Also sold as Coumadin, Jantoven
At amounts a dog can reach in a normal household, this needs a vet or poison-control call straight away rather than watching and waiting.
Warfarin blocks the vitamin K your dog needs to clot blood, and it is the same class of compound as many rodent poisons. A dog can look completely normal for a day or more and then bleed internally. That delay is the danger: there is a treatment, it works best when started early, and waiting to see whether signs appear removes the advantage. Treat any suspected warfarin exposure as urgent. Keep the packet or prescription bottle: the strength and the number missing are what make the advice specific.
Call a vet or poison control now. Do not wait for symptoms.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. A consultation fee may apply.
Educational reference. Not individualized veterinary advice.(more)
See this page's cited references for supporting information and our Sources page for the reference organizations we use. Citations do not imply that those organizations reviewed or endorsed DogSafe.
Part of Heart and blood-pressure medication on our medication safety hub.
Part of our guide to Dog Ate a Blood Thinner: Warfarin, Apixaban, Rivaroxaban or Clopidogrel.
Do not wait for symptoms and do not wait until you have filled in the form below. Call first, then use the checklist while you are on the phone.
Available 24/7. A consultation fee may apply.
Exposure details to have ready
These are the questions a veterinarian or poison-control operator will ask. Fill in what you know and leave the rest blank. This tool does not estimate a dose or a risk score: medication risk depends on the exact ingredient, strength, and formulation, so the assessment has to come from the clinician on the call.
- Keep the package, blister pack, or prescription bottle. The strength and the full ingredient list are what make the advice specific.
- Do not induce vomiting unless a veterinarian or poison-control professional tells you to. It is the wrong move for several medications and can cause harm on its own.
- Do not give milk, food, salt, hydrogen peroxide, or any home remedy on your own.
- Do not give a second dose of anything to make up for one you think was missed.
- Count what is left in the packet, so the number missing can be worked out.
Your exposure summary
Read this down the phone or paste it into a message to your vet. It stays on your device; nothing here is sent to DogSafe.
Why Warfarin is dangerous
Warfarin blocks the vitamin K your dog needs to clot blood, and it is the same class of compound as many rodent poisons. A dog can look completely normal for a day or more and then bleed internally. That delay is the danger: there is a treatment, it works best when started early, and waiting to see whether signs appear removes the advantage. Treat any suspected warfarin exposure as urgent.
Part of the Human Medicine Exposures guide
For related dog-safety questions and product-by-product answers, see the complete human medicine exposures guide.
Signs to watch for
Signs may be delayed. Depending on the drug: bruising, pale gums, blood in urine or stool, weakness, collapse, tremors, seizures, or changes in breathing or heart rhythm
Related items
Check the exact item or ingredient before assuming two similar exposures carry the same risk.
What to do next
Call first. Then find the packet, count what is left, note the strength and the time, and keep the container to hand for the call.
🚨Step-by-step: what to do in the first 10 minutes →Available 24/7. A consultation fee may apply.
My dog got into warfarin: what matters first
Two different questions bring people here: whether a vet may prescribe warfarin to a dog, and what to do when a dog has swallowed some. The answers are not the same, so this page keeps them apart.
1. Start with the exact item
Warfarin blocks the vitamin K your dog needs to clot blood, and it is the same class of compound as many rodent poisons. A dog can look completely normal for a day or more and then bleed internally. That delay is the danger: there is a treatment, it works best when started early, and waiting to see whether signs appear removes the advantage. Treat any suspected warfarin exposure as urgent. Browse the complete human medicine exposures guide →
2. Check the details that change the answer
Record the amount, time, dog weight, and any missing packaging or plant parts. A clear label or photo prevents a look-alike from driving the decision. What to do in the first 10 minutes →
3. Use related pages before making assumptions
Nearby products and look-alikes can have different ingredients or hazards. Use the linked cluster pages to identify the closest exact match instead of treating every exposure as the same. Open a closely related item page →
FAQ
Do not look for a threshold here. This is a drug where a plausible household exposure is treated as urgent regardless of the number of tablets, and where the delay before signs appear is part of the hazard rather than a reassurance.
There is nothing to manage at home. Call a vet or an animal poison-control line now, before symptoms, and do not induce vomiting unless they instruct you to.
Immediately, whether or not your dog seems unwell. A normal-looking dog in the first hours is not evidence that the exposure was small.
- Merck Veterinary Manual — poisonings from human prescription drugs
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — medication hazards in pets
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Poisonings from human prescription drugs
- Pet Poison Helpline: Top 10 human medications poisonous to pets
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control