Rat Poison Ingestion

Rodent infestations can occur year round, however, people tend to put out rat poison in the spring when they see their their garden has been torn up by voles or other rodents. Rat poisons are purposely made to be sweet and tasty so that the rodent will ingest it. This makes it very likely that if a dog or cat were to come across rat poison, they will ingest it.

The traditional (first generation) rat poison was designed to kill rodents by blocking vitamin K in the body. Mammals need vitamin K to clot their blood. If a dog (or rodent) cannot clot properly, they can begin to bleed out and die.

Fortunately, if it is discovered that a pet has ingested a first generation rat poison, that patient can be given vitamin K supplements as an antidote to the poison. Newer rat poisons (second generation), don’t work the same way. There is no specific antidote. The best hope for the pet is that it is discovered quickly that the animal has ingested it, and the pet is made to vomit to remove the toxin.

Also, activated charcoal is administered to try to prevent absorption of the toxin. If your pet has ingested rat poison, it is extremely important that you bring your pet to veterinarian immediately and bring the package of rat poison with so that your veterinarian will know how to treat your pet.