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My dog ate a suspicious treat. What are poisoning symptoms to look for?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 20 lbs

I took my 2 dogs on a walk today and on the trail encountered a man who asked if he could give them treats. He looked friendly enough so I said yes, then he fed them each a chicken jerky stick out of the packaging and hurried off. This may be paranoid, but his demeanor was a little weird and has me worried about poisoning. The dogs look fine right now (7 hours later), but what are some signs I should look for? How long would it take for symptoms to appear?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Priyanka Thakkar, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 29th, 2017

If you haven't noticed any signs at this point, your dogs are likely ok. I would look for signs of vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite, or tremors. Most toxins cause these types of signs. Without knowing the exact toxin, it would be hard to diagnose and treat. It is too late to induce vomiting to remove any possible toxin 7 hours later.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    There are many types of poison, most of them act within a few hours but others can have delayed reactions and start their effect even several weeks later sometimes. symptoms can vary greatly by the type of poison as well. i think you are probably worried for nothing though.

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