Emergency Antidote: What to Do if Your Pet Gets Poisoned

Common Household Pet Poisons

You don’t live in a bubble. Even if you did, you can’t eliminate every risk; however, you can minimize the chances of your dog or cat getting poisoned by being extra cautious with these potentially toxic (to pets), everyday items:

• Chocolate, coffee and anything with caffeine
• Grapes and raisins
• Alcohol
• Nuts including almonds, pecans, walnuts and macadamia nuts
• Onions, garlic, chives or leeks
• Xylitol (an artificial sweetener found in sugar-free foods and candy)
• Over-the-counter medications, e.g., acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen
• Prescription medications, e.g., anti-inflammatory medications, antidepressants, blood pressure medications and stimulant medications (for ADD/ADHD)
• Plants, particularly lilies, tulips, daffodils and sage palms
• Essential oils
• Household chemical cleaners
• Rodenticides, i.e., mouse and rat poisons
• Gardening and lawn fertilizers

To protect your pets, safely store away chemical products, never feed them foods from our list and don’t put any of these pet poisons in places dogs and cats can easily rummage through like garbage cans.

General Symptoms of Dog and Cat Poisoning

Unless you can watch your pets every minute of the day, it’s important to recognize the signs of a poison-related emergency. If you see ANY red flags, follow the instructions spelled out below in the section called “In Case of a Pet Poison Emergency.”

The most typical symptoms of pet poisoning are:

• Gastrointestinal pain (e.g., dehydration, lethargy, lip smacking, abdominal area is sensitive to touch, noises from their gut area)
• Vomiting (look for blood)
• Diarrhea (look for blood)
• Visible bloating
• Drooling
• Lack of appetite
• Collapse (i.e., your pet suddenly faints and struggles to get back up)

Symptoms of internal bleeding due to pet poisoning include:

• Coughing up blood
• Vomiting blood
• Pale gums
• A racing heart rate
• Weakness or lethargy
• Collapse

Symptoms of kidney failure caused by pet poisoning include:

• Breath with a urine-like odor
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Excessive thirst or urination
• Absence or decreased urination

Symptoms of liver failure due to pet poisoning include:

• Yellow discoloration to their gums
• Black, tarry stool
• Weakness or collapse (caused by low blood sugar)
• Abnormal behavior
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

In Case of a Pet Poison Emergency

Symptoms may not show up for hours or even days after ingestion. If you even suspect your dog or cat ate something poisonous, contact your veterinarian immediately. If they’re not open, call a veterinary emergency clinic. If neither are available, call one of the following pet poison control centers:

• ASPCA Poison Control: (888) 426-4435
• Pet Poison Helpline: (800) 213-6680

Whoever you contact, they’re going to need as much information as possible. So first, try your best to figure out what pet poison was eaten, where it came from, how much and when it was digested, and how long you think it’s been in your pet’s system. If the suspected toxin is something that came pre-packaged, get a hold of that original packaging. Furthermore, be leery of popular home remedies. In other words:

• Never use salt or hydrogen peroxide to cause your pet to vomit (in fact, don’t ever induce vomiting in a dog or cat unless instructed to by the veterinarian or pet poison control center helping you)
• Don’t feed them burnt toast to absorb toxins (contrary to popular belief, burnt toast doesn’t contain toxin-absorbing activated charcoal)
• Avoid giving your pet milk to reduce stomach irritation (the milk could upset their stomach even more)

Be prepared to make an emergency trip to your veterinarian or a veterinary clinic. You should also be ready for any scenario by always keeping your dog and cat’s medical record handy. This would include their vaccination history, current medications, food and drug allergies and other relevant health information.

As the best pet parents in the world, try to remember many human foods, “people” medications, plants and household products are poisonous to dogs and cats. Consequently, it’s important to recognize the symptoms of pet poisoning. You should also have the phone numbers of your veterinarian, local veterinary clinics and pet poison control centers on hand. While March may be Pet Poison Prevention Month, any time is a good time to prepare for a poison emergency.