"The sooner we can get to an intoxication, the better. Always."— Dr. Michael LoSasso, DVM
Episode summary
In this episode, Dr. LoSasso walks through the household toxins he sees most frequently in the ER — and offers some genuinely surprising perspective on which ones are actually the most dangerous versus which ones are somewhat overhyped.
His nuanced take on chocolate toxicity is valuable for every dog owner: it is real, but the danger is tied directly to the type of chocolate and the dog's size. A Labrador eating two Hershey's Kisses is a very different situation from a small dog eating dark baking chocolate. He explains exactly how to assess the risk.
Xylitol, by contrast, gets less attention than chocolate but is in Dr. LoSasso's view the more acutely dangerous substance. He explains why the dog pancreas responds to xylitol completely differently from how the human body does — and why it can trigger hypoglycemia and liver failure within minutes to hours.
He also covers lilies and cats (every part of the plant, including pollen), grape and raisin toxicity, yeast dough (yes, it can cause alcohol poisoning), human medications left accessible, and palatable veterinary medications that dogs will sometimes tear open their own prescription bottles to eat in bulk.
"Chocolate season starts on October 31 and ends sometime after Easter — we've got Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter. All of these we tend to celebrate with chocolate. But the toxicity is tied directly to how much caffeine and stimulant is in that particular product. White chocolate is completely harmless. That 72%, 84% cacao? That can definitely cause problems."— Dr. Michael LoSasso, DVM
Most important tip from this episode
If your pet ingests anything potentially toxic, bring the packaging to the ER. This is one of the most helpful things you can do. It lets the team identify the exact substance, concentration, and ingredients immediately — and lets the toxicologist know precisely what they are dealing with. A photo of the label works if you cannot bring the package itself.
Questions answered in this episode
The following questions are answered by Dr. LoSasso in this episode, drawn directly from the conversation. These are real clinical answers from a practicing emergency veterinarian with 30+ years of experience.
Dr. LoSasso says chocolate toxicity is 'a little overblown' as a general concern, but real for certain situations. The danger is tied directly to the type of chocolate and the dog's weight. White chocolate has virtually no theobromine and is not meaningfully toxic. Milk chocolate has very little. But dark chocolate — 72%, 84% cacao — and baking chocolate have significant concentrations that can cause vomiting, tremors, seizures, and heart changes, especially in small dogs. A Labrador eating two Hershey's Kisses is not an emergency; a small dog eating dark baking chocolate is. When unsure, call an emergency vet or the Pet Poison Helpline.
Xylitol has a zero glycemic index in humans — meaning it doesn't trigger insulin release — which is why it's a popular sugar substitute. But a dog's pancreas treats xylitol as an enormous sugar load and releases a massive amount of insulin. With normal blood sugar and too much insulin, blood sugar drops dangerously low. Dogs can have seizures because the brain is starved of glucose. At higher doses, xylitol also causes acute liver failure. Dr. LoSasso notes that some ice breaker-style gum cylinders contain a tremendous amount of xylitol per piece, and that manufacturers don't publicly list exact concentrations — which is why he always calls poison control for xylitol cases.
Yes — every single part of the lily plant is severely toxic to cats and will cause kidney failure. Dr. LoSasso emphasizes it is not just the flower: the pollen is where most toxicity occurs in practice, because cats jump onto tables or counters, walk through the pollen that drops from the stamens, and then lick it off their feet. Even the water in a vase containing lilies is dangerous. He recommends never having true lilies in any home with cats.
Call an emergency vet immediately. Grapes and raisins contain something nephrotoxic — damaging to the kidneys — in dogs, and if you catch the ingestion early, inducing vomiting can prevent the problem entirely. If the exposure is not caught early, IV fluids for 24 to 48 hours are needed to protect kidney function. Dr. LoSasso notes that grape toxicity is specifically a dog concern — cats are not affected in the same way.
Yes. Raw yeast dough that hasn't been baked is dangerous for two reasons. First, yeast becomes very active at normal body temperature, producing gas and creating a mass in the stomach. Second — and less well known — yeast converts carbohydrates to alcohol. Dogs that eat enough raw yeast dough can develop alcohol poisoning. Tall dogs that can counter-surf are particularly at risk, since they often steal rising dough left to proof on the counter.
Modern veterinary medications are often made highly palatable — they taste like treats — to make it easier for owners to administer them. Medications like carprofen (an NSAID for arthritic dogs) are sold in bottles of 180 because they're used long-term. Dr. LoSasso has seen dogs tear open their own prescription bottles to eat the entire contents because they like the taste. While safe at the correct dose, 180 of any NSAID at once causes kidney damage and GI ulceration — the same way 180 ibuprofen would in a human. Medications should be stored securely, not left on counters.
It depends entirely on the toxin. THC (marijuana) shows signs within about 20 minutes — ataxia, stumbling, drooling. Xylitol can cause low blood sugar within 15 to 30 minutes. Chocolate symptoms typically take 6 to 12 hours to fully develop. Anticoagulant rat poison may not show visible symptoms for 3 to 5 days — long after the window for easy treatment has passed. This is why Dr. LoSasso emphasizes: do not wait for symptoms. If you know or suspect your pet ingested something, call and come in immediately.
JulieCan you explain what are the signs of poisoning in pets from household products, including some common foods?
Dr. LoSassoThat's a challenging question because it really depends on what the toxin is. A lot of times we don't have a clinical sign right off the bat. Dogs like yeast dough — the tall dogs will counter-surf and steal it while it's proofing. That yeast gets very active at normal body temperature. You have a problem not only with gas production, but as you probably know, yeast creates alcohol when it contacts carbohydrates — that's how beer is made. We can actually end up with alcohol poisoning in some of these dogs.
Dr. LoSassoWe commonly talk about chocolate. Personally, I think chocolate toxicity is a little overblown. Chocolate season starts on October 31 and ends sometime after Easter — Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter. The toxicity is tied directly to how much caffeine and stimulant is in that product. So the darker, the more bitter, the more caffeine. White chocolate: completely harmless. My wife will tell you white chocolate isn't even chocolate. Milk chocolate has very little caffeine. We get people panicking because their Labrador ate two Hershey's Kisses — that's not worth an emergency visit. But that 72%, 84% cacao can cause some real problems, especially in smaller dogs.
Dr. LoSassoLilies — a very common flower. Who would know that every single part of the lily plant is super toxic to cats specifically, and will cause kidney failure? Cats jump up on tables, they end up with pollen on their feet from the stamens as they mature, and then they lick it right off. Very potent nephrotoxins. It can be treated, especially if we get to it early — we put them on fluids to protect the kidney for a couple of days.
Dr. LoSassoWe do the same thing with grape toxicity in dogs — not in cats. Grapes and raisins contain something nephrotoxic. If you see the ingestion happen and we can induce vomiting and decontaminate the dog, you don't have a major exposure. If you don't catch it early, IV fluids for a couple of days.
Dr. LoSassoXylitol is a sugar alcohol. In people it's fantastic — a thousand times sweeter than sugar but no glycemic index. No insulin release in humans. Problem: the dog pancreas thinks it's a lot of sugar and releases a tremendous amount of insulin to combat it. But the blood sugar is not actually high. So you end up with normal blood sugar and a ton of insulin — very low blood sugar. Some of these dogs have seizures because their brain is unhappy about that low sugar. The other problem we see with xylitol is liver damage, potentially liver failure. The most offensive thing I've found so far has been these cylinders of chewable tablets — some Ice Breakers types — that contain a tremendous amount of xylitol per piece.
Dr. LoSassoOne of the most challenging things overall is when they get into human medications. The toxicologist will tell you human medications are probably the most common concern. People are taking more medications themselves — elderly parents living with them, multiple prescriptions, medications put in a cup and dropped. Dogs will eat almost anything. And the challenge for me is that I don't know what medications you're on. Even if you can identify them, I still have to call the toxicologist, because we don't use Alzheimer's medications in dogs — I need to find out what the side effects are and what I need to be concerned about.
Dr. LoSassoThe unexpected downside to making dog medications super palatable is: if I can make that pill taste good, it's easier for the pet parent to give. That amoxicillin flavored tablet — life is so much easier. But when we're talking about carprofen, NSAIDs we give long-term to arthritic older dogs — sold in bottles of 180 because it makes economic sense — your dog can smell it. If it's on the counter, I have seen dogs tear open their own prescription bottles to get to the medications they love because it tastes like candy. And now we have a relative overdose. Carprofen is very safe at the correct dose. Taking 180 of anything — if you're a human, don't take 180 ibuprofen. Kidney issues, stomach ulceration.
JulieHow quickly do symptoms typically appear?
Dr. LoSassoEvery poison is different. THC — we see those changes within about 20 minutes. These dogs are a little ataxic, they stumble, they act like they're a little high, because they are. They're dribbling urine. The problem with something like carprofen or an NSAID ingestion is they might have some stomach upset, but it's going to take a couple of days for signs to show up. And by the time signs show up, our hands are really tied as far as treatment. The sooner we can get to an intoxication, the better. Always.
Dr. LoSassoIf you can bring the packaging in when you come to the emergency hospital — for goodness sakes, please do. Looking at ingredients is super helpful to us and to the toxicologist, so they know exactly what was ingested.