My Dog Ate Chocolate (or Advil, or a Whole Tub of Joint Chews): The 10 Most Common Pet Toxins
The holidays are coming up; naturally you're practicing your grandmother's famous double dark chocolate brownies to make sure you get the aesthetic of that cocoa swirl just right. You place them on the counter and run – almost skip gleefully – to the store for more ingredients. But when you come back you find that those brownies have made their way into your dog and violently returned from both ends. Your faithful counter-surfer paces back and forth in the living room as you grab the mop and bucket. At least the pan on the floor has never been cleaner…
Though chocolate may be the most famous of the common pet toxins, it didn't even make the top three last year. Honestly, this blog post goes on the list of things that don't need to exist, like Chia Pets and the phrase "six seven." The demigods at ASPCA Poison Control already wrote all about it. But that's ok – you're here and that's what matters. We will bring their guidance to the conversation and help you decide what is best for your pet. If your dog ate chocolate (or anything else on this list) and it's happening right now, call us at (970) 851-8751, send our intake form, or come to our Fort Collins clinic during open hours.
My Dog Ate Something Toxic: What Do I Do Right Now?
Call a veterinarian or ASPCA Poison Control right away, before symptoms start, with four things in hand: what your pet ate, how much, when, and your pet's weight. Whether your dog ate chocolate or the contents of your nightstand, what to do next looks the same:
- Move your pet away from the rest of it. Close the door on the crime scene.
- Work out what, how much, and when. Count the pills, check the bag, find the label, note the time. We've said it before – and it's worth saying a hundred times: bring the packaging.
- Call the right number. During open hours, call us first for common toxins like chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, or a single medication so we can screen it. For more serious toxins, products with an unknown amount of toxin inside (sugar-free gum is the classic), or more than one product at once, call ASPCA Animal Poison Control directly at (888) 426-4435. They answer around the clock (though a consultation fee will apply).
- Leave the hydrogen peroxide in the cabinet. Don't make your pet vomit at home.
- Be prepared to come in if we or poison control recommends it.
What If It Happens When You're Closed?
When we're closed, call ASPCA Poison Control first; they'll tell you whether your pet needs to head to an ER. There are a number of 24/7 specialty and ER hospitals in the area, the most robust of which is the CSU veterinary teaching hospital. Four Seasons and Royal Vista, specialty and referral centers in the area, can also help you decipher those ASPCA recommendations at 3 a.m.
The 10 Most Common Pet Toxins (ASPCA 2025 Data)
ASPCA Poison Control fielded calls about more than 376,000 exposures in 2025. Its top 10 pet toxins of 2025 were, in order: over-the-counter medications and supplements, food and drink, human prescription medications, chocolate, veterinary products, plants and fungi, rodenticides, household products, insecticides, and recreational drugs.
| Rank | Toxin | Common examples | Main risk | Dogs vs. cats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OTC meds and supplements (16.9%) | Pain relievers, vitamins, skin care | Ulcers, kidney or liver injury | Cats very sensitive to acetaminophen |
| 2 | Food and drink (16.4%) | Grapes, raisins, xylitol, onions, garlic | Kidney injury, low blood sugar, anemia | Mostly dogs |
| 3 | Prescription meds | Heart meds, antidepressants, ADHD meds | Heart rate changes, agitation, tremors | Both |
| 4 | Chocolate (13.6%) | Baking chocolate, cocoa, brownies | Vomiting, restlessness, racing heart, tremors | Mostly dogs |
| 5 | Veterinary products (9.1%) | Flavored chewables, soft chews | Upset stomach to organ damage | Mostly dogs |
| 6 | Plants and fungi (7.5%) | Lilies, houseplants, mushrooms | Vomiting up to kidney or liver failure | Lilies are a cat emergency |
| 7 | Rodenticides (6.5%) | Mouse and rat bait | Bleeding, brain or kidney injury | Mostly dogs |
| 8 | Household products (6.4%) | Cleaners, paints | Irritation or burns | Both |
| 9 | Insecticides (3.8%) | Flea and tick products, yard sprays | Drooling, tremors, seizures | Dog flea products can harm cats |
| 10 | Recreational drugs (1.9%) | Edibles, psychedelic mushrooms, kratom | Wobbliness, sedation or agitation | Mostly dogs |
The Medicine Cabinet Is Much of the List
Medications hold three of the top five spots (#1, #3, and #5), roughly 40 percent of all calls. You walk into the bedroom to find your pill organizer open on the floor, and because every year of life seems to come with another pill, you have no idea what Charlie could have gotten into. Purses, backpacks, and that little baggie that contains a grab bag of unknown pills are all common ways a pet will get ahold of pills.
It's encouraging for the supplement companies to know that dogs go through tubs of joint chews like they're buckets of bon-bons: with enthusiasm and vigor. While safe in moderation, a whole tub can sometimes cause major issues and is worth a phone call. A bottle of flavored prescription medication, like a chewable anti-inflammatory, is a different conversation and usually a visit.
Chocolate, Grapes, Xylitol, and the Rest of the Kitchen
The kitchen's heavy hitters are chocolate, grapes and raisins, xylitol, and onions and garlic. The darker the chocolate, the more stimulant it carries. Grapes and raisins can injure the kidneys in some dogs, and nobody can truly predict which ones. Xylitol, a sweetener in sugar-free gum and some peanut butters, can crash a dog's blood sugar and injure the liver. Onions and garlic, powders included, can damage red blood cells over several days, and cats are even more sensitive than dogs.
Rat Bait, Bug Products, and Cleaners
Among rat bait, bug products, and cleaners, rat bait is where the details matter. Each category of rodenticide has its own toxic dose, diagnostic plan, and treatment plan: some cause bleeding days later, some affect the brain, and some damage the kidneys. A picture of the active ingredient helps, but we strongly recommend bringing the entire box with the label intact. Bug products and cleaners mostly irritate, though some flea products cause tremors and drain cleaners can burn.
Plants, Mushrooms, and Edibles in Colorado
After a rainy stretch, lawns around Fort Collins can sprout mushrooms overnight. Most are harmless, a few are deadly, and nobody can tell which over the phone. Snap a photo from every angle and bring a sample in a paper bag. We strongly recommend posting the photo to a reputable mushroom identification group on Facebook. When it comes to mushrooms, even ASPCA will tell you to go to them for help.
You might assume a Colorado ER sees more edibles than average. In our experience, not really. But if your pet got into a recreational drug, we promise you that we don't care whose stash they got into. We aren't required to report anything, nor do we want to. We have enough paperwork to do. We just want to know what we're dealing with so we can best help your pet.
Toxins That Are Worse for Cats
Cats are far more sensitive than dogs to acetaminophen (Tylenol), permethrin (an insecticide in many dog flea and tick products), and lilies, which can cause kidney failure after a small exposure. They also tend to salivate heavily when they eat things that are bitter or irritating. Basically: you always knew your cat was special – you just didn't know how right you were.
Medications We Give Our Pets
We strongly recommend avoiding giving anything in your medicine cabinet to any of the pets in your home. But we understand that you may be reading this after the dose has gone down. It's ok – mistakes happen. But if you gave your painful dog some Aleve or applied some of your dog's flea and tick medication to your cat, your well-intentioned move may be, unfortunately, problematic. We're not here to judge; we're here to help.
How We Decide Whether an Ingestion Is Dangerous
Although some things are toxic no matter how much your pet ingests, by and large there is no universal safe amount. Whether an ingestion is dangerous depends on what and how much your pet ate, how big your pet is, whether any of the packaging was consumed, and how long ago this transgression occurred. You know that thing where eating too many carrots turns your skin orange? It's called carotenemia (which is hilarious) and it's the epitome of "all things in moderation." Most toxins are like that – we don't really know until we do some math.
Then there's timing. Once the item goes in the mouth, the hourglass is flipped over and the sand is draining. Within the first few hours we can often "decontaminate," which is mostly a fancy word for making your pet vomit. Less fancy words include upchuck, hurl, or toss cookies. Activated charcoal (a medication that binds some toxins in the gut), IV fluids, and antidotes (when one exists) also work better before the toxin gets absorbed. Once the toxin has damaged the body, we may be playing a prolonged and sometimes unsuccessful game of catch-up.
The earlier we can intervene, the more successful and the less expensive the treatment tends to be. Some things, like xylitol in dogs, can cause a life-threatening change within the first hour, so getting them in early is always better than waiting to see if they start seizing uncontrollably.
Should I Make My Dog Throw Up at Home?
No. We do not recommend giving hydrogen peroxide or trying any other way to make your pet vomit at home. In cats, even a small amount of hydrogen peroxide can be deadly, and in dogs it can carry serious complications. Some toxins are worse coming up and others are dangerous to you after they've reacted with stomach acid.
My Pet Seems Fine. Do I Still Need to Come In?
Often, yes. The effects of most toxins don't show up right away. For example, the effects of certain rat baits don't show up until a few days later when the pet starts bleeding uncontrollably. It's a million times better to get them seen before the clotting system has taken a hit. This is a situation where waiting can be fatal and an early visit can literally mean a few tests and some vitamins.
Signs of Poisoning When Nobody Saw It Happen
Vomiting, lethargy, agitation, tremors, drooling, or unusual bleeding can point to a toxin, even if you never saw your pet eat anything. Pets are terrible witnesses and even worse at confessing, so the first clue is often just a pet who's off. Toxins are often on our list when we see any of the following:
- Vomiting or diarrhea, especially if it persists or recurs
- Lethargy, weakness, or wobbliness
- Pacing, agitation, or acting out of character
- Tremors, twitching, or seizures
- Drooling or pawing at the mouth
- Unusual bruising or bleeding
Bring anything chewed or opened with you. If your pet is collapsing, struggling to breathe, or seizing, don't stop to look; those belong with the 10 signs that can't wait.
What Happens When You Bring Your Pet In for a Toxin
A toxin visit starts like any emergency (a stability check, an exam, a lot of questions), just faster, because decontamination (cookie tossing) options expire. For most cases, we'll strongly recommend contacting ASPCA Poison Control, who have the most thorough and up-to-date recommendations on the toxins we see. Together, we consult with the toxicologists to come up with the safest plan for your pet.
That does not always mean inducing vomiting; sometimes it's about waiting to see. But sometimes we decontaminate, start preventive medications, or even recommend hospitalization with IV fluids and careful monitoring, depending on the level of risk. For borderline cases we often lean toward caution, but we will review all of your options with you, and each one comes with an itemized estimate before it happens.
Like most outpatient emergency visits, many toxin patients go home the same day. However, some of these can be severe and often additional care or monitoring is needed. When hospitalization is recommended, we can facilitate it over the weekend or work with a nearby hospital during the week to make the process as seamless as possible.
If a transfer isn't possible for your family, tell us, and we will consult with poison control to build the best plan possible that works at home.
Going Home: What to Watch and When to Recheck
Instructions vary by toxin, but in general call us for vomiting, refusing food, lethargy, wobbliness or tremors, unusual bruising or bleeding, or big changes in drinking or peeing. For toxins that work on a delay, like grapes, anti-inflammatories, and some rat baits, we often recommend recheck bloodwork over the following days, because lab work can show trouble before your pet does.
Where the Top 10 Live in Your House
Most of the top 10 live in five places: the nightstand, the kitchen, the floor by the door, under the sink, and the garage. Keep pills and skin care in a drawer and purses on a hook. Take pills over the sink rather than the carpet, where a dropped tablet starts the most stressful game of Where's Waldo you'll ever play. Push the brownies back on the counter and secure the lid of the trash can. Store the joint chews somewhere that requires thumbs. Talk to a pest control specialist about pet-safe options. If you do use rat bait, keep it in tamper-resistant stations and check them frequently to make sure your dog didn't get to them first. And if you have a cat and a bouquet of lilies arrives, gently tell the flower-delivery fella that if you see his face again you will file a restraining order.
When in Doubt, Call Before Symptoms Start
The most common pet toxins aren't exotic. They're in your purse, your pantry, and your grandmother's brownie pan. Many pets do fine when someone calls early. Every pet is different, so the same three brownies can be a nonevent for one dog and a long night for another.
If your pet ate something they shouldn't have, call us at (970) 851-8751, send our intake form, or come to our Fort Collins clinic during open hours. If we're closed, ASPCA Poison Control is awake.
Call while there's still sand in the hourglass. And please do not let your dog eat the hourglass.
