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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
Dogs · Food safety Is it safe to put olive oil on my 10-week-old puppy's dry food twice a day? Yes — a tiny drizzle over his kibble is fine. Puppies are still growing, so calories count more than they do… Dogs · Food safety Is raw taro worse for my 4 kg dog than sweet potato — can a small piece still burn his mouth? Raw taro is worse. Sweet potato is fine cooked and gentle on a dog's gut; raw taro contains sharp calcium… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg terrier just licked a dollop of pesto off the counter — is this an emergency or will he be fine? Likely fine — one lick isn't enough garlic to damage an 8 kg dog. Garlic is the real problem in pesto and it… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg Beagle got into half a piece of fried plantain with table salt left on the kitchen counter — what do I watch for in the next 24 hours? Plantain itself is fine — a little salt and oil from one bite won't harm an 8 kg dog. Keep the dog indoors… Dogs · Food safety My 6kg dog ate half a cup of hot chocolate; how can I prevent this in the future? Hot chocolate is toxic to dogs. Keep it out of reach, train 'leave it', and store it properly. If your dog is… Dogs · Emergency guide My 8 kg dog ate two bites of oleander leaves that were left out overnight—could this be dangerous? Yes, this is an emergency and you should go to an emergency vet right now. Even a few bites of fresh or moldy… Dogs · Food safety My 8 kg dog ate beef stew with bread chunks soaked in gravy — is the bread dangerous? No, the bread itself isn't dangerous, but the gravy might be. Plain bread soaked in liquid just turns to mush… Cats · Food safety My cat ate leftover octopus that was left out overnight — now she's wobbly. Related? Yes, this is urgent. Spoiled seafood grows bacteria that cause neurological signs like wobbliness or dilated… Cats · Emergency guide My cat with heart disease drank oleander vase water — is her risk higher? Yes, extremely. Cardiac patients are far more vulnerable to oleander's toxins, which attack the heart muscle… Cats · Food safety My pregnant cat licked a protein bar wrapper — could xylitol hurt her kittens? Possibly. Xylitol crosses the placenta and concentrates in fetal livers. Even trace amounts from a wrapper… Cats · Food safety My cat stepped in cinnamon powder and is licking her paws — what do I do right now? Wipe her paws with a damp cloth immediately. Cinnamon irritates mucous membranes, so focus on cleaning… Dogs · Food safety My 6 kg dog ate fried rice with beef jerky pieces — how much onion powder is dangerous? For a 6 kg dog, just 1/8 teaspoon of onion powder can damage red blood cells over time. Jerky often contains… Cats · Food safety My 1 kg kitten ate three strands of plain noodles — will this pass through her tiny system? Yes, that minimal amount will pass fine. At 1 kg, her stomach is about the size of a grape, but noodles… Cats · Food safety My cat ate two bites of cooked kohlrabi 4 hours ago and seems fine — how long do I watch her? She's fine — kohlrabi is safe for cats. The 4-hour window is the most critical for a new food, and she's… Dogs · Food safety Can a pregnant dog eat Swiss chard in small amounts? Yes, but watch for vomiting. If she eats a lot, call your vet. Keep her weight and her litter in mind. She… Cats · Food safety My cat has a sensitive stomach and is on medication — can she eat salsa left out overnight? Yes, but watch for vomiting. Salsa has onion, garlic, and chilli. These can upset a sensitive stomach… Cats · Food safety Is it bad for a cat to eat onion powder regularly? Yes, it's dangerous. Even a small amount of onion powder can cause anaemia in cats. If your cat has been… Dogs · Toxicity calculator My 15 kg dog ate dinner with my crushed zinc supplement powder mixed in — could that poison her? Yes, this is dangerous. Crushed pills release zinc much faster than a whole coin, so symptoms can appear… Dogs · Food safety Is it worth training my 12 kg schnauzer to leave it when I leave cooked lotus root on the counter after dinner? Yes, but the easier fix is storage, not training. Cooked lotus root is safe for your dog — plain, sliced thin… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat eats a small lime wedge every morning. What will happen over time? Yes, feeding lime daily is a bad idea. The acidity and peel oils will irritate her mouth and stomach… Dogs · Food safety Is half a cup of plain cooked duck breast safe for a 4 kg Westie? Safe. Half a cup is a modest portion for a 4 kg dog. Duck breast without skin is low enough in fat that a… Cats · Emergency guide My 9 kg cat chased a bee under the patio chair and is now yelping with a swollen lip — how fast can the swelling block her airway? Fast — swelling inside the mouth or throat can obstruct a cat's airway within minutes. Scrape the stinger out… Cats · Toxicity calculator My 4 kg cat just ate a whole 81 mg aspirin tablet, is this serious? Yes, this is an emergency for a cat that small. A single low-dose aspirin can ulcerate a cat's stomach… Cats · Food safety My 6 kg cat ate two bites of raw green bell pepper off the counter an hour ago — my other two cats stayed away. Is this dangerous? No. Raw green bell pepper is safe for cats in the small amount your 6 kg cat took. The seeds and core can be… Dogs · Food safety Will half a raw carrot cause a 12 kg dog to get diarrhoea within 2 hours? Carrots won't poison your dog, but they can upset his stomach. Half a raw carrot is a lot of roughage for one… Cats · Food safety My 12-year-old cat snuck one lick of a pecan half from the kitchen counter while I was unpacking groceries — is this an emergency? One lick is not an emergency. Pecans aren't toxic to cats, and that tiny amount won't hurt her. They're very… Cats · Food safety Are freeze-dried watermelon cat treats safe for a 10-year-old cat with kidney issues? Yes, they're safe. The flesh itself isn't toxic and won't stress the kidneys. The real risk is the sugar… Dogs · Food safety My 4 kg Chihuahua ate a bite of grilled octopus and now has soft stool. Could he be allergic? It's more likely an upset stomach than an allergy. Octopus is a novel protein, so a dog's system isn't used… Dogs · Emergency guide My 12 kg beagle licked a sago palm leaf — do I need to rush to the emergency vet? Yes, this is an emergency — go to the vet now. The toxin cycasin is in all parts of the plant, not just the… Dogs · Food safety My 7 kg dog licked a big puddle of ketchup off the patio table at a BBQ. Is this serious? No, it's not an emergency, but it can cause a stomach upset. That much ketchup is a lot of sugar and salt for…

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