About the Animal Poison Control Center

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) is dedicated to helping food-producing and companion animals exposed to potentially hazardous substances by providing 24-hour veterinary diagnostic and treatment recommendations.

The center is committed to protecting and improving the lives of animals through toxicology educational programs, consulting services, and the review of case data as an alternative to traditional animal research.

Who We Are

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has specially trained veterinary toxicologists on-duty around the clock. Because of their background and training, APCC veterinarians are prepared to deal with the complexities of animals exposed to poisons.

As of January 2008, the APCC staff included:

• 30 veterinarians, including 12 board-certified toxicologists, nine of whom are certified in both veterinary (ABVT) and general (ABT) toxicology
• 13 certified veterinary technicians
• Two full-time veterinary assistants
• 20 administrative support staff

To learn more about key staff, you can download their biographical information (.pdf).

AnTox™ Database and Other Resources

The APCC has developed a sophisticated veterinary database system, AnTox™, which is a comprehensive clinical animal toxicology data collection and retrieval system that helps identify and characterize toxic effects of substances in animals. AnTox efficiently collects comprehensive patient data while providing ready access to an extensive library of online diagnostic and treatment resources. Currently, the AnTox database contains more than one million animal cases involving pesticide, drug, plant, metal and other exposures in food-producing, wildlife, zoo and companion animals.

In addition, the APCC has an extensive collection of scientific journals and books as well as online toxicology resources. The staff also draw on their collective clinical experiences and encyclopedic knowledge of animal toxicology for diagnostic and treatment insight.

APCC History

The center began operation in the fall of 1978 as the Animal Toxicology Hotline. At that time, Dr. William Buck, a renowned veterinary toxicologist at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his graduate students started handling calls around-the-clock using a paging service.

The service was initially available to Illinois callers, but word of its value spread to other states. In 1980, the name was changed to Animal Poison Control Center. By 1984, the name was changed to National Animal Poison Control Center to reflect this expanding scope.

The ASPCA acquired the center from the University of Illinois in 1996. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center remains an Allied Agency of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Several staff members currently hold university appointments, and the APCC provides clinical toxicology training to veterinary toxicology residents.

Relationships with Human Poison Control Centers

The APCC is a member of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, and works closely with human centers to provide information on animal poisonings. Many human centers refer serious cases directly to the APCC. The APCC also refers cases involving human poisonings to the appropriate human regional center. 

Photo credit: PAWS cat © Maggie Swanson