My Dog Ate Rat Poison! Heres What to Do Our Vet Answers

Table of Content

• How Vets Determine Which Poison Your Dog Ate
• What will the vet do?
• Neurological Signs
• What to do if your dog eats rat poison:

Call your vet immediately as they will be in the best position to offer advice, don’t waste time trying to treat your dog yourself. Don’t give your dog anything to make them sick without speaking to your vet as this could do more harm than good. The only way that your pet will be able to survive this is by getting them to the vet quickly.

(Charcoal should help absorb the rat poison so less gets absorbed into your dog’s body). I mentioned earlier that there are many different types of rat poisons and rodenticides. So your dog’s symptoms will differ based on the type of poison he ate. Because there are so many different types of rat poisons,it’s important not to act without asking your vet. Don’t induce vomiting unless they tell you to … otherwise, you could damage your dog’s esophagus or put dangerous toxins into the air.

How Vets Determine Which Poison Your Dog Ate

Common anti-coagulant rodenticides include warfarin, brodifacoum, bromadiolone and others. These products typically have a green dye and come in blocks or pellets. They can be laced with molasses and therefore palatable for dogs.

Getty Images.If you even suspect that your dog has gotten into contact with rat poison, seek veterinary care immediately. If your dog ate rat poison, you may notice lethargy, difficulty breathing, pale gums, coughing, vomiting and/or sneezing blood, seizure and collapse. If your dog ate rat poison, you need to contact an emergency veterinarian to get medical treatment for your pet right away. The necessity of smooth, quick action cannot be understated in such a circumstance. Poisoning from anticoagulants has a high survival rate and there’s a known antidote. If your dog ate an anticoagulant, your vet may induce vomiting and administer charcoal.

What will the vet do?

Any symptomatic person should seek advice from human poison control or medical professionals. A lack of energy prevents dogs from moving and roaming around as regular dogs do. Arguably the most common are the anticoagulant and cholecalciferol types.

The treatment that your vet will provide will vary depending on the type of poisoning. Symptoms for poison containing Zinc Phosphide will show between 1–12 hours. Poisoning by zinc and aluminum phosphide rodenticides includes antacids and similar medications to decrease the production and effects of the deadly phosphine gas. Additionally, liver protectant medicine and medications to treat tremors or seizures may be needed. I’ve been a professional dog trainer for over 17 years and spend most of my days teaching people how to live better with their four-legged family members. My first paid job in dog training was at a puppy kindergarten and basic training program for dogs.

Neurological Signs

The vet will be able to create a course of treatment to give your dog the best odds of making a complete recovery. Unfortunately, sometimes our dogs accidentally get their paws on things that were not intended for their consumption. In some scenarios, dogs can eat these items and are relatively unscathed, but in others, their consumption can be hazardous. This toxin acts by a process that inhibits the brain from utilizing oxygen. Without this ability, the brain cannot make enough energy to fuel itself.

While this may not create problems immediately, it certainly will in the near future. Most rat poison cases in dogs are the result of unintentional ingestion of bait. In rare cases, poisoning may be due to malicious intent. When you and your dog are visiting a friend or family member or leaving a dog with a sitter, ask about potential poisons around the home. Rat poison is available in a variety of formulations. When a dog consumes an active substance, the harmful consequences vary.

What happens to dogs that eat rat poison?

The course of action that your vet will take to treat your dog after ingesting rat poison depends on several factors, so treatment will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, if your dog is being treated for rat poison consumption, here are some potential treatment plans that you can expect. It’s distressing to know that these types of toxins are readily available and can easily kill your pet.

Deprived of any new clotting factors, the dog will soon start bruising easily and bleeding internally, which will make things go downhill fairly quickly. Cholecalciferol increases calcium to a life-threatening level. Unfortunately, there is a very narrow margin of survival for this type of poison, and there is no antidote. Even if your dog survives, she may show clinical signs .

What to do if your dog eats rat poison:

Blood transfusions, plasma transfusions, oxygen, and other supportive veterinary care can also be given. Symptoms of rat poison ingestion usually don’t appear until two to seven days – and sometimes up to two weeks – after your dog ingests it. I mentioned earlier that you should try and bring in a sample of the rat poison when you go to the vet. The problem is thatyou may not always know when or what your dog got into.

That’s why it’s vital that you know the exact product your dog has been exposed to so your vet can provide the appropriate treatment. You can also check the safety of the product before you buy it by ensuring that it is child and pet safe; it should be indicated right on the label. Instead of using toxic poisons, you could instead use traps. Just be sure that these do not also contain poison that could be harmful to your pet. Chewy Claus is spreading cheer and filling holiday lists this year! Chewy Claus wants to spoil all you good boys and girls this season, so grab your human and write a letter to Chewy Claus with what’s on your list.