Dog Poisoning: Signs, What to Do and Common Toxins

Signs of Poisoning in Dogs

Signs depend on the poison and can include:^11,4,12

• Vomiting (sometimes with blood), diarrhea, heavy drooling or not eating
• Restlessness, trembling, wobbliness, seizures or collapse
• Pale gums, weakness, fast breathing or a weak, fast pulse
• Bleeding, bruising, coughing up blood or black stools
• Drinking and urinating more or less than usual, or yellow gums and eyes

Some poisons have delayed effects. Rat poisons that stop blood clotting usually cause bleeding 3 to 7 days later, antifreeze damages the kidneys within a few days, and grapes and raisins can cause kidney injury 1 to 3 days after eating them. That's why you should call even if your dog seems normal.^1,13,14,15 See dog vomiting, dog drooling and dog shaking.

What to Do if Your Dog Ate Something Poisonous

1. Get your dog away from the poison and check that other pets haven't been exposed.¹
2. Collect the packaging, pill bottle, plant or a sample of the vomit. The product name, active ingredient, strength and how much is missing all help.^1,5,12
3. Note your dog's weight and roughly when it happened.¹²
4. Call your vet, an emergency clinic or a poison hotline, and follow their advice.^1,5
5. Don't give anything by mouth, including milk, food or home remedies, unless you're told to.⁵
6. Watch your dog closely until you're told the risk has passed.⁵

Should I Make My Dog Throw Up?

Not unless a vet or poison center tells you to.⁸ Bringing a poison back up can cause more harm with:^16,5,17

• Corrosive products such as drain cleaner, and batteries
• Petroleum products such as fuel or lighter fluid, which can be inhaled
• Sharp objects
• Dogs that are drowsy, unconscious, having seizures or having trouble breathing or swallowing

Never use salt, oil or your fingers to make a dog vomit. Salt can cause dangerously high sodium levels, and oil can be inhaled.^8,5,16 Household remedies sometimes suggested online can damage the stomach, so don't use one to make your dog vomit unless a vet or poison center tells you to.^10,8 Vets can give medicines that cause vomiting more safely.¹⁶

Common Poisons for Dogs

Human medicines

Human pain relievers can cause stomach ulcers and kidney or liver damage. ADHD medicines, antidepressants and sleep aids can cause agitation or sedation, tremors, seizures and heart problems, and even small amounts of some can be life-threatening.¹⁸ Keep pills and pill organizers in a closed cabinet, never leave loose pills in plastic bags, hang up handbags, and store human and pet medicines separately.¹⁸

Foods

• Chocolate, especially dark and baking chocolate and cocoa powder. See dog ate chocolate.¹⁹
• Grapes, raisins and currants, which can cause kidney injury. See dog ate grapes.²⁰
• Xylitol, a sweetener in sugar-free gum and some peanut butters. See xylitol poisoning.²¹
• Onions, garlic and chives, raw, cooked or powdered, which can damage red blood cells a few days later.²²
• Macadamia nuts, which cause weakness, wobbliness and tremors that usually pass within 1 to 2 days.²³
• Alcohol, and raw bread dough, which can expand in the stomach and produce alcohol as the yeast ferments.^24,25

Rat and mouse poisons

Different rat poisons work in different ways and look alike, so always keep the packaging. Some stop the blood from clotting, and bleeding starts days later. This type has an antidote. Others damage the brain or cause dangerously high calcium levels and kidney failure.^13,26,27,5

Antifreeze

Antifreeze tastes sweet, and a small amount can be fatal. Dogs may seem drunk at first, then improve for a while before kidney failure sets in. The antidote only works if given early, so get help immediately.^28,14

Plants, fungi and outdoor dangers

• Sago palm: all parts are toxic, and eating even one or two seeds can be fatal.^29,30
• Wild mushrooms: some cause liver failure after a delay of 6 to 12 hours, so a dog may seem fine at first.³¹
• Blue-green algae in ponds and lakes can cause liver failure or rapid paralysis and death. Keep your dog out of water with scum or discoloration. If he has been in it, rinse his coat with clean water so he can't lick the algae off, and call your vet.³²
• Toads: licking or mouthing some toads causes drooling, red gums, heart rhythm problems and seizures. Rinse the mouth with plenty of water and call your vet.³³
• Lilies: most true lilies are mainly dangerous to cats, but lily of the valley and gloriosa lily are dangerous to dogs too.³⁴

Household and garden products

Cleaners, insecticides, fertilizers, weed and pest killers, ice melt, essential oils, mothballs, nicotine products and cocoa bean mulch can all poison dogs.^35,3

Cannabis

Cannabis edibles cause wobbliness, sleepiness, dribbling urine and a slow heart rate within a few hours. Signs usually pass within 1 to 3 days and deaths are rare, but chocolate edibles add chocolate poisoning on top.^36,37

What Your Vet Will Do

Depending on the poison and how long ago it was eaten, your vet may give a medicine to make your dog vomit, give activated charcoal to bind some poisons in the gut, and start IV fluids.¹⁶ Some poisons have antidotes, such as the treatment that restores clotting after some rat poisons.^16,13 Blood tests check the kidneys, liver, blood sugar or clotting, and some dogs need monitoring in hospital for a day or more.^15,38,13

How to Prevent Poisoning

• Keep medicines, vitamins and supplements in closed cabinets, and hang up handbags and backpacks.¹⁸
• Keep chocolate, grapes, raisins, sugar-free gum and baked goods off counters and tables.^39,21
• Use rat poisons only where dogs can't possibly reach them, or choose other methods.³⁵
• Store antifreeze, cleaners and garden products securely and clean up spills.^35,28
• Save the poison hotline numbers in your phone.^6,7

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the signs of poisoning in a dog?

Vomiting, drooling, trembling, wobbliness, seizures, pale gums, bleeding or collapse. Some poisons cause no signs at first.

How long after eating something will a dog show signs of poisoning?

It varies from minutes to several days, depending on the poison. Call right away rather than waiting.

What should I do if my dog ate something poisonous?

Remove the source, keep the packaging, and call your vet or a pet poison hotline immediately.

Can a dog recover from poisoning?

Many dogs recover fully, especially when treated before signs develop.

What is the most common poison for dogs?

In ASPCA data for all pets, over-the-counter medicines and supplements top the list, followed by foods and drinks (such as grapes and xylitol products), prescription medicines and chocolate.