Beware of Rat or Mouse Poison Toxicity in Pets

It's a fact of nature; as the temperature becomes colder, rodents begin to search for inside living quarters to ride out the winter months. Rodents can quickly gain the upper hand and the use of rat or mouse poison is a common way of controlling them. I won't use poison in my home because of my pets and how it affects a mouse. I prefer to capture them alive and release them outside. Pets can and do find mouse and rat poison and it doesn't take much to cause deadly results. You won't notice any symptoms in a pet that ate poison until later on after you've forgotten about the incident and you may not even have been aware your pet had gotten into it.

The Danger of rat or mouse poison to pets.

Rodent poison is called rodenticides and there are several different varieties on the market. Most poisons used are an anticoagulant and works by preventing the blood from clotting which causes the rodent to bleed to death. Pets that find poison are likely to eat some of it. If they catch and eat a live mouse that's been poisoned or eats a dead one, the pet may be affected. Although there's a difference of opinion by experts as to whether a live or deceased poisoned mouse can affect a pet that eats it. The problem with anticoagulant rodenticides is you may not notice any symptoms until a week or so later. The responsible thing to do is to get medical help if you suspect your pet ate poison or ate a rodent that could have been poisoned; just to be on the safe side.

Symptoms of rat or mouse poisoning.

You will begin to see signs your pet ingested poison after the first 72 - 96 hours. One of the first signs you may see is a bright green stool. Other signs are bleeding from the nose, gums, rectum, eyes, ears or other areas. You may see blood in their urine, stools or saliva. The skin may bruise from internal bleeding as it leaks into the skin. Your pet will seem depressed, lethargy and have a lack of appetite. As blood begins to fill the abdomen, it becomes distended and as the lungs begin to fill with blood, the pet will have trouble breathing and develop a cough. A good sign of blood loss is white or pale gums. The final stage is shock, loss of consciousness and decreased heart rate. Without medical care, most pets will die.

Diagnosis

If you know for certain your pet ate poison and you have the box the product came in, take it with you to the vet. The information on the packaging will be useful to the vet. If you see symptoms of poisoning, your vet will take X-rays and do blood tests to determine the ability of your pet's blood to clot.

There is successful treatment as long as you seek medical attention.

The antidote for anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning is vitamin K1 which most vets keep in stock. The antidote is prescribed for around 21 days with one or two doses a day given by mouth or by injection. When a pet eats rat or mouse poison, it stays in their system for around 21 days and that's why the antidote is given for that time period. A vet may induce vomiting to try and get rid of some of the poison, but even with that, the pet isn't out of the woods. Severe cases will usually require blood transfusions and more intensive treatments to help stabilize the pet and follow up blood tests will be needed during and after treatment.

Never underestimate the ability of a pet to find rat or mouse poison. Rodents have become more resistant to poisons and exterminators are using stronger ones. When trying to entice mice into a trap, peanut butter, molasses or brown sugar are used to hide the poison in which can also attract a pet. Take great care when using any toxic product in your home and seek medical attention at the first sign of poisoning. Anticoagulant rodenticides are also toxic for humans.

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