What to give a dog to poison it?

Think your dog has been poisoned? Learn the signs and what your vet can do.

Table of Contents Show

Signs of Poisoning in Dogs
What to Do if Your Dog Has Been Poisoned
What if I Suspect Someone Poisoned My Dog?

There are many toxins, plants, chemicals, or food that can be poisonous to your dog. Common causes of poisoning in dogs can be found in your bathroom cabinet, in the backyard, in spoiled food scarfed on a walk, and human food that’s stolen off the counter or dropped from the kitchen table.

No matter what the toxin is or where it came from, here's what you need to know to notice potential signs of poisoning and take quick steps to help your dog survive.

Signs of Poisoning in Dogs

Beyond a mangled plant, empty bottle, or missing food, there are many clinical signs that could indicate your dog has eaten a toxic food, chemical, poisonous plant, or spoiled dog food. The following is not a complete list but gives you a general idea of common signs to look for if you suspect your dog has been poisoned, and things your veterinarian can find with proper testing and a complete physical exam.

A dog eating a toxic plant is a common reason for pet owners to call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center's hotline, according to Tina Wismer, DVM, MS, DABVT, DABT and senior director of the center. The situation can be extremely urgent, depending on the plant.

"Most common signs include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, and seizures," Wismer says. "In severe cases, ingestion of poisonous plants can lead to liver failure, kidney failure, and cardiovascular problems.

Clinical signs of poisoning in a dog may include:

Gastrointestinal signs: vomiting, diarrhea, extreme salivation, loss of appetite, and nausea or dry heaving
Internal bleeding: indicated by pale gums, a racing heart, coughing up or vomiting blood, weakness or lethargy, or a dog's falling over or collapsing
Kidney failure: increased or decreased urination, increased drinking as well as lack of appetite, vomiting, or diarrhea
Liver failure: yellow gums, acting abnormally or dully as well as tarry stool (melena), vomiting, diarrhea, or collapsing due to low blood sugar.

What to Do if Your Dog Has Been Poisoned

If you know your dog has eaten something poisonous, here's what to do:

Make sure your dog is breathing, alert, and behaving normally.
Keep your dog and everyone else away from the source of the poisoning. Note what was eaten and keep any labels of information about the product or object. That will help medical professionals make the right decision for treatment.
If the poison is in the dog's fur, wash the dog thoroughly, if you can do so safely.
Don't use any at-home remedies or antidotes. And don't try to make your dog vomit before you talk to a veterinarian. Vomiting may be the right approach, but it might also be dangerous based on what your dog ingested and what's happening in the dog's body.
Make an immediate call to your veterinarian or a phone hotline to help with pet poisoning, like Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661, or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at 888-426-4435. Remember, hotlines like these do charge for their services, so a consultation fee may apply.
If your dog needs medical help, call your veterinarian or the nearest emergency veterinary clinic as soon as possible. The sooner you get help for a dog poisoning, the better the chances your dog can recover from poisoning.

Treatment, whether at home under a veterinarian's orders or in a veterinary hospital, will be specific to the poison. Your veterinarian may recommend that you induce vomiting in your dog in some situations, but not in others. Once in the hospital, your veterinarian may give your dog intravenous fluid, flush your dog's stomach, give your dog activated charcoal to absorb the toxin, or perform surgery. Supportive medications may help your dog's kidneys and liver process the poison and heal.

The ASPCA Poison Control estimates that 25 percent of poisoned pets recover within two hours. Even with treatment, one in 100 poisoned pets will die.

What if I Suspect Someone Poisoned My Dog?

Intentional poisonings are rare and can be difficult to prosecute without hard evidence that your dog was poisoned on purpose.

However, if you suspect someone has intentionally poisoned your pet, follow the steps detailed in the link above and contact your veterinarian along with the police. Your vet may be able to detect toxins with diagnostic testing. If your pet has died, a veterinary lab may be able to perform an autopsy to determine cause of death.

Notify your veterinarian. Your pet has the best chance of survival if you get help immediately.
Keep your pet calm.
If the poison is on your pet's skin, bathe him or her. Rinse. Rinse. Rinse.
If the poison was ingested, get a sample of the poison's container so your veterinarian can determine the best treatment.
Give activated charcoal or Endosorb (as recommended by a veterinarian) for poisons such as chocolate or bromethalin.

Treatment for a poisoned dog or cat is specific for the poison involved and the symptoms. If your pet just gobbled up poison, the treatment may begin by making your pet vomit. Your veterinarian will tell you whether or not to induce vomiting based on what your pet ate. Your veterinarian will explain how to get your pet to vomit using salt water, dilute hydrogen peroxide, or Ipecac.
One type of poisoning for which vomiting is often prescribed occurs when your pet swallows a handful of a medication, such as aspirin, blood pressure pills, or too many of his or her own medications. On other occasions, your veterinarian will tell you not to induce vomiting. Vomiting is actually harmful if your pet ate something that will cause a lung infection if any of the vomitus is coughed into the lungs. For example, poisons that contain petroleum products cause lung infections (aspiration pneumonia) when vomited. If your pet swallowed paint thinner (a petroleum product) your veterinarian will tell you not to induce vomiting. In cases like this, your veterinarian may tell you to give your pet activated charcoal to adsorb the poison. Endosorb can also be used to adsorb toxins in the stomach and intestines. It is available as tablets or liquid and is less messy than charcoal. Your pet may also need IV fluids. 25% of poisoned pets recover within two hours. Of the pets that take longer to recover, many can be treated at home with the advice of your veterinarian or with advice from the ASPCA Poison Control Center (telephone 1-888-426-4435). Even with treatment, one in 100 poisoned pets dies. For charcoal to work fully, give ten times as much charcoal as poison.

The charcoal is often given multiple times rather than all at once. Charcoal causes diarrhea in some pets and constipation in others. The stools are dark black. Don't give charcoal when your pet is poisoned with an oil.

When advised to do so, induce vomiting. Never induce vomiting in an unconscious or convulsing pet, or in horses, rabbits, and rodents because they don't vomit. To induce vomiting use 3% hydrogen peroxide at 1-2 teaspoons/10 lbs. Insert a syringe or squeeze bottle between back teeth to give hydrogen peroxide to cats. Repeat the dose in 10 or 15 minutes if your pet hasn't vomited. At the veterinary clinic, vomiting might be induced with Ipecac, which is diluted with equal parts of water and given to provide 1ml/lb for dogs, and 1 ½ ml/lb for cats. Unlike hydrogen peroxide, which may be repeated if your pet has not vomited after the first dose, Ipecac is not repeated. Activated charcoal is not given with Ipecac.

Use salt water to induce vomiting only when instructed to do so by your veterinarian because salt can cause salt toxicosis (poisoning) in some pets.

What your veterinarian might do if your pet is poisoned
For pets that shouldn't or can't vomit, your veterinarian may give your pet an anesthetic to flush the stomach. Gastric flushing removes a large amount of material, and removes materials that are slow to exit the stomach. Veterinarians will not use this technique with convulsing pets, or with pets that swallowed caustic materials such as bleach or petroleum products.

Preventing further damage from poisoning
After being poisoned, your pet's liver and kidneys may be affected. Antioxidants, herbs, homeopathics, and liver supplements that benefit the liver and kidneys help these damaged organs heal. Omega 3 fatty acids will help control inflammation. Examples of products that may help include T-Relief Tablets, Be Well for Dogs, and Denosyl.

Recommended products to help prevent kidney and liver damage to posioned pets

Helpful contacts
The ASPCA (American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has an Animal Poison Control Center open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for pet poison-related emergencies. Your pet's veterinary clinic is also an excellent place to get help. Keep the clinic's phone number on your refrigerator for emergencies.

Each year, there are more than 232,000 cases of pet poisoning in the U.S. Many of these were caused by household substances that may seem perfectly harmless to you. But just because something is safe for people doesn't mean it won’t hurt beloved pets. Some of the most dangerous dog poisons are foods and medications we take on a daily basis.

Depending on how a particular substance affects your dog’s body and how much was ingested or inhaled, pet poisoning symptoms can include gastrointestinal and neurological problems, cardiac and respiratory distress, coma, and even death.

Dog poison No. 1: Over-the-counter medications. This group contains acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen and naproxen (Advil, Aleve), as well as herbal and nutraceutical products.

Dog poison No. 2: Prescription medications for people. Drugs that might be beneficial or even lifesaving for people can have the opposite effect in pets. And it doesn’t always take a large dose to do major damage.

Some of the most common and harmful medications that poison dogs include:

Dog poison No. 3: People food. Your canine companion may look so cute as they sit there begging for a bite of your chocolate cake or a chip covered in guacamole, but not giving them what they want could save their life. Animals have different metabolisms than people. Some foods, such as onions and garlic, as well as beverages that are perfectly safe for people can be dangerous, and sometimes fatal, for dogs.

Alcohol. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning in animals are similar to those in people, and may include vomiting, breathing problems, coma and, in severe cases, death.
Avocado. You might think of them as healthy, but avocados have a substance called persin that can act as a dog poison, causing vomiting and diarrhea.
Macadamia nuts. Dogs may suffer from a series of symptoms, including weakness, overheating, and vomiting, after consumption of macadamia nuts.
Grapes and raisins. Experts aren’t sure why, but these fruits can induce kidney failure in dogs. Even a small number may cause problems in some dogs.
Xylitol. This sweetener is found in many products, including sugar-free gum and candy. It causes a rapid drop in blood sugar, resulting in weakness and seizures. Liver failure also has been reported in some dogs.
Other foods you should keep away from your pet include tomatoes, mushrooms and most seeds and nuts

Dog poison No. 4: Chocolate. Though not harmful to people, chocolate products contain substances called methylxanthines that can cause vomiting in small doses, and death if ingested in larger quantities. Darker chocolate contains more of these dangerous substances than do white or milk chocolate. The amount of chocolate that could result in death depends on the type of chocolate and the size of the dog. For smaller breeds, just half an ounce of baking chocolate can be fatal, while a larger dog might survive eating 4 ounces to 8 ounces, though 8 ounces would be extremely dangerous. Coffee and caffeine have similarly dangerous chemicals.

Dog poison No. 5 Veterinary products -This includes medications as well as flea and tick treatments. Just as we can be sickened or killed by medications intended to help us, cases of pet poisoning by veterinary drugs are not uncommon. Some of the more commonly reported problem medications include painkillers and de-wormers. And you may think you’re doing your dog a favor when you apply products marketed to fight fleas and ticks, but thousands of animals are unintentionally poisoned by these products every year. Problems can occur if dogs accidentally ingest these products or if small dogs receive excessive amounts. Talk to your vet about safe OTC products.

Dog poison No. 6: Household products, from cleaners to fire logs. Just as cleaners like bleach can poison people, they are also a leading cause of pet poisoning, resulting in stomach and respiratory tract problems. Not surprisingly, chemicals contained in antifreeze, paint thinner, and chemicals for pools also can act as dog poison. The pet poisoning symptoms they may produce include stomach upset, depression, chemical burns, renal failure and death.

Dog poison No. 7: Rodenticides - Unfortunately, many baits used to lure and kill rodents can also look tasty to our pets. If ingested by dogs, they can cause severe problems. The symptoms depend on the nature of the poison, and signs may not start for several days after consumption. In some instances, the dog may have eaten the poisoned rodent, and not been directly exposed to the toxin.

Dog poison No. 8: Insecticides - Items such as bug sprays and ant baits can be easy for your pet to get into and as dangerous for your pet as they are to the insects.

Dog poison No. 9: Plants. They may be pretty, but plants aren’t necessarily pet friendly. Some of the more toxic plants to dogs include:

Azaleas and rhododendrons. These pretty flowering plants contain toxins that may cause vomiting, diarrhea, coma, and potentially even death.
Tulips and daffodils. The bulbs of these plants may cause serious stomach problems, difficulty breathing, and increased heart rate.
Sago palms. Eating just a few seeds may be enough to cause vomiting, seizures, and liver failure.

Dog poison No. 10: Lawn and garden products. Products for your lawn and garden may be poisonous to pets that ingest them.

If you think your dog has been poisoned, try to stay calm. It is important to act quickly, but rationally.

First, gather up any of the potential poison that remains -- this may be helpful to your veterinarian and any outside experts who assist with the case. If your dog has vomited, collect the sample in case your veterinarian needs to see it.

Then, try to keep your pet calm and call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) at (888) 426-4435. Experts at the APCC are available to answer questions and provide guidance 24 hours a day for a consultation fee. Another option is the Pet Poison Hotline at (855) 764-7661.

The best way to reduce the chances that your dog will be the victim of pet poisoning is by preventing exposure to dangerous substances. Here are a few suggestions:

Keep all medications, even those in child-proof bottles, in cabinets that are inaccessible to your dog. If you inadvertently drop a pill on the floor, be sure to look for it immediately. Supervise anyone, such as the elderly, who may need help taking medications.
Always follow guidelines on flea or tick products.
Although you can safely give some ''people foods'' to your pet as a treat, others are toxic. If you have any questions about what is safe, ask your veterinarian. Or, err on the safe side and give treats made specifically for animals.
Be sure any rodenticides you use are kept in metal cabinets or high on shelves where your pets can't find them. Remember that dogs can be fatally poisoned by eating an exposed rodent, so always be very cautious about using these products. Tell your neighbors if you put out rat bait, so they can protect their pets from exposure, and ask them to do the same for you.
When buying plants for your home, opt for those that won’t cause problems if your dog happens to nibble on them. The ASPCA has an online list of toxic and nontoxic plants by species. If you choose to have toxic plants, be sure they are kept in a place where your animals can't reach them.
Store all chemicals and cleaners in pet-inaccessible areas of your home.