How Much Does Pet Poison Control Cost? ASPCA's $95 vs. Pet Poison Helpline's $89, and Why Georgia Owners Can't Call Directly
Pet poison hotlines are the one emergency service in the U.S. that charges you before it answers. The fee is $95 at one and $89 at the other, in front of treatment bills that can reach thousands.
The two hotlines and their fees
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, at (888) 426-4435, is reported to charge $95 per case. Pet Poison Helpline, at (855) 764-7661, states on its own site: "$89 USD per incident fee applies. All follow-up consultations are included." The ASPCA's own site says only that a fee may apply, so confirm when you call.
Why a pet hotline costs money when human poison control is free
Human poison control is publicly supported. The pet hotlines receive no government funding, so the fee pays for round-the-clock toxicologists and support staff, according to an insurer's explainer.
What "per incident" means for your bill
Per incident means one fee for one exposure, not per call. Pet Poison Helpline includes follow-ups in its $89. Reports differ on whether ASPCA follow-ups cost extra, so ask before you hang up. A second exposure means a second fee.
What the call sits next to: the clinic bill
An insurer's published guide puts an emergency exam alone at $150 to $400, and hospitalization for a moderate poisoning at $1,000 to $3,000. Our emergency vet visit breakdown shows how those invoices are built.
A worked example: chocolate
Embrace Pet Insurance, in an article updated June 2026, lists chocolate ingestion costs by severity: $250 to $500 for mild cases, $800 to $2,000 for moderate cases with IV fluids and overnight monitoring, and $3,000 to $6,000 or more for severe multi-day hospital stays. These are an insurer's ranges, not audited claims data.
Georgia owners can't call directly
Since July 1, 2025, Georgia's Senate Bill 105 has defined veterinary teleadvice and teletriage. Both hotlines say they cannot directly assist Georgia owners, though they can still help through a veterinarian. The state veterinary association reads the law differently.
Free alternatives, and the paperwork afterward
Your regular clinic may answer a quick question for free, and the ASPCA offers a free app that lists toxic plants and foods. Whether a policy reimburses a hotline fee is a policy question, so read our guide to how reimbursement is calculated, and see what an ingested object can run in foreign body surgery costs.
Sources: petpoisonhelpline.com; aspca.org; Embrace Pet Insurance articles on poison control and chocolate toxicity (2026); Georgia Veterinary Medical Association SB 105 update (February 2025). Fees change, so confirm before calling. This is cost information, not veterinary advice; contact a veterinarian or poison hotline right away if your pet may have eaten something toxic.
All content is fact-checked under our editorial standards.