How much nicotine is toxic to a dog?

Clinical signs have been reported in dogs at doses as low as 1 mg of nicotine per kg of body weight, and 9.2 mg per kg is reported as the minimum lethal dose. A single cigarette butt (5 to 7 mg) is already more than 1 mg per kg for a dog under about 15 lb. Call poison control or your vet for any amount.

My dog ate a cigarette butt. What should I do?

Call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 now, even if your dog seems fine. The FDA calls eating a whole cigarette or more than one butt an emergency. Signs usually start within an hour. Do not give milk or antacids, which can increase nicotine absorption.

Are vape pods and e-liquid worse than cigarettes?

Often, yes. Liquid nicotine is absorbed quickly, so signs can start within 15 to 30 minutes, and refill bottles and pods can hold a lot of nicotine. Pet Poison Helpline reports e-liquids from about 8 to 59 mg per mL. Treat any e-liquid ingestion as an emergency.

How much nicotine is toxic to a cat?

There is no established toxic dose for cats, so this calculator treats any nicotine a cat eats as an emergency. Cats in poison control case data were reported at doses of about 1.7 mg per kg and higher.

Nicotine Toxicity Calculator for Dogs and Cats: Cigarettes, Gum, Vapes

Assess the situation

Fill in what you know. Estimates are fine, exact numbers are better. Keep the packaging nearby for your call.

Pet’s weight

lbs

If you're unsure, use your pet's last vet-recorded weight.

Enter a weight greater than 0.

Which pet?

What did your pet eat?

Nicotine content varies a lot between brands, so this calculator uses the high end of each published range. If the label gives you the exact amount, choose "I know the total mg".

Gum or lozenge strength

Check for xylitol too. Many nicotine gums and some lozenges are sweetened with xylitol, which can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar and liver injury in dogs. If xylitol is on the ingredient list, also use the xylitol calculator.

How many?

items

If some are missing and you are unsure, use the highest reasonable count, not the lowest. Half a patch or half a cigarette can be entered as 0.5.

Enter a number greater than 0.

How much liquid, and how strong?

mg/mL

For a chewed pod, cartridge, or disposable vape, enter the full volume printed on the box. Strength is printed as mg/mL or as a percent: 5% is 50 mg/mL and 3% is 30 mg/mL. Pet Poison Helpline reports e-liquids from about 8 to 59 mg/mL. If you do not know the strength, enter 59.

Enter the mL and the strength in mg/mL.

Total nicotine eaten

mg total

Nicotine pouches list the mg per pouch on the can; multiply by the number eaten. Chewing tobacco has about 6 to 8 mg of nicotine per gram, and snuff about 12 to 16 mg per gram (Veterinary Medicine, 2004).

Enter the total mg of nicotine.

Assessing

- Estimated dose (mg nicotine per kg body weight)

- Estimated total nicotine eaten (mg)

This is an estimate, not a diagnosis, and it can be wrong. Whatever the result, call your veterinarian or a poison control line now: ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 (fees may apply). Read the medical disclaimer.

Emergency vet or poison control: which do I call?

Nicotine works within minutes to an hour, so do not wait to see whether signs appear. Vets commonly induce vomiting if the pet has not already vomited and it is safe to do so, give activated charcoal, start IV fluids, and monitor heart rate, rhythm, and blood pressure. There is no antidote. The outlook improves a lot if a pet gets through the first 4 hours (Veterinary Medicine, 2004).

Go straight to an emergency vet if…

Your pet is vomiting, drooling heavily, shaking, wobbly, agitated, weak, collapsing, or having a seizure
Your cat ate any nicotine product
Your pet chewed a vape pod, cartridge, refill bottle, or a nicotine patch
The estimated dose is in the Emergency range

Call poison control first if…

Your dog just ate a small amount, such as one butt or one piece of gum, and seems normal
You are not sure of the product strength or how much is missing
The gum, lozenge, or liquid might also contain xylitol
You want a case number and treatment plan to hand to your vet

Do not make your pet vomit at home unless a veterinarian or poison control tells you to. Nicotine often causes vomiting on its own, and seizures can start quickly. Do not give milk or antacids: antacids can increase how much nicotine is absorbed from the stomach.

How nicotine poisoning develops

Nicotine first overstimulates the nervous system, heart, and gut. At high doses that stimulation turns into blockade, which can lead to weakness, paralysis, and trouble breathing. Liquid nicotine is absorbed fastest; buffered gum and smokeless tobacco are also absorbed well through the mouth.

15 to 90 minutes

Early signs

Vomiting, drooling, diarrhea
Agitation, restlessness, fast breathing
Fast or slow heart rate, high blood pressure

First few hours

Nervous system and heart

Tremors, twitching, wobbliness
Abnormal heart rhythm
Seizures after larger doses

High doses

Depression and paralysis

Weakness, collapse, paralysis
Slow or stopped breathing, low blood pressure
Coma and death are possible

Signs may last a few hours after a minor exposure and more than 24 hours after a severe one (Pet Poison Helpline). Patches and gum can release nicotine for longer, so monitoring may be needed for several hours.

Published data behind these estimates

These figures come from veterinary toxicology references, poison control case data, and the FDA. Most toxic dose data for nicotine comes from dogs and from people; there is very little feline data. They describe documented effects, not a line between "safe" and "dangerous."

Nicotine dose or product	Documented effect or content
1 mg/kg	Clinical signs reported in pets at doses as low as this (Tobacco Control, 2011; MSPCA-Angell). The UK Veterinary Poisons Information Service treats 1 mg/kg as potentially toxic.
9.2 mg/kg (dogs)	Reported minimum lethal oral dose in dogs (Tobacco Control, 2011). Other references give 9 to 12 mg/kg.
20 to 100 mg total	Reported minimum lethal dose in dogs and cats: as little as one to five regular cigarettes (Veterinary Medicine, 2004; FDA)
Cats	No established toxic threshold. Poison control cases in cats involved doses of about 1.7 to 170 mg/kg (Tobacco Control, 2011).
Cigarette / butt / cigar	9 to 30 mg per cigarette; 5 to 7 mg per butt; 15 to 40 mg per cigar (FDA; Veterinary Medicine, 2004)
Gum / patch / tobacco	Gum 2 to 4 mg per piece; patches 8.3 to 114 mg each; chewing tobacco 6 to 8 mg per gram; snuff 12 to 16 mg per gram (Veterinary Medicine, 2004)
E-liquid	About 8 to 59 mg per mL (Pet Poison Helpline). Up to 36 mg per mL in UK refills (VPIS).

This calculator uses, for dogs: 1 mg/kg and above = Emergency. Below 1 mg/kg = Urgent, except that a whole cigarette, more than one cigarette butt, a cigar, or any e-liquid, pod, or patch is always shown as Emergency, because the FDA calls those an emergency for pets. Doses of 9.2 mg/kg and above add a lethal-range warning. For cats, any amount is shown as Emergency, because no toxic threshold has been established for cats. There is no "safe" result, and even the lowest result says to call now.

Did your dog or cat eat nicotine? Check how much is toxic.