Pet Poisoning Emergency Helplines
If your dog or cat is collapsed, having a seizure or struggling to breathe, go straight to the nearest emergency vet. Phone the clinic on the way so they can prepare. Do not stop to read or to call a helpline first.
Pet poison helplines
If your pet is alert and stable, call your own vet or one of the services below. They can tell you whether what your pet ate needs treatment. Most charge owners a fee, and hours can change, so check the service's own website if you are unsure.
United States
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: +1 888-426-4435. A consultation fee may apply.
- Pet Poison Helpline: +1 855-764-7661. A fee applies.
Canada
- Pet Poison Helpline: +1 855-764-7661 (serves the US and Canada). A fee applies.
United Kingdom
- Animal PoisonLine (run by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service): 01202 509000. A fee applies.
Australia and New Zealand
- Animal Poisons Helpline: Australia 1300 869 738, New Zealand 0800 869 738. Check animalpoisons.com.au for current opening hours; outside them, call your vet or an emergency clinic.
What to have ready before you call
- The product or plant. Keep the packet, bottle, label or a photo of the plant in front of you. The exact product and its strength matter more than anything else.
- Your pet's weight, in kilograms or pounds.
- How much could be missing. Count tablets, weigh what is left of the chocolate, estimate millilitres. If you are unsure, give the largest amount it could have been.
- When it happened, or the window when your pet was left alone with it.
- What you are seeing now, such as vomiting, drooling, wobbliness, restlessness or sleepiness.
- Something to write with, so you can note the case number and instructions for your vet.
What not to do
- Do not make your pet vomit at home unless a vet or poison line tells you to. Home methods such as salt or hydrogen peroxide can themselves cause harm, and for some substances vomiting makes things worse.
- Do not give milk, oil or food to "neutralise" a poison. It does not, and it can delay proper treatment.
- Do not give human painkillers. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen are themselves pet poisons.
- Do not wait for signs. With xylitol, lilies in cats, antifreeze and some rodent baits, treatment works best before signs appear.
For a step-by-step plan, read Suspected pet poisoning: what to do in the first hour.