With most poisons, outcome depends heavily on how quickly treatment starts. The first ten minutes matter, and what you do in them is straightforward.
The five steps
- Remove your dog from the source, and remove any remaining product from reach
- Keep the packaging, or a sample of the plant, mushroom or substance
- Ring your vet or an animal poison line immediately. Do not wait for symptoms
- Have ready: your dog’s weight, what was eaten, roughly how much, and how long ago
- Go in if told to. Take the packaging with you
What not to do
Do not induce vomiting unless a vet tells you to. With caustic substances — bleach, drain cleaner, batteries — bringing it back up burns the oesophagus a second time. With sharp objects it causes perforation. With petroleum products there is an inhalation risk.
Do not use salt water, mustard or washing-up liquid. Salt water poisoning is a real and serious problem in its own right.
Do not give milk, bread or oil “to absorb it”. These are not treatments and they delay you.
Do not wait to see whether symptoms develop. For several common poisons — antifreeze, xylitol, raisins — the window where treatment is most effective closes before symptoms appear.
Do not assume a small amount is fine. Toxic doses of some substances are very small, and they scale to body weight.
The most common household poisons
Chocolate. Theobromine. Dark and baking chocolate are far more dangerous than milk. Signs include vomiting, restlessness, rapid heart rate, tremors and seizures.
Xylitol (birch sugar). The most dangerous common household substance for dogs. Causes a rapid, catastrophic insulin release and, at higher doses, liver failure. Found in sugar-free gum, mints, some peanut butters, protein bars, baked goods and some medications. A tiny amount can kill a small dog. An immediate emergency.
Grapes, raisins, sultanas, currants. Acute kidney failure. The toxic dose is unpredictable — some dogs are unaffected, others die from a handful — so any ingestion is treated as urgent. Christmas cake, mince pies and fruit scones all count.
Human medications. The largest category by volume of calls. Ibuprofen, naproxen, paracetamol and aspirin all cause serious harm. So do antidepressants, ADHD medication, sleep aids and blood pressure drugs.
Antifreeze (ethylene glycol). Sweet-tasting, and very small amounts cause fatal kidney failure. Treatment is time-critical — hours matter, and by the time a dog looks unwell it is often too late. Any suspicion is an emergency.
Rodenticides. Anticoagulant types cause internal bleeding days after ingestion, so a dog can appear fine for a week. Other types cause neurological signs or kidney failure. Bring the packaging — the active ingredient determines the treatment entirely.
Slug and snail pellets. Metaldehyde causes tremors and seizures very quickly. Iron-based products are safer but not harmless.
Onion, garlic, leeks, chives. Damage red blood cells. Cumulative, and cooking does not remove the risk. Frequently hidden in stocks, gravies, curries and baby food.
Alcohol, including raw bread dough, which ferments in the stomach and produces both alcohol and expanding gas.
Macadamia nuts. Weakness, tremors, hyperthermia.
Cannabis. Increasingly common. Signs include wobbliness, dilated pupils, dribbling urine, and sensitivity to sound and touch. Be honest with your vet — they are treating the dog, not reporting anyone.
Blue-green algae. In ponds and lakes, especially in warm weather. Can kill within hours.
Plants: lilies, sago palm (frequently fatal), oleander, foxglove, yew, laburnum, azalea, daffodil bulbs, autumn crocus.
Mushrooms. Some garden and woodland species are lethal. Photograph it and bring a sample if you can do so safely.
Permethrin. Flea products intended for dogs are extremely toxic to cats; some concentrated products also cause problems in dogs if misused. Never use a large-dog dose on a small dog.
Signs of poisoning
They vary enormously by substance, but common ones include:
- Vomiting or diarrhoea, sometimes with blood
- Drooling
- Wobbliness, incoordination
- Tremors or seizures
- Excessive thirst or urination
- Lethargy or collapse
- Rapid breathing or heart rate
- Pale, bright red, or yellow gums
- Bruising or bleeding
- Dilated pupils
- Sudden behaviour change
What treatment involves
Depending on the substance and the timing:
- Induced vomiting, if it is recent and the substance is appropriate
- Activated charcoal, to bind remaining toxin in the gut
- Intravenous fluids, to support the kidneys and maintain circulation
- Specific antidotes, where they exist — there are antidotes for antifreeze, paracetamol and anticoagulant rodenticides among others
- Blood tests to monitor organ function, often repeated over days
- Supportive care — anti-seizure medication, liver protectants, anti-nausea drugs, blood transfusion
Many dogs recover completely when treated promptly. Many do not when treatment is delayed.
Prevention
- Medication in a closed cabinet, not on a bedside table or in a handbag on the floor
- Handbags off the floor. They contain gum, medication, chocolate and cigarettes
- Bins with lids, ideally inside a cupboard
- Garage and shed products locked away
- Clean antifreeze spills immediately, and choose propylene-glycol-based products
- Check your plants against a toxic plant list
- Avoid cocoa bean mulch
- Work on “leave it”, which is the cue most likely to prevent a poisoning on a walk
- Consider a basket muzzle for a committed scavenger
Have the numbers now
Your vet, your nearest 24-hour emergency practice, and an animal poison line. Put them in your phone tonight and write them somewhere visible.
Poison lines usually charge a fee. It is worth it — they hold toxicology databases your local practice may not, and they will advise your vet on treatment. Ring them, and ring your vet.
