What to do if your dog eats something poisonous
If you think your dog has eaten something harmful, acting quickly matters. Many poisons do not cause symptoms straight away, and early treatment is often simpler, cheaper and more successful.
Emergency? Find a 24-hour vet near Horley
Step by step
- Stay calm and move your dog away from the substance. Remove anything left so they cannot eat more.
- Call your vet straight away, or your nearest out-of-hours emergency vet. Do not wait for symptoms.
- Gather information: what they ate, roughly how much, when, and your dog’s approximate weight. Keep the packaging, a sample or a photo.
- Follow your vet’s advice, and travel promptly if they ask you to bring your dog in.
What not to do
- Do not try to make your dog sick at home, and never use salt water, mustard or hydrogen peroxide. These can be dangerous in their own right. Vets have safe medicines to do this when it is appropriate, and for some substances, such as caustic products, being sick causes more harm.
- Do not give milk, food or home remedies unless your vet advises it.
- Do not wait to see if your dog becomes ill.
Common household poisons
Alongside toxic foods, vets regularly see poisoning from human medicines such as ibuprofen and paracetamol, rat and mouse poison, slug pellets, antifreeze, cleaning products, cannabis, nicotine products, batteries, and some garden plants and bulbs such as daffodil bulbs.
Save these now: your own vet’s number and your nearest out-of-hours emergency vet. Animal PoisonLine (01202 509000) is a 24-hour advice service for pet owners run by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service; a fee applies.
When to contact your vet
- Any suspected poisoning. Call straight away.
- Vomiting, wobbliness, tremors, seizures, breathing difficulty, collapse, pale gums or unusual bleeding. These are emergencies.
Not registered with a vet, or need one out of hours? See our local vets near Horley.
This guide is general information for UK dog owners and is not a substitute for advice from your vet. If you are worried about your dog, contact your vet straight away, or your nearest out-of-hours emergency vet.
