Sources & Method
How PetMed Helper turns veterinary references into calculators, and where the limits are.
Where the numbers come from
Toxic thresholds come from the Merck Veterinary Manual's toxicology chapters, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, Pet Poison Helpline and the US FDA. Medication ranges are those commonly published in Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, the Merck Veterinary Manual and VCA Animal Hospitals' client information sheets. Where sources give a range, we show the range; where they differ, we use the more cautious value.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Chocolate Toxicosis in Animals
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Allium spp (onion, garlic) toxicosis
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Xylitol Toxicosis in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Grape, Raisin and Tamarind Toxicosis
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Antihistamines
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Toxicoses from Human Analgesics
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- ASPCA: People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
- Pet Poison Helpline
- Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook (reference dosing ranges)
- VCA Animal Hospitals: medication information sheets
- US FDA: Paws Off Xylitol
- Washington State University Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology Lab: MDR1 mutation
Key thresholds used
| Substance | Threshold | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Theobromine + caffeine | 20 / 40 / 60 mg/kg | Mild signs / heart effects / seizures |
| Onion (fresh equivalent) | 0.5% body weight; 15–30 g/kg (dogs), 5 g/kg (cats) | Heinz-body anemia |
| Garlic | Treated as 5× onion by weight | Cautious end of the 3–5× range |
| Xylitol (dogs) | 0.1 / 0.5 g/kg | Low blood sugar / liver failure |
| Acetaminophen | 100 / 200 mg/kg dogs; 10 mg/kg cats | Liver / methemoglobinemia |
| Ibuprofen (dogs) | 25 / 100 / 175 / 400 mg/kg | GI signs / ulcers / kidney / CNS |
| Aspirin (dogs) | 50 / 100 / 450 mg/kg | Ulcers / serious toxicity / CNS |
| Grapes, raisins | No safe amount | Kidney injury |
What we deliberately don't do
- We never calculate a home dose for acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin.
- We don't show a single "safe" dose, only published ranges, and every result asks you to confirm with your vet.
- We stop the calculation and tell you to call if you tick a warning (combination products, herding breeds and loperamide, emergency signs).
- The AI label explainer is instructed never to give doses or recommend inducing vomiting.
We lean on explanations you can check rather than bare numbers. If you like that approach outside pet care, ahaboo takes it to science and money, from the Moon’s phases to how tax brackets work.
Limits
Individual animals vary. Age, breed, pregnancy, kidney and liver function, other medicines and the exact product change the picture. Chocolate and xylitol content differ between brands; we use the high end of published ranges so estimates lean toward caution. These tools support a conversation with your vet or a poison line; they do not replace it.