Suspect poisoning? US: ASPCA Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · UK: 01202 509 000 · Severe symptoms → nearest emergency vet now.
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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 Could my 4 kg cat getting diarrhea and a skin rash be from chewing a kalanchoe leaf yesterday? The diarrhea could be the first sign, but a skin rash is unusual for kalanchoe poisoning alone. The plant's… Dogs · Emergency guide How can I keep my 25 kg counter-surfer from stealing my vitamin A supplements off the bathroom shelf? Store them in a locked cabinet or a high cupboard with a child-proof latch—bathroom shelves are too… Cats · Toxicity calculator What happens if I give my 5 kg senior cat a 1000 IU vitamin D3 softgel with her food every day for a month? This will almost certainly cause vitamin D toxicity and kidney failure. Vitamin D is fat-soluble and… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog ate two cooked shrimp 6 hours ago and is now scratching his ears and face. Could this be an allergic reaction, and how long do symptoms last? Yes, itching on the face and ears is a classic sign of a food allergy or intolerance. Reactions to shrimp can… Dogs · Food safety Is a quarter cup of plain cooked barley safe to mix into the food of my 15 kg diabetic dog who gets insulin injections twice daily? Yes, in that small amount, it's generally safe, but you must account for the carbohydrates. Barley will raise… Dogs · Emergency guide How do I keep my 10 kg hunting dog away from autumn crocus bulbs in the garden? Autumn crocus bulbs are the most toxic part of the plant, and a 10 kg hunting dog who loves digging is… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg Persian cat chewed a mothball and the vet treated her — how long should I watch her at home for delayed anemia? Mothball poisoning can hide for days because red blood cell damage from naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene… Dogs · Emergency guide My 6 kg West Highland White Terrier just ate zinc oxide diaper cream off the bathroom floor — what do I do right now? Time matters — a 6 kg Westie who ate zinc oxide cream needs urgent vet attention because small dogs absorb… Cats · Food safety Can a 3 month old 1.8 kg kitten eat raw halibut sashimi, or is the raw fish a risk? No, raw halibut sashimi is not safe for a 1.8 kg kitten even though cooked plain halibut is fine. Raw fish… Dogs · Food safety My 10 week old 2.5 kg Jack Russell puppy ate a handful of sweetcorn kernels off the kitchen floor — is he at risk of a blockage? The kernels themselves are safe, but a 2.5 kg puppy swallowing a whole handful at once is a different story … Cats · Emergency guide Is a cooked pork rib bone more dangerous than a raw chicken neck for my 4 kg cat? Yes. Cooking turns bones brittle — they snap into razor-sharp fragments instead of bending or splintering… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg nursing cat lapped up two tablespoons of infant formula — is this worse than regular cow's milk? It can be. Infant formula has far more lactose, sugar, and fat than plain milk, and a nursing cat's system is… Cats · Emergency guide My 5 kg indoor cat was bitten by a common house spider, not a brown recluse — is that still an emergency? Most house spiders aren't medically significant, but any bite in a 5 kg cat deserves a call to your vet.… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg dog found a rat poison block that's been sitting in the garage for six months — is it still dangerous? Yes, it is still dangerous. Rodenticide bait doesn't 'spoil' in the way food does — the active ingredient… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg pregnant dog (6 weeks along) got into mothballs — is the developing puppies at risk even from fumes? Yes. Naphthalene mothballs release vapors that are absorbed through the lungs and can cross the placenta… Dogs · Food safety My 10 kg dog finished my plate of crab risotto at a restaurant — is the crab safe or is the risotto the problem? The crab meat itself is fine if it's plain and cooked. The problem is everything mixed into the risotto… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg nursing cat ate three cubes of roasted beetroot — is the oxalate content a concern for her kittens? Three small cubes are unlikely to cause harm. Beets are safe for cats in modest amounts, and the oxalates in… Dogs · Food safety My 12 kg dog ate plain cooked squid at a backyard BBQ — is the chewy texture a choking risk? The texture itself isn't dangerous if the squid was cut into small pieces before serving. Whole or large… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 12 kg dog ate his food that was accidentally mixed with a tablespoon of powdered zinc supplement — is this toxic? Yes, that amount of pure zinc powder is highly toxic. Zinc damages red blood cells, leading to anaemia that… Cats · Emergency guide My 3 kg cat chewed and swallowed three whole silica gel packets that were left out overnight — is that enough to cause a blockage? Yes, three whole packets are a real blockage risk for a cat that small. The silica beads themselves are… Cats · Food safety My 4 kg cat ate a bite of meatloaf glazed with ketchup sauce that also contained onion powder — what's the risk? The main concern is the onion powder, not the tomato. Onion is toxic to cats and can damage their red blood… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg dog grabbed several peeled cucumber slices from the veggie platter at a BBQ — is that okay? Yes, plain peeled cucumber is safe and hydrating. The risk at a party is usually what's alongside it — dip… Cats · Food safety My tiny 3 kg cat ate a piece of rambutan flesh and might have swallowed the seed too — is her small size a bigger problem? Yes, her small size makes both the seed and the flesh more concerning. The seed is toxic and could also cause… Cats · Food safety My 5 kg cat with a history of occasional diarrhea ate two slices of peeled, raw water chestnut — will this trigger a stomach upset? It might, because any new food can upset a sensitive stomach. Water chestnut itself is safe and low in fat… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 4 kg cat chewed a used 2 mg nicotine gum wrapper that was left out overnight on the kitchen counter — is the stale gum still toxic? Still toxic. The nicotine does not break down or go bad overnight; it sits on the gum and is just as potent… Dogs · Emergency guide What happens if I let my 12 kg dog chew foxglove leaves in the garden every day? It is not a safe practice — even small daily amounts of foxglove can accumulate and damage the heart over… Dogs · Emergency guide My 10 kg senior cocker spaniel swallowed a paracetamol tablet 3 hours ago — what are the first signs and how long until they show? You need to act now — do not wait for symptoms to appear. Paracetamol poisoning is time-critical because the… Cats · Emergency guide My 4 kg cat licked raw bread dough that was left rising overnight on the kitchen counter — is this dangerous because of fermentation? Yes — that dough is now a real emergency for a cat that size. Fermentation continues inside the stomach… Cats · Emergency guide My 3.5 kg British Shorthair developed gas and soft stools after eating a rawhide dental chew — is this an allergy or a digestion problem? It is most likely a digestion problem rather than a true allergy. Rawhide is extremely tough, difficult to… Dogs · Food safety Can a 3 kg Chihuahua eat two small pieces of cooked octopus without choking or stomach upset? It is not recommended, especially for a dog that small. Octopus is very rubbery even when fully cooked, and a…

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