My dog has eaten something: what to do

Your own vet is the first call and the free one. Every UK practice has an out-of-hours arrangement, so the number on the answerphone will reach someone at three in the morning.

The Animal PoisonLine is the second option, run by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service. It is the only 24-hour service in the UK dedicated to pet owners, and it is worth knowing that it charges: £35 for calls between 8am and 8pm on weekdays, and £45 at all other times including weekends and bank holidays.

That fee is money well spent if you cannot reach a vet, because VPIS holds the case database vets themselves ring for advice. It is not the number to try first if your practice is answering.

Symptoms depend entirely on what was eaten, and some of the worst poisonings look like nothing at all for a day or two. Onion and garlic damage red blood cells over several days. Grapes and raisins can take 24 to 72 hours to show as kidney injury.

That delay is the single most important thing to understand. Your dog seeming fine an hour later tells you very little, which is why vets act on what was eaten rather than waiting to see.

Chocolate is toxic because of theobromine, a stimulant dogs clear from their system far more slowly than people do. The darker the chocolate, the more theobromine per gram, which is why a small amount of baking chocolate is more serious than a larger amount of milk chocolate.

The MSD Veterinary Manual puts mild signs, restlessness and vomiting, at around 20mg of theobromine per kilo of your dog's weight. Heart effects start at 40 to 50mg per kilo, and seizures are possible from 60mg per kilo upward. Milk chocolate carries about 2.3mg of theobromine per gram, dark chocolate 5.3 to 5.6mg per gram, and high-cocoa baking chocolate around 15.5mg per gram, so the type matters as much as the amount.

White chocolate is the one exception: at roughly 0.04mg of theobromine per gram, it is a negligible source and not a poisoning risk on those grounds, though the sugar and fat can still upset a stomach.

Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants are toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure, and unlike chocolate there is no reliable dose that is known to be safe. Some dogs are poisoned by a handful, others tolerate more, and nobody can tell you in advance which dog is which.

That unpredictability is why every major veterinary source treats any amount as worth a call rather than quoting a safe number. Dried fruit is more concentrated per gram than fresh, so raisins in a hot cross bun or a slice of Christmas cake carry more risk than the same weight of fresh grapes.

Signs can take 24 to 72 hours to appear as kidney injury develops, so a dog that seems fine the same day has not necessarily got away with it.

Onion and garlic, along with leeks and chives, damage a dog's red blood cells and can cause anaemia. The effect is cumulative and often delayed, sometimes not showing as pale gums, weakness or dark urine for a few days after eating.

The risk is less about a raw onion and more about where onion powder hides: gravy, stuffing, flavoured crisps, and pretty much anything from a Sunday roast or a Christmas dinner table. Cooking does not remove the toxin.

Xylitol is a sweetener used in sugar-free gum, mints, some peanut butters, some baked goods and certain medicines. In dogs it triggers a rapid, dangerous drop in blood sugar, and in larger amounts it can cause liver failure, both faster and at a lower dose than most people expect.

Signs can start within 10 to 15 minutes of eating it: wobbliness, weakness and disorientation. This is one poisoning where speed genuinely matters more than with most others, so if you know or suspect xylitol, treat it as urgent and do not wait to see what happens.

For a recent swallow, usually make your dog vomit under controlled conditions, then give activated charcoal to soak up what is left. This is routine and quick.

After that it depends on the substance. Fluids into a vein protect the kidneys after grapes or raisins. Blood tests track organ values over the following days. Some cases need nothing beyond monitoring at home with a phone number to ring.

Cost is the question nobody likes asking, so ask it early and plainly. A phone consultation is free, an out-of-hours emergency visit usually starts around £200 to £300, and a case needing two days of fluids and blood tests runs into four figures. This is the situation pet insurance exists for.

Chocolate spikes twice a year, at Easter and Christmas, when it sits in stockings, egg boxes and advent calendars at exactly nose height. Raisins follow the same pattern through hot cross buns, mince pies and Christmas cake.

Onion is a year-round risk but peaks around Sunday roasts and Christmas dinner, hiding in gravy and stuffing rather than sitting on the plate as an obvious cube. Barbecue season brings its own version: corn cobs, skewers and cooked bones left within reach.

Put your vet's number and the out-of-hours number in your phone now, under a name you will find while panicking. Add your dog's weight to the same contact note.

Know where the bin lives. A large proportion of poisoning cases are bin raids and counter surfing rather than anything exotic, and a bin behind a door solves most of them.