Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS)

The Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) is a 24-hour telephone emergency service providing information on the management of actual and suspected poisoning in animals. We provide direct support to veterinary professionals and the public. Each poisoning case is directly handled by one of our trained veterinary information scientists. VPIS can provide advice on the effects of thousands of toxic substances in small animals, livestock, exotics, or wildlife. For each enquiry VPIS will cover the risk assessment for that toxin and species, the anticipated clinical effects and the ideal treatment protocol with prognostic advice, in order to ensure that the veterinary professional is in the best position to provide optimum treatment. Our advice is based on our case database of over 300,000 past cases and extensive resources obtained through research of published data. We constantly refine our advice to offer current best practice and ensure our veterinary information scientists are qualified and fully trained to handle your enquiry. Members of the public or pet owners may contact us for a £35 (£45 out of hours) consultation fee on our Animal PoisonLine (01202 50 90 00). This is a triage service, which will let owners know if a trip to their vet is required. We are the first point of call for owners concerned that their pet may have been exposed to something that could potentially be poisonous. Owners will not be advised on specific treatment.