Is there an animal poison helpline in India?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
We found no national animal poison helpline in India when we checked on 21 October 2026. If your dog or cat has eaten something toxic, call your own vet or the nearest 24-hour vet clinic now, take the packet or a photo of it, and do not make your pet vomit unless a vet tells you to.
The AIIMS National Poisons Information Centre runs a 24x7 poison service, but its page does not mention animals. The well-known animal poison lines, ASPCA and Pet Poison Helpline, are American and charge a fee. Save a 24-hour vet's number in your phone today, before you need it.
What should you do if your pet ate something poisonous?
Do not spend time searching for a helpline. Your vet is the first call.
Phone a vet now
Call your vet or the nearest 24-hour clinic straight away. PDSA says the vet will tell you what to do and book an emergency appointment if needed, and advises ringing ahead so they can prepare. PDSA
Do not make your pet sick
The 2026 RECOVER first-aid guidelines recommend against making a dog or cat vomit at home after swallowing a toxin, and report gut injuries from hydrogen peroxide used for this. RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026)study
Take the evidence
Take the packet, label, plant or leftovers, or photos of them, to the appointment. Remove any of the substance from the fur. PDSA
Go even if your pet looks fine
PDSA warns that signs can appear straight away or take hours to days. RECOVER says pets that swallowed a toxin should reach a vet as soon as possible. PDSA
Only if no vet can be reached
RECOVER's one exception: when in-person care is not available and a vet or animal poison centre advises making the pet vomit, follow that advice. RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026)study
Which poison helplines exist, and do they cover pets in India?
What each service says about itself on its own page, read on 21 October 2026.
| Who it serves | Use for a pet in India? | |
|---|---|---|
| National Poisons Information Centre, AIIMS New Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi | A 24x7 poison helpline for healthcare professionals, public health agencies and the public. Its page does not mention animals and lists only the AIIMS board lines, not a helpline number. | A human service. Do not rely on it for your pet. |
| 1962 animal husbandry helpline PIB (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying) | Calls out mobile veterinary units for livestock owners, as announced by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. | It does not say whether it attends pets. Not a poison advice line. |
| ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (US), (888) 426-4435 ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center | Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Says a consultation fee may apply. | Its page does not say whether it takes calls from outside the US. |
| Pet Poison Helpline (US), (855) 764-7661 Pet Poison Helpline | Open 24/7 throughout the US, Canada and the Caribbean. A one-time fee per incident, US$99 on its page on 21 October 2026. | India is not in its stated service area. |
| Your own vet's out-of-hours line PDSA | PDSA says vet practices provide an out-of-hours service for emergencies, and advises saving that number in your phone. | Yes: the first call in India. |
We searched for a national animal poison control service in India and found none. Some city corporations and welfare groups run veterinary helplines, but we could not confirm any that is a dedicated poison line.
Why is there no pet poison line in India?
The two best-known animal poison services are run in the United States, by the ASPCA and by Pet Poison Helpline, both charging a consultation fee. India's national poison centre at AIIMS New Delhi describes itself as a resource for poison information, toxicological guidance, education and research, with a round-the-clock advisory service; its page names healthcare professionals, public health agencies and the general public, and says nothing about animals.
Veterinary help in India is organised differently. The government's 1962 line sends mobile veterinary units to livestock owners. Some municipal corporations list a veterinary helpline among their citizen services: Thane Municipal Corporation's home page, for example, shows one next to its pet licence service. None of these is set up to tell you over the phone whether a tablet, a plant or a pesticide is dangerous to your dog. That job falls to your vet.
So the practical answer is to build your own helpline before you need it: your vet's number, their out-of-hours arrangement, and the nearest 24-hour clinic. Petym's city pages list 24-hour vets we have checked.
What should you tell the vet on the phone?
Have these answers ready. They decide how urgent your visit is.
- What your pet ate, licked or touched, with the packet, label or a photo. PDSA
- Roughly how much, and when. Signs can be delayed for hours or days, so the time matters. PDSA
- Whether you have tried anything at home, such as salt water or hydrogen peroxide. RECOVER warns peroxide can injure the gut. RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026)study
- For a medicine: the name and strength on the strip. Human painkillers are a common cause of poisoning in pets. Merck Veterinary Manual
- For rat or rodent poison: the brand and active ingredient, because each type works differently and needs different treatment. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Your pet's weight, age and any illness or medicines it already has. US Food and Drug Administration
How do you prepare before an emergency?
Ten minutes now saves the minutes that matter later.
Do
- Save your vet's out-of-hours number and the nearest 24-hour clinic in your phone, as PDSA advises. PDSA
- Ask your vet about their out-of-hours service at your next check-up. PDSA
- Keep tablets, rat poison, floor cleaners and insect sprays shut away from pets. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Write the vet's number on your pet's care sheet for anyone who looks after your pet. PDSA
Don’t
- Do not make a pet vomit with salt, peroxide or fingers unless a vet tells you to. RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026)study
- Do not wait for signs before calling: they can take hours or days to appear. PDSA
- Do not give milk, oil or a human medicine as an antidote. Only a vet decides treatment. US Food and Drug Administration
What if someone poisoned your pet on purpose?
Get your pet to a vet first. Then report it to the police: poisoning any animal is an offence under section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Petym's answer on what to do when someone poisons a dog explains the FIR and post-mortem route. If you are away when it happens, a Petym sitter calls you and takes your pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
What is the animal poison control number in India?
- We found no national animal poison control number in India when we checked on 21 October 2026. Call your own vet or the nearest 24-hour vet clinic. The AIIMS National Poisons Information Centre is a human service whose page does not mention animals, and the ASPCA and Pet Poison Helpline numbers are American services.
Can I call the ASPCA poison line from India?
- The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, on (888) 426-4435, is open 24 hours and says a consultation fee may apply, but its page does not say whether it takes calls from outside the US. Pet Poison Helpline lists only the US, Canada and the Caribbean. In India, a local vet who can examine your pet is the faster help.
Is 1962 a pet emergency number?
- The 1962 line, announced by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, calls out mobile veterinary units for livestock owners. Its announcement does not say whether it attends pets, and it is not a poison advice line. For a poisoned dog or cat, call your vet or the nearest 24-hour clinic.
My dog ate poison and the vet is closed. What do I do?
- Call your vet's out-of-hours number, which PDSA says practices provide for emergencies, or go to the nearest 24-hour vet clinic. Take the packet or a photo. Do not make your dog vomit unless a vet tells you to: the 2026 RECOVER guidelines advise against it and warn hydrogen peroxide can injure the gut.
Should I wait to see if my pet shows signs of poisoning?
- No. PDSA warns that signs of poisoning can appear straight away or take hours to days, and some poisons, such as rat poison, do their damage before any sign shows. Call your vet as soon as you know or suspect your pet has eaten something toxic.
Keep reading
- Pet first aid basics
- Foods toxic to dogs
- My dog ate rat poison
- Someone poisoned my dogThe FIR and post-mortem route.
- Find a 24-hour vet
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi: National Poisons Information Centre: mission (opens in a new tab)
- PIB (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying): Mobile Veterinary Units launched in Kerala; helpline 1962 (5 Jan 2023) (opens in a new tab)
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: ASPCA Poison Control (US line, consultation fee may apply) (opens in a new tab)
- Pet Poison Helpline: Animal poison control service (US, Canada and the Caribbean) (opens in a new tab)
- PDSA: Emergency care for pets (opens in a new tab)
- PDSA: First aid for poisons and toxins (opens in a new tab)
Show all 14 sourcesShow fewer
- Thane Municipal Corporation: Citizen home page (e-services: pet animal licence; veterinary helpline) (opens in a new tab)
- National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs: Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023: text with the First Schedule classification of offences (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning in animals (full review November 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Toxicoses from human analgesics in animals (full review July 2024, updated May 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Overview of rodenticide poisoning in animals (opens in a new tab)
- US Food and Drug Administration: Medication errors happen to pets, too (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Overview of household hazard toxicoses in animals (full review March 2025, updated February 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026): RECOVER guidelines: first aid for dogs and cats, clinical guidelines (opens in a new tab)