Is this poisonous to my pet? How Pativo's poison check works
Type what your pet ate, such as lily, raisins or ibuprofen, and Pativo matches it against its list of known dangers on your phone, before anything is sent anywhere. It works without a connection and in 8 languages. You can also photograph a plant, a food or a medicine box. Either way the advice comes from the app's own list, and it never tells you something is safe.
Typing what it is: free and unlimited. Photo checks: 3 a month free, without a monthly limit on Premium.
What does the poison check do?
It answers "my pet ate this, how worried should I be?" in seconds. You type the name of the thing, or point the camera at it, and Pativo tells you how soon a vet is needed and what to do on the way. If the match is an emergency, the screen offers to call a vet now or open the emergency guide.
The list covers common, well-documented dangers: xylitol, grapes and raisins, lilies, paracetamol (acetaminophen), ibuprofen and similar painkillers, permethrin flea products, antifreeze, chocolate, onion and garlic, macadamia nuts, alcohol and caffeine. Each entry says which animals it applies to, because a lily is an emergency for a cat and a different question for a dog.
How does the typed lookup work?
The typed lookup compares what you type with the list on your phone. It recognises everyday names and brand names, such as Tylenol for paracetamol or sugar-free gum for xylitol, in all 8 languages the app ships in: English, Turkish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil) and Dutch. Nothing is sent to a server, so it works in a basement, on a hike or after a storm has taken the signal.
Each match carries one of three ratings:
| Rating in the list | What Pativo tells you | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous at any amount | Emergency: go now | Xylitol and grapes for dogs, lilies for cats, paracetamol, antifreeze |
| Depends on how much | See a vet today, until the amount is known | Chocolate, onion and garlic, caffeine |
| Rarely fatal, not harmless | See a vet soon | Macadamia nuts for dogs |
Where no amount is safe, the app says so plainly. Telling an owner to "watch for symptoms" after a raisin is how a dog reaches kidney failure.
How does the photo check work?
Photograph a plant, a food or the side of a medicine box that names the active ingredient. An AI model looks at the photo and reports only what it sees, as items from Pativo's own list. Everything you then read, the urgency and the advice, comes from that local list, exactly as with the typed lookup.
There are four possible outcomes:
- A match: the item is on the list for your kind of animal, with its rating and advice.
- Listed for other animals: the item is dangerous for other species but has no entry for yours. That is not the same as harmless.
- Can't tell: the photo is too unclear, so the app won't guess. It suggests trying closer, in better light, or typing the name.
- Not on our list: worded as "we can't confirm it's harmless", never as safe.
Why does it never say "safe"?
Because no list covers everything, and a false "safe" is the most dangerous answer a poison checker can give. A short list of common dangers can confirm that something is a known danger. It cannot confirm the opposite. So the best Pativo will ever say is that an item is not on its list, followed by the advice to call your vet or a pet poison line with the packaging if your pet ate some.
Medicines need extra care. Combination products, such as cold and flu remedies, often contain an ingredient that is toxic to animals even when the main one sounds harmless.
What should I do while I check?
Act on the result, and don't let the app slow you down. If your pet already seems unwell, there is a button for that, which takes you to a symptom check. For any match:
- Take the packaging, or a piece of the plant, with you.
- Note roughly when it happened and how much was eaten.
- Call your vet or a pet poison line. Do not make your pet vomit unless a vet on the phone tells you to.
The emergency signs guide lists what means going straight to a clinic, and the pet toxins guide explains individual dangers in more depth, for example xylitol in dogs and lilies in cats.
How is this different from searching online?
A search gives you pages to read while the clock runs. Pativo gives one rating, for your kind of animal, in your language, with no connection needed. It does not rank results by advertising, and it does not soften an emergency into "monitor at home".
What are its limits?
It is a list of common dangers, not a complete toxicology database, and it does not weigh how much your pet ate or how big it is; the dose-dependent entries default to "see a vet today" for that reason. The photo check can misread a picture, which is why it shows what it saw and offers "it could also be" when unsure. It is not a vet and not a poison line. When in doubt, call one.
Is it free, and what happens to the photo?
Typing what it is, matched on your phone, is free and unlimited on every plan. The free plan also includes 3 photo checks a month; Premium removes that limit. See pricing.
The typed lookup sends nothing anywhere. A photo is sent to the AI model, provided by OpenAI, only after you have agreed on the consent screen, and only to recognise the item. If you decline, the typed lookup still works. More in the privacy policy.
Questions owners ask
Does the poison check work offline?
The typed lookup does. It runs entirely on your phone against a list bundled with the app, so it works with no signal. The photo check needs a connection.
What does 'not on our list' mean?
It means the item is not one of the common dangers the list covers. It does not mean it is harmless. If your pet ate some, call your vet or a pet poison line and keep the packaging.
Should I make my pet vomit?
Not unless a vet on the phone tells you to. Some substances cause more damage coming back up. Call a vet or poison line first and take the packaging with you.
Is the photo kept?
The photo is only used to recognise the item. It goes to the AI model only after you have given consent, and the advice you read comes from Pativo's own list, not from the model.