Rat Poison Is Among the Top 10 Poisons to Keep Your Dogs and Cats Away From

As a veterinarian who has practiced and lived in Laguna Niguel for the past 12 years, I agree with the top 10 toxins listed by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.  Among the 10 is rat poison. The other nine include: human medications, insecticides, people food, chocolate, veterinary medications, houshold toxins, plants, herbicides and outdoor toxins.

At Cwe have treated patients that have ingested or been exposed to all of the toxins listed across all of the categories, some more than others.

Any veterinarian will agree, the best treatment for toxic exposure is prevention. The key to prevention against potential exposure is an educated pet owner. For this first blog, I am addressing rodenticides also known as rat or mouse bait or poison.   

Rodenticides (anticoagulant rodenticide toxicosis) are products used for killing rodents (rats and mice). The problem is that the baits that attract the rodents also attract our pets.  One of the biggest problems that we encounter with rat poisoning is that in at least 50 percent of the cases, the owner has no idea how the pet got into it. It can happen so quickly. For example, you are out on a walk with your inquisitive dog, who rummages his nose into some bushes, which the owner of that home just baited with rodenticide.  I recently had a case of  an adorable Puggle who was presented to me for blood in his urine. In all other ways the dog appeared completely normal, until he very suddenly began to internally bleed from his spleen.  

The owner was convinced that it was impossible for his dog to have gotten into any rat bait. Eventually, he actually discovered where the dog had gotten into the bait, a rarity. The patient made a full recovery but had he gone overnight without care he most likely would not have survived through the morning. Yes, it can happen that quickly.

In the other 50 percent of the cases, the owner is aware that the dog has been exposed. Newer rat baits are even more potent. There are many different types of active ingredients (fumarin, brodifacoum, bromodiolone, and others) and their effect depends on the type of rodenticide in the bait. In this situation it is extremely important to get your pet immediately to your veterinarian to begin treatment that includes an antidote. Immediate action will result in much less heartbreak, emotional and financial consequences.  

As with any known exposure to a toxin, if the package information is available always bring it with you. This will provide valuable information for your veterinarian. It will confirm which type of rodenticide was in the bait; and therefore, what antidote to use.  

In addition, certain types of rodenticides require longer treatment. In our area, the most common type of rat bait is anticoagulant. It causes the animal to bleed internally. The poison interferes with the blood's ability to clot (coagulate).

Symptoms that the owner may notice include: lethargy, blood in urine/vomit/or diarrhea, bleeding from the nose, bleeding into joints that can cause limping, hematomas (pockets of blood that collect under the skin), excessive bruising on the skin, breathing difficulty caused by bleeding into the chest and lungs, coughing, collapse, and even death.  

I have had two owners with the only initial symptom being bright blue/green diarrhea (the color of the bait).

Another problem with rodenticide is that it can take a couple of days before you start to notice problems. I remember one case where the owner remembered the dog getting into some rat poison in the garage. The owner thought that maybe the dog didn't get into very much and decided to watch the dog for any problems. After a day, the owner figured  that the dog was just fine because he looked and acted completely normal. That was until  his dog started to experience sudden problems breathing.  ed for the next on the list.

Blood work and radiographs (X-rays) of the patient's chest showed that he had started to spontaneously bleed into his chest cavity.

So this completes our first toxin...stay tuned for the next nine.