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My Dog Ate... Is It Poisonous?
Type what your dog ate. You get one of four answers: go now, call now, call to confirm and watch, or relax. Where the dose matters (chocolate, grapes, onions, xylitol, macadamias, ibuprofen, paracetamol, cannabis) there is a weight-based dose tool one tap away. Poison-line numbers are on every verdict.
Right now: take the rest away, note the time and amount, grab the packet, and call. Vomiting can usually only be induced in the first 2 hours, before symptoms. Do not use hydrogen peroxide without a vet's say-so. Pet Poison Helpline (US/CA) 855-764-7661 · ASPCA Animal Poison Control 888-426-4435 · Animal PoisonLine (UK) 01202 509000 · Ireland and elsewhere: your vet or the nearest emergency clinic. Poison lines charge a fee; they are worth it.
What did your dog eat?
Search or tap. Red means go now, orange means call now, gold means confirm and watch, green means usually fine.
EmergencyCall the vet or poison line nowUsually low riskUsually fine
No match. If it is a medication, a plant, a chemical or anything you cannot name, call a poison line now with the packaging: Pet Poison Helpline (US/CA) 855-764-7661 · ASPCA Animal Poison Control 888-426-4435 · Animal PoisonLine (UK) 01202 509000 · Ireland and elsewhere: your vet or the nearest emergency clinic. Poison lines charge a fee; they are worth it.
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Dose tools: how much is too much?
For these substances the answer depends on your dog's weight and the amount. Each tool gives the mg or g per kilo, the urgency, the symptom timeline and what the vet will do.
All 45, at a glance
| Ate | Urgency | Why, and what to do |
|---|---|---|
| 🍫 Chocolate | Call the vet or poison line now | Theobromine and caffeine. Dark and baking chocolate are 5 to 10 times more dangerous than milk; risk depends on type, amount and your dog's weight. Run the chocolate calculator with the wrapper in front of you. Vomiting can be induced within about 2 hours. Dose tool → |
| 🍇 Grapes, raisins, sultanas, currants | Emergency | Acute kidney injury; no safe dose is known and one grape per 4.5 kg has caused it. Mince pies, hot cross buns, fruit cake and trail mix count. Call now; vets induce vomiting within 2 hours and often start IV fluids for 48 hours. Do not wait for symptoms. Dose tool → |
| 🧅 Onions, garlic, leeks, chives | Call the vet or poison line now | Damage red blood cells 3 to 5 days later (Heinz body anaemia). Garlic is 3 to 5 times as potent; powders more so. A slice is rarely a problem; a whole onion or garlic-heavy dish is. Work out grams per kilo with the onion tool; call now if it is more than 5 g/kg onion-equivalent, and watch for pale gums, weakness or dark urine for a week. Dose tool → |
| 🍬 Xylitol (sugar-free gum, sweets, peanut butter, toothpaste) | Emergency | Causes a crash in blood sugar within 10 to 60 minutes and liver failure at higher doses. As little as 0.1 g/kg matters: two pieces of some gums for a 10 kg dog. Go now, or call while someone drives. If your dog is already wobbly, rub honey or syrup on the gums on the way, if the vet agrees. Dose tool → |
| 🥜 Macadamia nuts | Call the vet or poison line now | Weakness in the back legs, vomiting, tremor and fever within 12 hours, from about 2 g of nuts per kg. Frightening, rarely fatal, resolves in 24 to 48 hours. Count the nuts and use the tool. Chocolate-covered macadamias are a chocolate problem too. Dose tool → |
| 💊 Ibuprofen (Advil, Nurofen, Motrin) | Emergency | Stomach ulcers from about 10 to 25 mg/kg, kidney injury from 100 mg/kg. One 200 mg tablet is a real dose for a small dog. Call now with the tablet strength and count. Do not give more painkillers of any kind. Dose tool → |
| 💊 Paracetamol / Tylenol (acetaminophen) | Emergency | Liver damage above about 100 mg/kg in dogs and blood-oxygen problems above 200; cats are poisoned by a fraction of a tablet. Call now with tablet strength and count. Never give paracetamol to a cat. Dose tool → |
| 🌿 Cannabis, weed, edibles, THC | Call the vet or poison line now | Wobbly, dribbling urine, startles easily, slow heart, low temperature, 30 to 90 minutes after eating it. Rarely fatal; edibles and concentrates are the dangerous end (chocolate, xylitol, huge doses). Call and be honest about what it was; vets do not report you. Edibles or a very small dog: go now. Dose tool → |
| 💊 Naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) | Emergency | Far more toxic than ibuprofen: severe stomach bleeding and kidney injury from about 5 mg/kg. One 220 mg tablet is dangerous for most dogs. Go now with the packet. |
| 💊 Aspirin | Call the vet or poison line now | Stomach ulcers and bleeding; toxic at high doses (around 450 mg/kg acute in dogs, far less in cats). Call with the strength and count. |
| 💊 Antidepressants, ADHD meds, sleeping tablets | Emergency | SSRIs, tricyclics, amphetamines (Adderall, Ritalin) and benzodiazepines cause agitation, tremors, seizures, heart-rate changes or deep sedation, sometimes within an hour. Go now with the box. |
| 💊 Blood pressure or heart medication | Call the vet or poison line now | Beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors can drop heart rate and blood pressure hard in a dog. Call now with the drug name; some need treatment even at one tablet. |
| 💊 Vitamin D, calcipotriene cream, some rat baits | Emergency | High-dose vitamin D (supplements, psoriasis creams, cholecalciferol rodenticide) causes kidney failure through calcium 1 to 3 days later. Go now; early treatment prevents most of it. |
| ☠️ Rat or mouse poison | Emergency | Anticoagulants cause bleeding 3 to 5 days later; bromethalin causes brain swelling; cholecalciferol causes kidney failure. All treatable if you move now. Go now with the packaging: the active ingredient decides the treatment. |
| 🐌 Slug pellets (metaldehyde) | Emergency | Tremors and seizures within 1 to 3 hours; one of the classic garden emergencies. Go now. Ferric phosphate pellets are much less dangerous, but check the pack. |
| 🧴 Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) | Emergency | Sweet-tasting, kidney failure within 24 to 72 hours; the antidote only works in the first hours. Go now. Even a lick from a driveway puddle counts. |
| 🍺 Alcohol | Call the vet or poison line now | Dogs are drunk fast and can go into hypothermia, low blood sugar and respiratory depression. Raw yeast dough and fermented fruit make alcohol inside the stomach. Call now for anything more than a lap of beer; go now if wobbly or sleepy. |
| 🍞 Raw bread dough or pizza dough | Emergency | Rises in the warm stomach (bloat, obstruction) while the yeast makes alcohol. Go now; do not wait for the belly to swell. |
| 🥑 Avocado | Usually low risk | Persin causes stomach upset in dogs (serious mainly in birds and rabbits). The stone is a choking and obstruction risk; the fat can trigger pancreatitis. Small amount of flesh: watch. Swallowed the stone: call. |
| 🍗 Cooked bones (chicken, pork, lamb) | Call the vet or poison line now | Splinter; can perforate or block the gut, or wedge in the mouth or throat. Most pass, some do not. Do not induce vomiting (they can tear on the way up). Call, then watch for vomiting, straining, blood or a painful belly for 72 hours. |
| 🌽 Corn on the cob | Call the vet or poison line now | The cob does not digest and is the classic intestinal blockage, usually showing 24 to 72 hours later. Call; a large dog may pass a small piece, a whole cob usually needs removing. |
| 🧦 Sock, underwear, toy, string | Call the vet or poison line now | Obstruction risk. String and ribbon are worse than lumps: they saw through the gut wall. Call now; within an hour or two the vet can often make the dog bring it back up. Never pull string you can see. |
| ☕ Coffee grounds, tea bags, caffeine pills | Call the vet or poison line now | Caffeine is a methylxanthine, like chocolate: restlessness, racing heart, tremors, seizures at higher doses. Grounds and pills are concentrated; a lap of coffee is not. Call for grounds, pods, pills or energy drinks; a splash of milky coffee is usually fine. |
| 🗑️ Mouldy food, compost, mouldy nuts or bread | Emergency | Tremorgenic mycotoxins: tremors and seizures within 30 minutes to a few hours. Common from bins and compost heaps. Go now, especially if trembling. |
| 🌰 Nutmeg | Call the vet or poison line now | Myristicin: disorientation, fast heart, dry mouth, occasionally seizures at large doses (a whole nutmeg or a lot of eggnog). A pinch in a baked good is not a problem. Call if it was a large amount or your dog is small. |
| 🧂 Salt, playdough, salt-dough ornaments, sea water | Call the vet or poison line now | Salt poisoning: vomiting, thirst, tremors, seizures. Salt dough and playdough are concentrated; a beach day of drinking sea water counts too. Call; offer small amounts of fresh water, not unlimited. |
| 🍒 Cherry, peach, plum, apricot stones | Usually low risk | The stones cause obstruction in small dogs; cyanide from the kernels only matters if many are chewed. Flesh is fine. One stone, big dog: watch the poo. Small dog or many stones: call. |
| 🍎 Apple core and seeds | Usually fine | A few seeds are harmless; the cyanide dose is far too small. Cores can lodge in tiny dogs. Watch a tiny dog for gagging or vomiting; otherwise fine. |
| 🍅 Ripe tomato | Usually fine | Ripe fruit is fine. Green tomatoes and the plant (leaves, stems) contain solanine and cause stomach upset in quantity. Ripe: fine. Ate the plant: call if vomiting or wobbly. |
| 🍄 Wild mushrooms | Emergency | Some are harmless, some kill (Amanita liver failure shows after a deceptive quiet day). You cannot tell from a photo in a panic. Go now with a sample of the mushroom in a paper bag. Shop mushrooms are fine. |
| 🔋 Batteries | Emergency | Button cells and punctured alkaline batteries burn the mouth, oesophagus and gut within hours. Go now. Do not induce vomiting. |
| 💊 Human vitamins, iron tablets | Call the vet or poison line now | Iron and vitamin D are the dangerous ones (gut damage and shock; kidney failure). Multivitamins with xylitol are a xylitol problem. Call with the label. Prenatal vitamins and iron supplements: go now. |
| 🐟 Cat food | Usually fine | Richer than dog food; an upset stomach at worst. Not a poison. Skip the next meal, watch for vomiting. Repeated raids: pancreatitis risk in small breeds. |
| 💊 Double dose of wormer or flea treatment | Call the vet or poison line now | Most single double doses are tolerated; permethrin (dog spot-ons) is deadly to cats, and ivermectin overdose hurts collies and related breeds. Call with the product name; go now for a collie-type breed or a cat. |
| 🥜 Peanut butter | Usually fine | Fine unless it contains xylitol (check the label for xylitol or 'birch sugar'). High fat, so a spoon, not a jar. Xylitol-free: fine. Xylitol on the label: emergency. |
| 🧀 Cheese, milk, ice cream | Usually low risk | Lactose upset and fat. Blue cheeses can carry roquefortine (tremors). Not toxic in small amounts. Watch for diarrhoea. Large amount or blue cheese: call. |
| 🥓 Fatty food, bacon grease, turkey skin, gravy | Usually low risk | Pancreatitis, often 12 to 72 hours later: vomiting, hunched belly, no appetite. Schnauzers, small breeds and overweight dogs are the high-risk group. Watch closely; call at the first vomit or if your dog is a small or older breed. |
| 🥩 Raw meat, raw eggs, raw fish | Usually low risk | Salmonella and E. coli risk mainly to humans in the house; raw fish can carry parasites; a lot of raw egg white blocks biotin over time. Watch for vomiting or diarrhoea over 48 hours; wash hands and bowls. |
| 🍫 Chocolate-covered raisins or nuts | Emergency | Two problems at once: raisins for the kidneys, chocolate for the heart. Raisinets and Christmas mixes are the usual culprits. Go now with the packet. |
| 🌸 Lilies (cats) | Emergency | True lilies (Easter, tiger, Asiatic, stargazer, daylily) cause fatal kidney failure in cats from a nibbled leaf, pollen on the fur or vase water. Dogs get an upset stomach. Cat: go now, do not wait for signs. Dog: watch. Dose tool → |
| 🎄 Poinsettia, Christmas tree needles, holly, mistletoe | Usually low risk | Poinsettia is a mild mouth irritant, wildly overhyped. Holly and mistletoe berries cause vomiting; large amounts of mistletoe can affect the heart. Poinsettia: watch. Mistletoe berries in quantity: call. |
| 🌊 Blue-green algae water | Emergency | Cyanobacteria in still summer water: liver failure or nerve toxins within minutes to hours after swimming and drinking. Go now, rinse the coat, do not let the dog lick itself. |
| 🪴 Cocoa shell mulch | Call the vet or poison line now | Garden mulch made from cocoa shells contains theobromine, like dark chocolate. Estimate the amount and call; treat as chocolate. |
| 🧴 Ibuprofen gel, diclofenac gel (Voltarol) | Call the vet or poison line now | Licking a treated arm or the tube delivers NSAID; diclofenac gel is potent. Call with the product; wash the skin. |
| 🚬 Nicotine (cigarettes, vapes, pouches, patches) | Emergency | Vomiting, drooling, racing heart, tremors and seizures within an hour; vape liquid and pouches are concentrated. Go now. |
Emergency visits like this one run to hundreds or thousands. If your pet is young and healthy, compare pet insurance before the next scare, not during it.
Dog poisoning FAQ
My dog ate something bad. What do I do first?
Take the rest away, note the time and amount, grab the packaging, and call your vet or a poison line. Do not induce vomiting at home unless a vet tells you to and how; for sharp objects, caustics, batteries and a dog that is already wobbly, vomiting makes things worse.
Should I make my dog vomit at home with hydrogen peroxide?
Only on a vet's instruction, with the dose they give, and never for batteries, bones, sharp objects, caustics or petroleum products, or in a dog that is drowsy or wobbly. Vets have safer drugs and can do it within minutes of arrival.
How long do I have before a poison takes effect?
It depends on the poison: xylitol and slug pellets act within an hour, chocolate over 6 to 12 hours, grapes and lilies over 1 to 3 days, onions over 3 to 5 days, rat poison over 3 to 5 days. The treatment window is almost always the first 2 hours, before symptoms, which is why 'wait and see' is the wrong plan for the red and orange items above.
What are the most common poisons in dogs?
Poison-line data year after year: chocolate, human medications (ibuprofen, paracetamol, antidepressants, ADHD drugs), rodenticides, xylitol, grapes and raisins, and, increasingly, cannabis edibles. Most are preventable by keeping bags, handbags and countertops out of reach.
Which foods are actually fine for dogs to eat?
Ripe tomato, apple flesh, carrot, banana, plain cooked meat, rice, cooked eggs, xylitol-free peanut butter, most vegetables in moderation. The list of dangerous foods is shorter than the internet suggests; the trouble is the concentrated ones (chocolate, raisins, onions, xylitol, macadamias, alcohol, dough).
Is a poison helpline worth the fee?
Yes. For an ambiguous dose they will tell you whether you can stay home, which saves an emergency visit; for a real poisoning they give your vet a case number and a treatment protocol. Have your dog's weight and the packaging ready when you call.
Related
Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual toxicology chapters (analgesics, food hazards, Allium, grapes and raisins, xylitol, cannabis, rodenticides, plants); Pet Poison Helpline and ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center guidance and annual case data; VETgirl and dvm360 toxicology briefs. Verdicts are triage guidance for a healthy adult dog and do not replace a call to a vet or poison line. Last reviewed August 2026.