If your dog or cat ate a cigarette, butts, nicotine gum or lozenges, a patch, or chewed a vape pod or refill bottle, call your veterinarian or an animal poison control center now, even if your pet seems fine. Signs can start within 15 minutes. Use the nicotine calculator to estimate the dose from the product and amount.
Enter weight and amount to get an urgency level and next steps.
What to do right now
- Move your pet away and pick up anything left: butts, gum, wrappers, pods, and the device.
- Check the packaging for the product strength (mg per piece, or mg/mL for vape liquid) and whether it contains xylitol.
- Note your pet's weight, how much is missing, and the time.
- Call your veterinarian or an animal poison control center now. Do this even if your pet seems normal.
- Do not make your pet vomit and do not give milk or antacids unless a professional tells you to.
- If your pet is shaking, collapsing, or having a seizure, go straight to an emergency vet.
How much nicotine is toxic?
Nicotine mimics a natural nerve messenger. Small doses overstimulate the nerves, heart, and gut. Large doses overwhelm them, which can lead to weakness, paralysis, and trouble breathing.
Dogs: clinical signs have been reported 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. The FDA and a 2004 Veterinary Medicine toxicology brief put the minimum lethal dose for dogs and cats at 20 to 100 mg in total, which is as little as one to five cigarettes.
Cats: there is no established toxic dose for cats. Cats in poison control case data were reported at doses of about 1.7 mg per kg and higher. Treat any nicotine a cat eats as an emergency.
| Product | Nicotine content | Dose for a 20 lb (9 kg) dog |
|---|---|---|
| Cigarette butt | 5 to 7 mg | about 0.6 to 0.8 mg/kg each |
| Whole cigarette | 9 to 30 mg | about 1 to 3.3 mg/kg each |
| Cigar | 15 to 40 mg | about 1.7 to 4.4 mg/kg each |
| Nicotine gum or lozenge | 2 or 4 mg per piece | about 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg per piece |
| Nicotine patch | 8.3 to 114 mg | up to about 12.6 mg/kg each |
| Vape e-liquid | about 8 to 59 mg per mL | up to about 6.5 mg/kg per mL |
Product contents are from the FDA, Veterinary Medicine (2004), and Pet Poison Helpline. These are math examples, not safe amounts. Used patches and used butts still hold a lot of nicotine.
Nicotine gum and vapes: watch for xylitol
Many nicotine gums and some lozenges are sweetened with xylitol, and VCA Animal Hospitals notes that some e-liquids contain it too. In dogs, xylitol can cause a fast, dangerous drop in blood sugar and liver injury, separate from the nicotine. If xylitol is on the label, tell poison control and also run the xylitol calculator. Read more in My dog ate xylitol.
Vape pods, cartridges, and disposable vapes are a triple risk: concentrated liquid nicotine that absorbs within minutes, plastic parts that can block the gut, and lithium batteries that can burn the mouth and esophagus. Any chewed vape is an emergency.
Symptoms to watch for
- Vomiting, drooling, and diarrhea
- Agitation, restlessness, or fast breathing
- A racing or slow heartbeat, or an irregular rhythm
- Tremors, twitching, or wobbly walking
- Seizures
- Weakness, collapse, or slow breathing after large doses
Signs usually appear within 15 to 90 minutes, and within 15 to 30 minutes after vape liquid (Pet Poison Helpline). Mild cases may settle in a few hours; severe cases can last more than 24 hours. The outlook is much better once a pet gets through the first 4 hours.
Go straight to an emergency vet if
- Your cat ate any nicotine product
- Your pet is shaking, collapsing, having a seizure, or struggling to breathe
- Your pet chewed a vape pod, cartridge, refill bottle, or a patch
- The estimated dose is in the Emergency range on the calculator
- A poison control consultation or your vet has told you to bring your pet in
What the vet will do
There is no antidote for nicotine. If it is safe, the vet may induce vomiting and give activated charcoal, then start IV fluids to help the kidneys clear nicotine. Heart rate, rhythm, and blood pressure are monitored, and medicines are used to control tremors, seizures, or heart rhythm problems. Severe cases may need oxygen or help breathing.
Antacids are avoided because they can increase how much nicotine is absorbed from the stomach (Veterinary Medicine, 2004). Most pets that are treated early recover well.
How to prevent it
- Keep cigarettes, butts, ashtrays, gum, lozenges, pouches, and patches in closed containers, not in purses, coat pockets, or on low tables.
- Store vapes, pods, and refill bottles up high and out of reach; flavored liquids smell like treats.
- Fold used patches sticky side together and put them in a lidded trash can.
- Watch your dog on walks; discarded butts are a common source.
- Ask guests to keep bags off the floor.
For a room-by-room list you can print, see the pet poison-proofing checklist. Related: My dog ate xylitol and My dog ate a marijuana edible.
Enter weight and amount to get an urgency level and next steps.
Frequently asked questions
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.
Is nicotine gum dangerous for dogs?
Yes, for two reasons. Each piece holds 2 to 4 mg of nicotine, and many brands are sweetened with xylitol, which can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar and liver injury in dogs. Check the label, run the xylitol calculator too, and call poison control.
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 long does nicotine poisoning last in dogs?
Signs usually start within an hour. Mild cases may resolve within several hours, while severe cases can last more than 24 hours. The prognosis improves a lot if a pet survives the first 4 hours, so get care quickly.