stomach. Check that it was truly plain, with… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat with a sensitive stomach ate a few plain pasta noodles — could this cause diarrhoea? It could, especially if she's not used to carbs. Plain cooked pasta is safe but can be hard for some cats to… Cats · Emergency guide How much of a glue trap is dangerous if my 5 kg cat gets just one front paw stuck for 5 minutes? Any contact is a risk. Even a single paw stuck for five minutes can cause panic, skin abrasions, and… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat ate some moldy coffee grounds from the compost bin — are raw, wet coffee grounds more toxic than dried ones? Yes, wet, moldy grounds are more dangerous. The moisture promotes mold growth, which produces tremorgenic… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg dog with kidney disease ate one small, peeled pear slice — is this safe for him? One peeled slice is likely fine, but be cautious. The flesh is safe, but pears contain natural sugars and a… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog ate a bowl of chicken stew that had a teaspoon of dried thyme in it — is that amount of thyme dangerous? No, that amount of thyme is safe. The concern is rarely the herb itself but what else is in the stew. Check… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog with chronic kidney disease licked my other dog's 9.1% fipronil spot-on this morning — is this more dangerous for him than a healthy dog? Yes, far more dangerous. Your dog’s compromised kidneys cannot clear the fipronil metabolites efficiently, so… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat groomed my 12 kg dog’s fipronil spot-on site three days ago — the vet says she’s stable now, but how long should I keep watching her at home? Keep monitoring for at least 72 hours after exposure, because fipronil’s effects on cats can be delayed by… Cats · Emergency guide My 6 kg pregnant cat (due in two weeks) pawed at a cane toad in the garden and got saliva on her fur — could the bufotoxins affect her kittens? The bufotoxins from a cane toad can cross the placenta and affect the developing kittens, especially in the… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg cat chewed a green potato sprout an hour ago — is a sprout more toxic than the green leaf itself, or are they equally dangerous? Both the sprout and the green leaf contain solanine glycoalkaloids, but the sprout is often more concentrated… Dogs · Emergency guide My 2 kg Pomeranian chewed a few Easter lily petals from a table centerpiece this morning — is his tiny size making this more deadly than for a large dog? Yes, his tiny size makes this exponentially more dangerous. A 2 kg Pomeranian needs only a fraction of the… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg terrier ate a bowl of rabbit stew with onions and gravy while my other two dogs didn't — is the rabbit or the onion the real problem? The rabbit itself is safe for dogs, but the onions and gravy are the real danger. Onions contain thiosulfates… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg dachshund ate rice mixed with chopped jalapeño from my plate while my other two dogs didn't — how do I handle just him? Focus only on your dachshund, because capsaicin from jalapeños is toxic to dogs and can cause severe mouth… Dogs · Emergency guide My pregnant 12 kg dog licked the fipronil spot-on off her own back — is this a risk for her and the unborn puppies? Yes, this is a serious risk for both the mother and her litter. Fipronil affects the nervous system, and the… Cats · Emergency guide How can I safely store fipronil spot-on to stop my 4 kg curious cat from chewing the empty tube? Store it in a locked cabinet or a high drawer your cat cannot open. Cats are drawn to the plastic tubes… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg cat snatched a piece of garlic bread from the holiday buffet — when should I call poison control? Call poison control or your vet now. Garlic is toxic to cats and can cause anemia, and the butter and oils on… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked a spoonful of sugar-free yogurt — could the hidden sorbitol in it cause severe diarrhea? Yes, the sorbitol in sugar-free yogurt can cause explosive, watery diarrhea in a cat that size. Sorbitol is a… Cats · Emergency guide Are the glossy leaves of English ivy more toxic to my 5 kg cat than the dried extract sometimes found in treats? Yes, the fresh leaves are far more dangerous. They contain higher concentrations of the irritating saponins…

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