help for pet poisoning

Poison can be life-threatening. If you suspect your cat or dog has ingested a toxin or you see symptoms of poisoning, don’t wait — contact your local pet emergency hospital immediately.

Seek immediate emergency veterinary care if you suspect your pet has ingested a toxin or you see symptoms of poisoning, which can appear hours or even days after ingesting a toxic substance. The Pet Poison Helpline can help with additional steps on the way to the emergency vet (fee applies).

Signs of poisoning in pets

Don’t induce vomiting or use a home remedy to buffer poisons

Never induce vomiting in your pet or give any kind of human medications to pets without explicit veterinary instructions. Many home “cures” can actually make matters worse.

• Inducing vomiting can cause more damage to your pet
  Vomiting caustic poisons can cause additional harm and be actively dangerous for your pet. If it’s necessary, your veterinary team will let you know what to use and how to use it.
  
  
• Avoid common home remedies — they can make matters worse
  Don’t try human staples like milk, peanut butter, vegetable oil, or salt. None of these foods will buffer or neutralize poisons, and oil and salt can be actively harmful to your pet.

Remove poisonous materials and collect vomit as directed for testing

Safely remove any remaining poisonous materials from your pet’s reach. If you can, use a clean plastic bag to collect vomit, which the veterinary team may need for evaluation.

Make note of:

• Your pet’s symptoms
• What they ate
• When they ate it
• How much they ate (number of tablets, tablet strength, etc.)
• Bring or take a photo of the product ingested for reference

Get to pet emergency care and contact the Pet Poison Helpline

Call your local emergency veterinary hospital to let them know you are on your way. Follow all instructions to help your pet.

On your way to emergency veterinary care, call the Pet Poison Helpline. For an incident fee, they can supply initial information on how to help dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, birds, small mammals, large animals, and exotic species. (If you don’t call, the vet team who treats your pet will likely call on their own and charge the same fee.)

Give your veterinary team any information you’ve collected on the type and amount of poisonous material that may be affecting your pet. You may also need to provide your pet’s current weight and their known medical history, including medications, prescriptions, or supplements. Make sure to write down the case number the helpline gives you — it may come in handy at the ER.

Emergency care at veterinary clinics can help poisoned cats and dogs

Different kinds of poisons require different kinds of emergency veterinary care. If your pet has been poisoned, your emergency veterinary team will evaluate the type, amount, and time of poisoning, as well as your pet’s species, age, and size.

Antidotes may be available for specific poisons

Some poisons, like antifreeze and certain rodent poisons, often respond to specific antidotes. That’s why the sooner your pet gets medical attention, the better the outcome typically is.

Gastric decontamination can sometimes buffer poisons

Certain toxins can be buffered by a formula of medically delivered activated charcoal, which works to absorb and neutralize materials in the stomach.

Safe diuretics or emesis can sometimes help to limit damage

Your vet may give your pet fluids to help to dilute poisons and flush them out in their urine or administer certain treatments that may help your pet safely vomit toxins out of their system.

Gastric lavage may wash out toxins

If administered quickly enough, a gastric lavage introduces sterile fluids directly into the stomach, where they can help to wash out toxins.

No emergency vet available?

If you live in a rural area, it’s possible there isn’t an emergency vet nearby. First, do your best to stay calm. Call the Pet Poison Helpline and give them all the details of the situation. There may be a household remedy you can use to assist your pet — but please don’t administer it before speaking with an expert.

You can also use an online vet help tool, such as Pet Chat^™. Here, you connect with real veterinary professionals — anytime, anywhere — to help make informed healthcare decisions about your pet.

Download more pet safety tips

Download more about common household poisons

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