Can my dog eat this?
Search foods, plants and household things that are dangerous for dogs, with the signs to watch for and what to do.
If your pet has eaten something dangerous, call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Don't wait for signs, and don't make your pet sick unless a vet tells you to.
31 items
Xylitol (birch sugar)FoodLife-threatening
One of the most dangerous household items for dogs: a few pieces of gum can be enough. Data in cats is limited, so keep it away from them too.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, weakness, wobbliness, collapse, seizures
When: 15 minutes to 12 hours; liver damage can follow in 1 to 3 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
Sago palmPlantLife-threatening
Causes liver failure. Even one seed can be dangerous.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, yellow gums, bruising, seizures
When: 15 minutes to a few hours; liver failure in 2 to 3 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
OleanderPlantLife-threatening
Affects the heart even in small amounts.
Call your vet now
Signs: drooling, vomiting, abnormal heartbeat, weakness, collapse
When: Within a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
Antifreeze (ethylene glycol)HouseholdLife-threatening
Treatment must start within hours to work. If you even suspect your pet licked antifreeze, go now; do not wait for signs.
Call your vet now
Signs: wobbly like drunk, vomiting, drinking a lot, then seems better, then kidney failure
When: 30 minutes to hours; kidney failure in 1 to 3 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
Rat and mouse poisonHouseholdLife-threatening
Bring the packet: the ingredient name changes the treatment completely. Pets can also be poisoned by eating poisoned rodents.
Call your vet now
Signs: weakness, pale gums, nosebleeds, bruising, coughing, wobbliness, seizures, drinking a lot
When: Clotting poisons: 3 to 7 days. Others: hours to 2 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
Slug and snail bait (metaldehyde)HouseholdLife-threatening
Often called shake and bake because of tremors and overheating. Treat as an emergency.
Call your vet now
Signs: anxiety, drooling, tremors, very high temperature, seizures
When: Within 1 to 3 hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
Vitamin D supplements and psoriasis creamsHuman medicineLife-threatening
High-strength supplements and psoriasis creams can cause kidney failure. A licked tube is an emergency.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, not eating, drinking and peeing more, weakness
When: 12 to 36 hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
Wild mushroomsPlantLife-threatening
Treat any wild mushroom as dangerous. Take a photo or the mushroom itself (in a paper bag) to the vet.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, wobbliness, yellow gums, seizures
When: 15 minutes to 12 hours; liver signs 1 to 2 days later
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
ChocolateFoodSevere
Dogs eat it far more often than cats, but both are affected. The darker the chocolate and the smaller the pet, the more dangerous it is.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, diarrhoea, restlessness, fast heart rate, tremors, seizures
When: 6 to 12 hours, can last days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currantsFoodSevere
Can cause sudden kidney failure in dogs, even in small amounts. Fewer cases are reported in cats, but treat any amount as an emergency.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting within hours, lethargy, loss of appetite, belly pain, drinking and peeing less
When: Vomiting in 6 to 24 hours, kidney damage over 1 to 3 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Coffee, tea, energy drinks and caffeine pillsFoodSevere
Overstimulates the heart and nervous system. Pills and grounds are much more dangerous than a lick of a latte.
Call your vet now
Signs: restlessness, panting, vomiting, racing heart, tremors, seizures
When: 30 minutes to 2 hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
AlcoholFoodSevere
Small amounts cause dangerous drops in blood sugar, temperature and breathing, especially in small pets.
Call your vet now
Signs: wobbliness, vomiting, drowsiness, slow breathing, low body temperature, collapse
When: 30 minutes to 1 hour
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Raw bread doughFoodSevere
The dough swells in the stomach and the yeast makes alcohol. Both can be dangerous.
Call your vet now
Signs: swollen belly, retching without bringing anything up, wobbliness, drowsiness
When: 30 minutes to a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Azaleas and rhododendronsPlantSevere
A few leaves can upset the heart rhythm.
Call your vet now
Signs: drooling, vomiting, weakness, slow heart rate, collapse
When: Within a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Garden and household insecticidesHouseholdSevere
Older garden insecticides can be very dangerous. Bait stations are mostly a chewing hazard.
Call your vet now
Signs: drooling, small pupils, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle twitching, breathing trouble
When: Minutes to a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Batteries and button cellsHouseholdSevere
A chewed or swallowed battery needs a vet now. Do not make your pet vomit.
Call your vet now
Signs: drooling, pawing at the mouth, not eating, vomiting, black stools
When: Burns start within 1 to 2 hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Ibuprofen, naproxen and other pain relievers (NSAIDs)Human medicineSevere
One tablet can cause stomach ulcers and kidney failure, especially in cats. Never give your pet a human painkiller.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, black stools, not eating, drinking and peeing more, wobbliness
When: Stomach ulcers within hours to days; kidney damage 1 to 5 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
Antidepressants and ADHD medicinesHuman medicineSevere
Pills dropped on the floor are a common cause of poisoning. Keep pill organisers out of reach.
Call your vet now
Signs: agitation, dilated pupils, tremors, high temperature, vomiting, seizures
When: 30 minutes to a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Nicotine and cannabis productsHuman medicineSevere
E-liquid refills and edibles are the most concentrated. Tell your vet honestly what was eaten; they are there to help, not judge.
Call your vet now
Signs: nicotine: vomiting, racing heart, tremors, cannabis: wobbliness, dribbling urine, low heart rate, sleepiness
When: 15 minutes to 1 hour
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Flavoured pet medicine overdosePet medicineSevere
Flavoured chews are one of the most common causes of calls to poison lines. Never give one pet's medicine to another.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, black stools, not eating, drinking and peeing more, tremors
When: Hours to days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Mouldy food and compostFoodSevere
Rubbish bins and compost heaps hide mouldy food that can cause severe tremors.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, restlessness, tremors, high temperature, seizures
When: 30 minutes to a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Onions, garlic, leeks and chivesFoodModerate
Damages red blood cells and causes anaemia. Cats are more sensitive than dogs, and repeated small amounts add up.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, weakness, pale gums, fast breathing, red or brown urine
When: Stomach upset in 1 day; anaemia 2 to 5 days later
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Macadamia nutsFoodModerate
Causes weakness and wobbliness, mostly reported in dogs. Often eaten in cookies that also contain chocolate.
Call your vet now
Signs: weakness, especially back legs, wobbly walking, tremors, vomiting, fever
When: Within 12 hours, usually gone in 1 to 2 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline for advice now: amount and body weight decide whether treatment is needed. Keep the packet or a photo of the plant.
Fatty food, cooked bones and leftoversFoodModerate
Holiday leftovers are a classic cause of pancreatitis and bone blockages.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, belly pain, hunched posture, diarrhoea, straining to poop
When: Hours to 2 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline for advice now: amount and body weight decide whether treatment is needed. Keep the packet or a photo of the plant.
Tulip, hyacinth and daffodil bulbsPlantModerate
Dogs digging up bulbs is the usual way in. Daffodils are the most dangerous of the three.
Call your vet now
Signs: drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, daffodils: tremors and heart rhythm changes
When: Within a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline for advice now: amount and body weight decide whether treatment is needed. Keep the packet or a photo of the plant.
Cyclamen and kalanchoePlantModerate
Popular gift plants. Small nibbles usually upset the stomach; larger amounts can affect the heart.
Call your vet now
Signs: vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, rarely heart rhythm changes
When: Within a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline for advice now: amount and body weight decide whether treatment is needed. Keep the packet or a photo of the plant.
Essential oils and liquid potpourriHouseholdModerate
Never put essential oils on a pet's skin. Cats are especially sensitive; passive diffusers in a ventilated room are lower risk than drips and sprays.
Call your vet now
Signs: drooling, vomiting, wobbliness, tremors, breathing trouble, chemical burns in the mouth
When: Minutes to a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now. Early treatment works best, often before signs show. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Bleach, drain cleaner and laundry podsHouseholdModerate
Most diluted cleaners cause mild upset, but drain cleaners and laundry pods can burn the mouth and airway. Rinse the mouth gently; do not make your pet vomit.
Call your vet now
Signs: drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, coughing, mouth ulcers
When: Right away to a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline for advice now: amount and body weight decide whether treatment is needed. Keep the packet or a photo of the plant.
De-icing salt and ice meltHouseholdModerate
Pets lick it off their paws after winter walks. Wipe paws with a damp cloth when you get home.
Call your vet now
Signs: drooling, vomiting, sore red paws, drinking a lot, wobbliness
When: Within a few hours
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline for advice now: amount and body weight decide whether treatment is needed. Keep the packet or a photo of the plant.
True lilies and dayliliesPlantMild
For cats, licking a little pollen off their fur can cause fatal kidney failure. Dogs usually only get an upset stomach. The safest choice is no lilies in a home with a cat.
Call your vet now
Signs: cats: vomiting, drooling, hiding, not eating, peeing more then less, dogs: mild stomach upset
When: Cats: vomiting within 2 hours, kidney failure in 1 to 3 days
What to do: Call your vet or a pet poison helpline now, even if your pet seems fine. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to. Take the packet, plant or label with you.
Peace lily, pothos, philodendron and dieffenbachiaPlantMild
Common houseplants that sting the mouth. Painful but rarely dangerous; despite the name, a peace lily is not a true lily.
Call your vet if signs appear
Signs: pawing at the mouth, drooling, foaming, vomiting, swollen lips
When: Right away
What to do: Usually only mouth or stomach upset. Remove what is left, rinse the mouth with a little water, and call your vet if vomiting continues, your pet stops eating or seems unwell.
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