Veterinary Toxin and Poison Guide
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Study + triage reference · not first aid at home
Veterinary Toxin and Poison Guide
If a pet just ate something on this list: call a veterinarian now. Do not wait for signs. Do not make them vomit at home. Do not give salt, milk, oil or peroxide. Bring the packet, plant or photo.
Home emesis is not treatment. Peroxide and salt water perforate, burn and cause hypernatraemia. Emesis is a clinic decision (apomorphine in dogs; never in seizing, corrosive, hydrocarbon or already-vomiting patients).
Food
| Toxin | Dose that matters | What you see | Clinic move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate / cocoa | Think theobromine, not “a square.” Mild ~20 mg/kg; cardiac ~40–50 mg/kg; seizures often ≥60 mg/kg. Dark and baking chocolate pack far more than milk | V+, restlessness, tachycardia, tremors, seizures | Weigh the wrapper. Decontam only if appropriate. Methocarbamol, fluids, ECG if symptomatic |
| Grapes / raisins / sultanas | No reliable safe dose. Some dogs AKI after a few grapes | Vomiting, then azotaemia 24–72 h | Decontam if recent. Aggressive IV fluids 48 h + serial kidney values. Do not send home to “watch” |
| Xylitol (gum, “sugar-free”, some peanut butters, Japanese sweets) | Dogs: hypoglycaemia from ~0.1 g/kg; hepatic injury often cited ≥0.5 g/kg. Cats much less sensitive | Collapse, seizures (low glucose) within an hour; jaundice later | Do not wait. Glucose now, dextrose CRI, liver support (SAMe / NAC). Packet in the bag |
| Onion / garlic / chives | Onion often discussed ~15–30 g/kg; garlic is more potent per gram. Powdered forms hide in leftovers | Heinz-body anaemia, pigmenturia, weakness — can be delayed days | PCV/smear. Fluids. Transfuse if oxygen delivery fails — not a number-only trigger |
Medicines people drop
| Toxin | Dose that matters | What you see | Clinic move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ibuprofen / naproxen | Dogs: GI risk well below 50 mg/kg; cats — treat any tablet as serious | Melaena, vomiting, AKI, CNS at high dose | Decontam if early. IV fluids, omeprazole / sucralfate, serial creat |
| Paracetamol (acetaminophen) | Cats: toxic near 10 mg/kg — one extra-strength tablet can kill. Dogs: liver injury often discussed >75–100 mg/kg | Cats: chocolate-brown mucous membranes, facial oedema, dyspnoea | N-acetylcysteine. Oxygen. Never “wait and see” in a cat |
| Vitamin D / cholecalciferol rodenticides & psoriasis cream | Tiny amounts. Hypercalcaemia is the disease | PU/PD, AKI 18–72 h | Lipid / decontam if early. Fluids, monitor iCa. Pamidronate / calcitonin as indicated |
Plants and house chemicals
| Toxin | Who dies | What you see | Clinic move |
|---|---|---|---|
| True lilies (Lilium, Hemerocallis) | Cats — pollen, water, a few petals | Vomiting then AKI. Fatal if late | Decontam + 48 h IV fluids if seen early. This is not “monitor at home” |
| Permethrin spot-on (dog flea pipette on a cat) | Cats | Tremors, seizures, hyperthermia | Dish-soap bath if stable. Methocarbamol. Cool. No atropine |
| Ethylene glycol | Dogs and cats | Drunk → acidotic → anuric AKI | Fomepizole (or ethanol) only if early. After kidneys shut down, prognosis collapses |
| Sago / cycad | Dogs (seeds worst) | Acute liver failure, coagulopathy 1–3 d | Decontam, NAC/SAMe, vitamin K1, clotting times |
Triage order in the clinic
- Airway, breathing, seizures, temperature — before decontamination.
- Emesis only if the patient is asymptomatic, the toxin is appropriate, and a vet is doing it.
- Activated charcoal when the toxin binds and the airway is safe. Repeat only for enterohepatic recirculation.
- IV fluids for renal toxins (grapes, lilies, EG, cholecalciferol) — measured, not “a bag overnight.”
- US ASPCA / Pet Poison numbers are not your local emergency line. Call the clinic in front of the owner.
Teaching page for people buying veterinary books. If this is your own animal, phone a vet. Instant-PDF textbooks are on this store; emergency care is not.
