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General Toxins Calculator

Grapes, lilies, rat bait, snail bait, medications and dozens more common household poisons, checked against your pet's body weight.

This may be urgent. Contact a veterinarian now. If the animal is collapsed, fitting, struggling to breathe or rapidly worsening, go straight to an emergency clinic.
Your pet

Which animal, and how much do they weigh?

Choose the animal and enter its current weight. The toxin list and every dose depend on both.

Species
Enter the animal's current weight.
The poison

What did they get into?

Search by name, brand or nickname. Only toxins with data for the chosen species are listed.

What happened

How did it happen, and how much?

Record how it happened, how much, and how long ago. Symptoms and unknown amounts override the maths.

Pick a species and a toxin to begin.
Your result

Here is the risk assessment

The risk band, what to do next, and a summary you can print, copy or email to your vet.

Show the result as
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This is decision support, not a diagnosis. Toxic doses vary with the individual animal, product concentration, and how much was actually absorbed. If your animal has swallowed something and you are worried, do not wait on a number — call your vet, an emergency clinic, or an animal poison line now. Do not induce vomiting unless a vet tells you to.

How this tool works

How to calculate a suspected poison dose in an animal

Free animal poison and toxin calculator

Estimate the toxic dose. Understand the urgency.

Quick answer: Select the animal, enter its weight, choose the suspected poison and record what happened. This veterinary calculator estimates exposure per kilogram where reliable thresholds exist, and defaults to caution when the amount, route or safe dose is unknown.

45Toxin profiles
10Species groups
2Owner and clinical modes
VetDesigned by Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc

This tool helps animal owners, carers, students and veterinary teams organise the essential facts after a possible poisoning. It uses species, body weight, toxin type, product concentration and estimated amount to calculate an exposure dose when sufficient veterinary toxicology data exist.

How to use the calculator

  1. Choose the animal. Select the correct species and enter the most accurate current body weight available.
  2. Identify the poison. Search for the food, medicine, rat bait, chemical, pesticide or toxic plant involved.
  3. Record the exposure. Add the route, product, amount, concentration, timing and whether symptoms are already present.

Common animal toxins included in this calculator

The calculator contains 45 selected toxin profiles across 10 animal groups. Availability depends on the species because susceptibility, metabolism and reliable published thresholds differ significantly between animals.

  • Foods and kitchen toxins: chocolate, cocoa, xylitol, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, macadamia nuts, caffeine, alcohol and salt.
  • Human medicines: paracetamol, ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, decongestants, ADHD medicines, baclofen, iron and vitamin D.
  • Rat bait and pesticides: anticoagulant rodenticide, bromethalin, cholecalciferol, metaldehyde, strychnine, 1080, permethrin and organophosphates.
  • Household chemicals: antifreeze, batteries, lead, zinc, glyphosate, nicotine and cannabis products.
  • Toxic plants: true lilies, lily of the valley, sago palm, oleander, yew, lantana, bracken fern, avocado and blue-green algae.
  • Livestock and horse toxins: ionophores, urea, nitrate, cyanogenic plants and important pasture or feed-related toxicities.

What should you do right now?

  • Remove access to the suspected poison without exposing yourself.
  • Keep the packet, label, bait, medication sheet or a clear photograph of the product.
  • Record the likely amount, concentration, exposure route and approximate time.
  • Do not induce vomiting or give milk, salt, oil, charcoal or another home remedy unless a veterinarian or animal poison specialist directs you.
  • If the animal is collapsed, fitting, struggling to breathe or rapidly worsening, go directly to an emergency veterinary clinic.

How animal toxin risk is calculated

For dose-based toxins, the calculator estimates the active substance swallowed and divides it by the animal's body weight in kilograms. The result may be shown as mg/kg, g/kg, mL/kg or another toxin-specific unit. It is then compared with selected veterinary reference thresholds.

A green result means the entered exposure is below the selected reference threshold. It does not prove that the animal is safe. Product formulations, absorbed dose, individual susceptibility, existing disease, repeated exposure and inaccurate estimates can all change the real risk. Symptoms and unknown amounts therefore override a reassuring calculated result.

How the bands work. Green = below the usual concern threshold. Yellow/orange = monitor or likely needs a vet. Red / dark red = treat as an emergency. When the amount is unknown or a toxin has no safe established dose, the tool defaults to caution — that is deliberate.

Animal poison calculator FAQs

What should I do if my dog or cat ate something poisonous?

Remove access to the substance, keep the packaging, record the likely amount and time, and contact a veterinarian or animal poison service. If the animal is collapsed, fitting, struggling to breathe or rapidly worsening, go directly to an emergency clinic.

How does an animal poison calculator estimate risk?

Where a reliable threshold exists, the calculator estimates the active toxin dose from the amount and concentration entered, then divides it by body weight in kilograms. Some toxins are assessed qualitatively because no safe dose is established or published data are limited.

Does a green result mean the exposure is safe?

No. A green result means the entered exposure is below the selected reference threshold. It cannot confirm the amount, absorption, product formulation or individual susceptibility, and symptoms always override a low calculated result.

What if I do not know how much toxin was eaten?

Select Unknown for amount confidence. The calculator will avoid false reassurance and direct you to veterinary or animal poison advice.

Should I make my animal vomit after a suspected poisoning?

Do not induce vomiting or give a home remedy unless a veterinarian or animal poison specialist specifically directs you. Vomiting is unsafe with some toxins, products, symptoms and animal species.

Which animals and poisons does this calculator cover?

The calculator includes selected profiles for dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, birds, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. It covers common foods, human medicines, rodenticides, pesticides, household chemicals and toxic plants, but it is not an exhaustive poison database.

Veterinary authorship and review

By Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc · Emergency veterinarian · Clinically reviewed 18 August 2026

Dr Duncan Houston is an emergency and general-practice veterinarian and the founder of ASK A VET™. This calculator is veterinary decision support for animal owners and professionals. It does not replace examination, diagnosis or toxin-specific advice from a treating veterinarian or animal poison specialist.

Animal toxicology sources

Thresholds and clinical notes use rounded triage values from established veterinary toxicology references. The exact product, patient and exposure should always be assessed individually.

Thresholds are drawn from established small-animal and large-animal toxicology references (ASPCA Animal Poison Control data, Plumb's, the Merck/MSD Veterinary Manual, and standard clinical toxicology texts). Values are rounded working thresholds for triage, not exact lethal doses. Farm and exotic-species figures are sparser in the literature and several are qualitative by necessity.

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About the author

Dr Duncan Houston · BVSc, Veterinarian

Emergency careGeneral practiceMobile vet careFounder, ASK A VET™

Dr Duncan Houston is an Australian veterinarian with experience in emergency, general-practice and mobile veterinary care. He is the founder of ASK A VET™. This guide is educational and is not a substitute for hands-on veterinary care.