My dog ate something — toxicity triage

What did your dog eat?

Pick the closest match. Toxins are grouped by how much room you have to deliberate: emergency (act now), call vet (don't wait at home), monitor (vet if symptoms develop). When in doubt, escalate — the cost of an unnecessary hotline call is small compared to a missed treatment window.

EMERGENCY — call now / go to the ER

• Xylitol (sugar-free gum, sugar-free baked goods, some peanut butters, mints, toothpaste) — causes hypoglycemic shock within 15-60 minutes; liver failure at higher doses. Xylitol calculator →
• Grapes or raisins (any amount, any variety, fresh / dried / juiced) — acute kidney injury at unpredictable doses; some dogs react to 1-2 grapes. Grape calculator → · Raisin calculator →
• Chocolate — dark, baker's, or cocoa powder (any amount), or large doses of milk chocolate — methylxanthine toxicity; cardiac arrhythmia and seizures at higher doses. Chocolate calculator →
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol) — in cats, any dose. Lethal in cats from ~10 mg/kg (Merck Vet Manual); dogs tolerate it slightly better but a 200 mg tablet in a 5 kg dog is still emergency territory. Ibuprofen calculator →
• Ibuprofen or naproxen in small dogs (under 10 kg) — a single 200 mg Advil = 40 mg/kg (already in the GI-ulceration band). Call now. Ibuprofen calculator →
• Marijuana edibles (gummies, brownies, chocolates) — palatable, often eaten in full. A single 10 mg gummy in a 5 kg dog = 2 mg/kg (clinical-band). Pot brownies add chocolate toxicity on top. Vets are not mandated reporters — be honest. THC calculator →
• Marijuana concentrate / dab / wax — highest-risk product. A single 0.5 g dab in a 20 kg dog = 17.5 mg/kg (critical band). Immediate ER. THC calculator →

CALL VET — don't wait at home

• Milk chocolate — small dose, larger dog — sub-emergency dose-dependent. The calculator will tell you whether you can monitor at home or need to go in; call the hotline if in doubt. Chocolate calculator →
• Onion or garlic (any amount, including powdered, cooked, or in seasoned table scraps) — hemolytic anemia from thiosulfates; delayed onset (24-72 hours). Akita / Shiba breeds are sensitive at lower doses. Onion/garlic reference →
• Macadamia nuts (especially combined with chocolate) — weakness, tremors, hyperthermia. Clinical signs documented as low as ~0.7 g/kg (Hansen 2002); typical onset at 2 g/kg. Macadamia reference →
• Alcohol (beer, wine, spirits, bread dough fermenting in the stomach) — CNS depression begins at 1.5-2 ml/kg of pure ethanol (≈5 ml/kg of 40% spirits). Alcohol reference →
• Bread dough (uncooked, with active yeast) — ferments to alcohol in the warm stomach and expands physically. Any meaningful quantity warrants a call. Bread dough reference →
• Sugar-free gum or mints — almost certainly xylitol; check the label. Xylitol calculator →
• Ibuprofen / naproxen in larger dogs (>10 kg), single tablet — sub-emergency but still needs triage. Never give human pain meds without vet guidance. Ibuprofen calculator →

MONITOR — vet call if symptoms develop

• Avocado (flesh or skin) — usually mild GI upset; the bigger risk is the pit as an obstruction. Avocado reference →
• Caffeine (small amount — a sip of coffee, a single tea bag) — methylxanthine like chocolate. Large doses (espresso, energy drinks, caffeine pills) escalate to emergency. Caffeine reference →
• Cooked bones — not "poisonous" but a real GI risk: splintering causes puncture, perforation, or obstruction. Cooked poultry bones are the worst offender. Monitor for vomiting, straining to defecate, or abdominal pain. Common toxic foods reference →

The 60-second action protocol

Whatever your dog ate, the first minute matters more than the next hour. Run this list:

1. Note what your dog ate, how much, and when. Timestamps matter — toxicologists use the ingestion-to-treatment interval to decide whether decontamination is still useful.
2. Read the label if it's a sugar-free / "no sugar added" / "diabetic-friendly" product. Xylitol hides in places it shouldn't (peanut butter, baked goods, children's vitamins, mouthwash). The label is the fastest way to confirm.
3. Call a hotline: ASPCA APCC (888-426-4435) or Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661). Both are 24/7 and staffed by veterinary toxicologists — far better triage than a generalist on-call vet who may have to look up the same references.
4. Have your dog's stats ready: weight (in kg or lb), breed, age, any pre-existing conditions, any medications. They will ask. If you don't know the weight, estimate worst case (a smaller weight = higher dose-per-kg = more conservative triage).
5. Get a case number. Your emergency vet can use it for a free consultation with the same toxicologist — saves re-triage time and helps the ER pick the right treatment protocol.
6. Drive to the vet if directed — but do not induce vomiting at home unless explicitly told to. Wrong-method emesis (especially for caustic substances or sharp objects) makes things worse. The hotline will tell you whether, with what, and how much.

Toxicity-by-substance reference

Approximate toxic-dose thresholds, drawn from ASPCA APCC, Pet Poison Helpline case data, and the Merck Veterinary Manual. These are reference ranges, not personalized advice — always defer to a hotline toxicologist for the specific case.

Substance	Toxic threshold (approx.)	Mechanism	Tool
Chocolate	20-40 mg/kg theobromine mild · 40-60 moderate · >60 severe	Methylxanthine toxicity — cardiac, neurological	Calculator
Xylitol	100 mg/kg → hypoglycemia; 500 mg/kg → liver failure	Massive insulin release; hepatic necrosis	Calculator
Grapes / raisins	No reliable threshold — treat any exposure as risk	Acute kidney injury (mechanism unconfirmed)	Grape · Raisin
Onion	chronic ~5 g/kg · acute hemolysis ~15-30 g/kg · powdered ~5-10× more potent · Akita/Shiba sensitive	Thiosulfate damage to red blood cells	Reference
Garlic	~1 g/kg fresh garlic (3-5× more potent than onion; Yamato 2005)	Same allium mechanism as onion	Reference
Macadamia	clinical signs from ~0.7 g/kg (Hansen 2002); typical onset 2 g/kg (~16 nuts in a 20 kg dog)	Unknown — dog-specific weakness, tremors, hyperthermia	Reference
Ibuprofen	50 mg/kg → GI; 100 mg/kg → kidney; 250 mg/kg → seizures	NSAID — GI ulceration, AKI, CNS	Calculator
Caffeine	30 mg/kg → mild; 100+ mg/kg → severe	Methylxanthine — same family as chocolate	Reference
Alcohol	1.5-2 ml/kg pure ethanol → CNS depression (≈5 ml/kg of 40% spirits)	Ethanol — CNS depression, acidosis	Reference
Bread dough	Any meaningful quantity — yeast generates ethanol in stomach	Ethanol + physical gastric distension	Reference
Cooked bones	Mechanical injury, not dose-dependent	Splintering → GI puncture or obstruction	Reference

Cross-links

Browse all emergency calculators → for the full toxin-by-toxin calculator set plus emergency-response decision guides.

Common toxic foods reference → for deeper background on the substances above that don't have a dedicated calculator yet.

Sources: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center toxicology references. Pet Poison Helpline case data and clinical protocols. Merck Veterinary Manual — sections on methylxanthines, xylitol, allium species, NSAIDs, and ethanol toxicosis in dogs. Hotline consultation fees as published on each provider's site, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How fast do poisoning symptoms develop?

Onset times vary by toxin: xylitol fires fastest. Xylitol is the fastest — hypoglycemia within 15-60 minutes, sometimes before you even notice. Chocolate (methylxanthines) typically shows GI signs at 2-4 hours, cardiac/neurological signs at 6-12 hours. Grapes and raisins have a deceptive 6-12 hour vomiting/lethargy phase followed by kidney injury at 24-72 hours — bloodwork looks normal early. Onion and garlic are slowest — hemolytic anemia takes 24-72 hours to appear. The lag between exposure and visible symptoms is exactly why "wait and see" is the wrong default for known toxins.

What does a pet poison hotline call cost?

As of 2026, both major US hotlines charge a per-incident consultation fee: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) is $95 per case; Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661) is $85 per case. The fee covers unlimited follow-up calls about the same incident, and your case number can be shared with your emergency vet so they don't re-bill for the same triage. Consider it cheap insurance against an unnecessary $1,500 ER visit — the toxicologist will tell you when home observation is genuinely safe.

Should I induce vomiting at home?

Not unless a vet has explicitly told you to. Inducing vomiting is the wrong move for caustic substances (bleach, batteries), sharp objects, petroleum products, and any animal that's already vomiting, seizing, or unconscious. Even for "good candidates" — like a recent chocolate ingestion in an alert dog — the at-home method (3% hydrogen peroxide) is dose-sensitive and can cause aspiration pneumonia or gastric irritation if done wrong. Call the hotline first; they'll tell you whether to induce, with what, and how much.

What if I'm not sure what (or how much) my dog ate?

Bring everything you can to the conversation: the empty packaging, the chewed wrapper, photos of any partially-eaten food, the brand and product name (label matters — many "no sugar added" products contain xylitol). If you found the dog with an open container, estimate worst case (assume the dog ate all of it). The hotline toxicologists are used to uncertain quantities; they'll triage based on the upper-bound estimate and your dog's weight. Better to over-triage and stand down than under-triage and miss the window.

What about cats? Are the same foods toxic?

Mostly yes, with some species-specific differences. Onion, garlic, chocolate, xylitol, and grapes are all toxic to cats too — usually at lower absolute doses because cats are smaller. Two cat-specific risks that don't apply to dogs: true lilies (Lilium and Hemerocallis genera) cause acute kidney failure in cats from even pollen exposure — see our cat-lily emergency guide. And acetaminophen (Tylenol) is lethal to cats at doses as low as 10 mg/kg — far more sensitive than dogs.

My dog seems fine right now. Should I still call?

For most of the toxins on this page — yes. "Seems fine" is the expected presentation in the first few hours for grape/raisin, onion/garlic, and even chocolate. The reason hotlines exist is precisely that the asymptomatic window is also the treatment window: decontamination is most effective in the first 1-2 hours after ingestion, and IV fluid therapy for nephrotoxins works best before bloodwork goes abnormal. Calling early when your dog still looks normal is exactly the right time.