My dog ate insecticide – what should I do?

Updated 2026-09-30 · 1 sources

Based on: Pet Poison Helpline

Call a vet now

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now. Insecticides can harm dogs after ingestion or skin/eye exposure.

What to do now

What to do right now

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet.
Note what, how much and when.
Bring the packaging.
Keep your dog calm.
Remove what is left.

Don't

Do not make your dog vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Do not give any human medicine.

Why it can be dangerous

Insecticides are a variable group of chemicals that kill insects.^[1] Improper use includes ingestion or skin/eye exposure, or using a topical product meant for one species on a different type of animal.^[1]

Signs to watch for

Vomiting
Drooling
Lethargy
Collapse
Death

Where it is found

Ant bait station
Fly bait powder
Insect fogger
Roach gel
Premise spray
Topical spray

If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

OkPaw asks a few quick questions about your pet and tells you in 30 seconds whether it can wait. Free on Google Play for Android.

OkPaw is on Android now – an iPhone version is on its way.

Common questions

How much insecticide is dangerous?

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet, and note what, how much and when.

What signs should I watch for?

Signs include vomiting, drooling, lethargy, collapse and death.

Sources

Pet Poison Helpline

How this page was made: written with the help of AI from the sources below, then checked claim by claim against those sources. Urgency levels follow OkPaw’s fixed safety rules. It is guidance, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages