Health · Public Health & Disease · 1 day ago
UK pets poisoned by recreational drugs reach record numbers
The UK’s animal poison centre received 633 calls about pets poisoned by recreational drugs and nicotine in 2025, up from 445 the year before.
Dogs are more often affected than cats, often after eating discarded food or human waste containing drugs.
Pets can also swallow items such as nicotine gum or vaping fluid.
The centre says it is handling 87% more cases than in 2021 and expects another record year.
Cannabis and nicotine products account for the largest number of calls.
One dog, Lola, became seriously ill after eating something in a Cambridge cemetery but recovered after emergency veterinary care.
Experts say owners should take a pet suspected of drug poisoning straight to a vet, who can contact the poison centre for treatment advice.
UK animal poison helplines recorded 633 calls involving recreational drugs and nicotine in 2025, up 42% from 445 in 2024.
The Veterinary Poisons Information Service and Animal PoisonLine are on course to receive a record number of such calls again this year.
Dogs are particularly at risk after eating drug-contaminated waste, abandoned food or discarded nicotine products.
The poison centre receives about one call a day about an animal that has ingested recreational drugs and is handling 87% more cases than in 2021.
A Cambridge dog owner said her dog Lola collapsed after eating something in a cemetery and recovered after emergency veterinary treatment.
- Who
- UK pets, especially dogs, and the Veterinary Poisons Information Service and Animal PoisonLine.
- What
- Calls about pets poisoned by recreational drugs and nicotine reached a record in 2025. The centre expects another record this year.
- When
- The figures cover 2025, with a further record expected in 2026.
- Where
- The UK.
- Why
- Pets can ingest drugs or residues in waste, abandoned food, and discarded nicotine products.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The poison centre was handling fewer cases involving recreational drugs and nicotine than it does now.
Lola collapsed after returning from bushes in a Cambridge cemetery and was taken to an emergency vet.
Toxicology helplines received 445 calls involving recreational drugs and nicotine.
Those calls rose to 633, a 42% increase from 2024.
The centre said it was on course for another record year.
- Calls in 2025
- 633 involving recreational drugs and nicotine
- Calls in 2024
- 445 involving recreational drugs and nicotine
- Increase from 2024 to 2025
- 42%
- Cases compared with 2021
- 87% more
- Cambridge dog
- Lola recovered after emergency veterinary treatment
What people are saying
It’s quite remarkable what dogs decide to eat. Cats think before they eat, so there are far fewer cases of cats [being poisoned] than dogs.
We’re very busy at the moment, so I expect we’ll have a record year again this year
I would not recommend owners waste time calling us on the Animal PoisonLine. Go to the vets and let the vet ring and get treatment advice if they need it
If Lola had died I would have been heartbroken.
Sources
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