Important tips for emergencies
You don't want to imagine that your pet has eaten poison bait with rat poison. Depending on the age and character of the animal, it can happen that the dog or cat swallows mouse poison. This can have fatal consequences. First and foremost, you have to be very careful when fighting rats in order to protect your pets. If the dog has eaten the poison bait despite all measures, you have to act quickly and effectively.
Is it common for pets to eat poison bait?
The risk is lower for adult animals than for young animals. Kittens and puppies have a greater urge to explore their environment and are particularly interested in new things. Poison baits are often enriched with scented attractants to encourage rats and mice to eat. Puppies and kittens can also react to these attractants. Young dogs that are teething will eat anything that comes their way. You should be especially careful during this phase.
Pets don't just eat rat or mouse poison. In spring, snail control agents containing metaldehyde, known as snail pellets, are laid out in rural areas, or insecticides (pyrethroids, e.g. pyrethrin) are used. These are also dangerous for pets. The number of cases of poisoning with rat poison increases in autumn, when the pests look for a place to spend the winter.
How can you tell if a cat or dog has ingested rat poison? What are the symptoms?
In order to react as quickly as possible, one would like the animal to show the signs of poisoning immediately. Unfortunately, animals usually behave normally immediately after ingesting poison, so it is difficult or even impossible to recognize that this has happened and that their life is in danger. Symptoms of poisoning do not appear until the poison is absorbed by the digestive system. The appearance of the first signs depends on the type of poison bait. In the case of coumarin derivatives contained in rat poison, symptoms may not appear until the third or even fifth day after ingestion. The dog or cat appears weakened, is tired and has no appetite. Vomiting occurs. Blood can be found in the feces and urine. There are also subcutaneous bleeding (petechiae), nosebleeds and bleeding gums. The next stage, cardiac arrhythmia, is life-threatening.
What should I do first if I suspect that my dog or cat may have eaten rat poison?
If the poison was ingested less than two hours ago, we should make our pet vomit. You can use hydrogen peroxide at a dose of 1 to 2 milliliters per kilogram of body weight. Wait about 45 seconds and then give another dose. If the pet has not vomited within 15 minutes, you must immediately
Visit a veterinarian to have a professional gastric lavage performed. If you are lucky and your pet vomits the poison it has eaten, give it activated charcoal at a dose of 3 to 5 grams per kilogram of body weight once it has completely stopped vomiting. The dosage must be repeated every 3-4 hours. You can also give the dog or cat laxatives. These are the first steps that you can take yourself right away. The important thing is that it is not enough in any case and you still need to go to a veterinary clinic that will carry out all further examinations and treatments.
The antidote for coumarin derivatives (such as brodifacoum or bromadiolone) is vitamin K, administered in high doses intravenously and orally. However, it should be emphasized that vitamin K alone is not sufficient, but that supportive treatment is required, that is, fluid therapy and the administration of additional medications.
What are the consequences if a cat or dog eats rat poison?
The consequences will vary depending on how much rat poison the animal has eaten, how long ago it was ingested and how severe the symptoms are when the animal is brought to the clinic. The course can be mild, severe or even fatal.
How can I prevent my cat or dog from eating rat poison?
If you want to carry out rat control and you have pets, you should keep the poison in a safe place that the dog or cat cannot access. Use bait stations. These protect pets from eating the rat or mouse poison. Cats are exposed to another danger, and that is that they will eat a mouse or rat that has already ingested rat poison. Pests that are under the influence of the poison are easy prey because they slow down. For the cat, the danger posed by poisoned prey is just as dangerous as if it had eaten the rat poison itself.
The cat's safety can therefore only be guaranteed if the cat is not allowed to leave the apartment or house alone or if it is prevented from getting close to the basement, where poisoned pests may be present.
