Kratom exposure is an emerging poisoning risk in dogs and cats

Kratom exposure is becoming a more relevant toxicosis for small animal practice, with new published data helping quantify what many toxicologists have been seeing anecdotally. A recent Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association report reviewing ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center cases identified 139 companion animals with incidental kratom exposure from 2014 through 2024, including 128 dogs and nine cats. Oral ingestion was the main route of exposure, and the most commonly reported signs were lethargy, weakness, or sedation in dogs, and lethargy, mydriasis, and vocalization in cats. The paper’s authors said veterinarians should consider kratom exposure in pets presenting with nonspecific lethargy, vocalization, or nausea, particularly in states where kratom is legal. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, kratom sits at the intersection of two broader trends: rising household exposure to human supplements and over-the-counter products, and a larger national increase in kratom-related poison center reports. ASPCA’s poison center handled more than 451,000 animal exposure calls in 2024, with vitamins and dietary supplements among the leading over-the-counter exposures. On the human side, CDC reported 14,449 kratom exposure reports to U.S. poison centers from 2015 to 2025, including a record 3,434 in 2025, while FDA continues to warn that kratom products are unapproved and associated with serious adverse events. For clinics, that means keeping kratom on the differential list, asking specifically about powders, capsules, gummies, and extract products in the home, and preparing for variable presentations that can range from sedation to agitation. (aspca.org)

What to watch: Expect more case characterization, and possibly better veterinary testing tools, as clinicians and poison centers respond to broader consumer use and the emergence of higher-potency kratom products. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)