My Dog Ate Rat Poison Now What

Adrienne is a certified dog trainer and former veterinarian assistant who partners with some of the best veterinarians worldwide.

If your dog ingested rat poison, go to the vet as soon as possible. This article offers information on the types of rat poison, the symptoms of poisoning, and how your vet might treat it.

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

What Should You Do?

Dr. Rachel Barrack, DVM, CVA, CVCH says, "Ingestion of rodenticide is a very common and very serious toxicity (even fatal) in pets. Immediate veterinary intervention is critical and treatment will be symptomatic. Should you suspect your pet has ingested rat poison contact your veterinarian immediately so that treatment can be instituted as quickly as possible."

Go to the vet immediately with a box of the type of poison that's been ingested because treatment will depend on the type of poison.

How the Vet Will Treat a Dog That Ate Rat Poison

1. Your veterinarian will induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide if the ingestion took place within the last two hours. The vet may also give your dog activated charcoal to help absorb the poison and decrease the amount of toxin released into the bloodstream. If vomiting cannot be induced, the stomach may be pumped. Your vet will also run some blood tests, paying particular attention to clotting factors.
2. If you cannot reach the hospital before two hours has passed, call your vet or the Pet Poison Hotline (see below). A vet may instruct you to induce vomiting at home over the phone.
3. Depending on the type of poison, a number of treatments will be administered. The most common treatment is vitamin K, which your dog will receive every day for three to four weeks if she ingested an anticoagulant. Your dog will receive vitamin K injections if the situation is life-threatening. Otherwise, she will be given veterinary-strength vitamin K (25 mg tablets), which is actually five times the strength of the oral human prescription dose.
4. There are no antidotes for bromethalin, cholecalciferol, or zinc phosphide poisoning, and inducing vomiting is the only way to help prevent the adverse effects of toxicity. If clinical signs (severe symptoms) appear, your dog may require IV fluids for two to three days, specific drugs (e.g., diuretics, steroids, calcitonin, and bisphosphonates), blood/plasma transfusion, and/or oxygen therapy.

Who to Call If Your Dog Gets Poisoned

• Your veterinarian
• A local animal emergency hospital
• The ASPCA offers a poison control line that responds to calls from owners of pets that have ingested some toxic substance. The ASPCA poison control line is open 24/7 365 days a year and can be reached at 888-426-4435. A 65 dollar consultation fee applies. Keep this number handy at all times!
• Another option is calling the Pet Poison Hotline. The number for this 24/7 Animal Poison Control Center is 800-213-6680.
• Alternatively, JustAnswer has veterinarians online all day for a nominal fee (generally less than $20). They may direct you on what to do if your dog ate poison.

However, time is of the essence, and your best bet is to contact your vet or head towards your closest animal emergency center immediately.

Ask the Veterinarian: Help, My Pet Ate Rat Poison!

How to Induce Vomiting With Hydrogen Peroxide

If you cannot reach the vet before two hours has passed, you can try the following with a veterinary professional's approval.

1. Measure 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per pound of body weight. The rule of thumb is to give 1 teaspoon (5 ml) for every 10 pounds of body weight. Do not exceed 45 ml even if your dog weighs more.
2. Lift the corner of your dog's lip and gently squirt the hydrogen peroxide into the corner of the dog's mouth using a syringe or a turkey baster.

Note: Never try to make your dog vomit without first consulting a veterinarian. Sometimes inducing vomiting in symptomatic dogs could do even more harm when the poison comes back up the esophagus.

Vet Demonstrates How to Make a Dog Throw Up

Dog Rat Poison Survival Rate

The survival rate of anticoagulant rat poisoning is roughly 98.7% according to a study published in The Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association that surveyed 123 cases of anticoagulant rat poisoning in dogs from 1996 to 2003. According to this study, your dog can survive after eating rat poisoning, and the chances of survival are higher if the dog ingested anticoagulant versus bromethalin, cholecalciferol, or zinc phosphide.

Types of Rodenticides and Their Effects on Dogs

Type of Rat Poison	What Is It?	How Long Until It Takes Affect?	Symptoms
Anticoagulant (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, diphacinone, or warfarin).	This is the most common type of rat poison ingested by dogs. It inhibits the body's ability to recycle vitamin K, which prevents blood clotting. Thus, internal bleeding occurs and eventually kills your dog.	It may take 2 to 7 days for symptoms to appear.	Bleeding from nose, eyes, ears. Pale or white gums, Blood in urine and/or feces. Bruising on the skin. Weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite.
Bromethalin	This neurotoxin increases sodium accumulation in cells, so that when water is ingested, the cells swell up and die. The poison affects the central nervous system (brain, spine, and nerves).	If only a small amount is ingested, symptoms will show up over 1 to 2 weeks. If a large amount is ingested, symptoms will appear within 2 to 24 hours and is rapidly fatal.	Decreased appetite and thirst, pressing head against furniture, circling, impaired movement, hind limb paralysis, tremors, seizures.
Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3)	This poison increases calcium levels in the body to a life-threatening level. Ingestion of this poison may lead to acute renal failure (kidney failure) and cardiac problems.	Acute kidney failure will develop 3 to 4 days after ingestion. Signs may not be evident for 1 to 2 days.	Bad breath, bloody stool, diarrhea, dehydration, drooling, excessive or decreased thirst and urination, seizures, tremors, lethargy, and stomach pains.
Zinc Phosphide and Strychnine	This poison is only available to pest removal professionals. When ingested, it creates a toxic gas called phosphine inside your dog's stomach.	Signs appear in less than an hour if your dog has food in its stomach or up to 12 hours on an empty stomach.	Nausea, shortness of breath, diarrhea, loss of appetite, convulsions, incoordination, paralysis.

A block of rat poison

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How Long Does It Take Rat Poison to Affect a Dog?

Symptoms for poison containing Zinc Phosphide will show between 1–12 hours. The symptoms of anticoagulants containing bromadiolone or warfarin may not show up for two days to a week, but if copious amounts are ingested, signs of poisoning will be apparent within the first 24 hours.

How Much Rat Poison Does It Take to Kill a Dog?

Dr. Aubrey Tauer, DVM MPH and Head Veterinarian of AnimalBiome stresses that "even a small amount can be very dangerous." One block of anticoagulant rat poison per 2lbs of your dog's weight is how much rat poison it would take to make your dog sick.

Symptoms may not show up for three to four days in large dogs, but small dogs will react to the poison within a few hours. The more your dog eats, the more fatal the poison will be.

Brands of Rodenticide and Their Active Ingredients

Signs of trouble generally vary from one type of poison to another, so it's very important that the vet knows exactly what was ingested because treatment will depend on the type of poison that was ingested. The most common types of rat poison contain the following toxic substances listed below. Upon contacting the vet or poison control center, it is very important to provide the name and active ingredient listed.

Many dog owners help veterinarians a lot when they come into the clinic with a box of the rat poison their dog has ingested.

Read More From Pethelpful

Common Ingredients

• Warfarin (dicoumarol)
• Bromethalin
• Strychnine
• Sodium Fluoroacetate
• Phosphorus
• Zinc Phosphide
• Cholecalciferol

Common Brands of Anticoagulant Poisons

Warfarin, fumarin, D-CON with brodifacoum, bromadiolone, pindone, diphacinone, chlorophacinone, difethialone, Havoc, Liqu-Tox II, Final Blox, D-con, Talon, Contrac Blox, Enforcer, and Tomcat.

In these cases, the antidote is vitamin K.

Non-Anticoagulant Poisons

Quintox, Rat-B-Gone, Mouse-B-Gone, Bromethalin Fast Kill, Strychnine Gopher Bait 50, and Zinc Phosphide, Moletox.

There is unfortunately no antidote for the majority of these.

Rat Poisoning Treatment for Dogs

The treatment that your vet will provide will vary depending on the type of poisoning.

Treatment for Anticoagulants

Anticoagulants prevent blood from clotting and leads to uncontrolled and spontaneous internal and external bleeding. Fortunately, the antidote is large quantities of vitamin K. Vitamin K pills from the drugstore are not adequate. Your dog will need repeated injections of vitamin K over the course of three to four weeks until clotting returns to normal. Your dog may also require whole blood or a frozen plasma transfusion and/or oxygen therapy depending on the severity of the blood clots.

Treatment for Bromethalin

This type of poisoning causes swelling of the brain. Emesis (induced vomiting) and activated charcoal are the only treatments available for bromethalin, but action must be taken immediately because bromethalin is fast-acting. Cats are two to three times more sensitive than dogs, so if your dog ingested this type of poisoning, there may be a chance of survival.

Treatment for Cholecalciferol Poisoning

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. For positive outcomes, your dog will need aggressive IV fluids for two to three days and specific drugs (e.g., diuretics, steroids, calcitonin, and bisphosphonates) to decrease calcium levels in the body. Even if your dog survives, she may show clinical signs (most likely kidney issues).

Treatment for Zinc Phosphide Poisoning

There is no specific antidote for zinc phosphide poisoning. Your vet will try to induce vomiting or perform a lavage (an internal washing) of your dog's stomach with a 5% sodium bicarbonate solution, which neutralizes gastric pH levels and prevents the stomach from creating toxic gases.

How Most Rat Poison Works

The most common type of rat poison is anticoagulants, which prevent the rat's blood from clotting. Normally, blood contains special substances that aid the coagulation of blood. These special substances (often referred to as clotting factors) are responsible for converting fibrinogen into a mix of insoluble fibrin, which ultimately causes the platelets to stick and blood to coagulate. This is often known as the ''fibrin clot,'' and it plugs the vessel's tear, and thereby stops the bleeding.

Clotting normally begins within five minutes of an injury to the blood vessels. This is a very important defense mechanism that occurs automatically when a blood vessel is damaged. Without clotting factors, one would eventually bleed to death.

When an animal ingests rat poison, no more clotting factors are produced. While this may not create problems immediately, it certainly will in the near future.

Evaluating the Extent of the Problem

While rat poison may not create problems immediately, a cascading series of events will soon start to take place, and things will start deteriorating quickly. Don't underestimate the problem! If you know your dog ingested rat poison or you suspect it, take your dog to the vet immediately!

But My Dog Is Doing Fine!

It is common for dog owners to assume that just because their dog is doing fine after ingesting rat poison that they are basically out of the woods. Generally, anticoagulant rat poison takes some time to start creating problems (two days to a week). For this reason, it is imperative to act right away instead of waiting for signs of trouble.

Unfortunately, those who have waited long enough to witness serious health problems in their canines often lose their dog.

Why It Takes a While for Symptoms to Show

Dogs have a reserve of clotting factors in their blood. Depending on how much rodent poison a dog has ingested, signs of trouble may start days or weeks later once the reserve of clotting factors has been depleted. Deprived of any new clotting factors, the dog will soon start bruising easily and bleeding internally, which will makes things go downhill fairly quickly.

This delayed effect explains why most rats and mice die far away from the source of the poison. After eating rat bait, the mouse will most likely wander off, and when the poison takes effect a day or two later, it will die.

How Your Dog Might Be Poisoned

These are some of the most common ways that dogs wind up ingesting rat poison.

Accident

At times, dog owners are not aware their dogs have ingested rat poison. This often happens when dogs are not supervised. Exposures frequently happen accidentally, such as when moving to a new home without knowing a previous tenant has left poison around.

Secondary Poisoning

Secondary toxicosis is when your dog eats a rat that has been poisoned. Just because you don't have rat bait in your home doesn't mean your dog cannot get rat poison in his system! If your neighbor uses rat poison, and your dog catches and eats a mouse that is weak and dying or dead from poison, your dog can still ingest those dangerous toxins!

Deliberate Poisoning

Some people sadly poison dogs deliberately by tossing a meatball full of rat poison to the unsuspecting dog. Unfortunately, rat poison is made to taste good, and since dogs are scavengers, they will eat it.

Potential Signs of Rodenticide Ingestion

If your dog appears sick and you are not sure what the cause may be, the following are likely signs that your dog ate rat poison:

1. Green or Blue Stools

   Dogs that have ingested rat poison often produce a green or blue stool about one day later. This is often due to the bright green and blue colors used to dye the poison, such as is used in Warfarin or bromethalin-based poisons.

   It's important to note that a lack of blue-green color in the feces does not necessarily mean a dog has not ingested rat poison.

   There are many variables, such as the type of poison ingested and the quantity.

2. Bleeding

   With no more clotting factors to rely on, dogs will start bruising and bleeding, often spontaneously. A dog may bleed from the nose, gums, or rectum. Bleeding from the lungs may cause dogs to cough.

   Blood in the urine and feces may be also be visible, often in the last stages. Bleeding can also occur internally, causing the dog to become weak, lose his appetite, and have pale gums.

   A swollen lump may indicate a hematoma (the accumulation of blood under the skin), and the abdomen may develop ascites (the accumulation of fluid giving a swollen appearance).

   Bruising and small pin-point red areas (petechiae) may be indicative of under-the-skin bleeding.

3. Neurological Signs

   Seizures, nervousness, anxiety, impaired movement, and paralysis may be other symptoms. Upon ingesting bromethalin, fluids accumulate in the brain, causing neurological signs that may lead to paralysis, muscle tremors, and seizures.

   Within hours of ingesting strychnine, affected dogs may appear agitated, anxious, and apprehensive. Grand mal seizures may then soon follow, often accompanied by respiratory problems.

4. Gastrointestinal Signs

   Dogs that ingest cholecalciferol-containing rodenticides will develop symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract, such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and/or constipation.

   Thirst and increased urination may be present as well when the kidneys are involved.

   Zinc phosphide rodenticides are also known to cause vomiting, lethargy, and weakness.

Warning

As mentioned, signs of rodenticide poisoning will vary depending on the type of rat poison ingested. If you know or suspect your dog ingested rat poison, don't wait for these signs to occur! Take your dog to the vet immediately!

If you do not suspect rodent poisoning, but your dog is exhibiting these signs, you should still take your dog to a vet immediately! There are rat poisons that cause symptoms right away and others, such as anticoagulants, which may cause problems later.

What If You're Not Sure If Your Dog Ate Rat Poison, but You're Still Worried?

In such case, ask your vet to run a clotting profile. This will determine if your dog's blood can clot properly or if there are issues. In the case of anticoagulant rat poison, there is fortunately an antidote if vet attention is sought on time. Because vitamin K1 is responsible for the production of blood clotting factors, it is the antidote of choice for anticoagulants.

Important Note: This is not the same vitamin K found at health stores! Affected dogs may require a vitamin K1 injection (especially when they cannot keep food down) and weeks or months of vitamin K1 pills.

In the case of non-anticoagulant rat poison, there is no antidote, and the treatment is mainly supportive. The dog may therefore be given drugs to reduce the swelling of the brain, prevent kidney failure, reduce seizures, muscle relaxants to prevent rigidity, and so forth. Prognosis will vary depending on a variety of factors.

Sources

1. Kim Campbell Thornton, "Rat Poison Dangers: Keep Your Pets Safe," VetStreet. October 3, 2014. Accessed December 23, 2017.
2. "Cholecalciferol," Pet Poison Helpline. Accessed December 23, 2017.
3. "Rat Poison Toxicity in Dogs," PetMD. Accessed December 23, 2017.
4. "Zinc Phosphide Fact Sheet," National Pesticide Information Center. September 2010. Accessed December 23, 2017.
5. Liz Greenlee and Ahna Brutlag, "Mouse and Rat Poison: Rodenticides Poisonous to Dogs & Cats," Pet Poison Helpline. February 28, 2011. Accessed December 23, 2017.
6. Dr. Justine A. Lee, "The Dangers of Rat Poison to Dogs and Cats," Pet Health Network. Accessed December 23, 2017.
7. "Poisoning Due to Ingesting Rat Poison in Dogs," WagWalking. Accessed December 23, 2017.
8. Dr. Anne Marie Manning, "Rodenticide (Rat and Mouse Bait) Poisoning in Dogs," PetPlace. September 22, 2015. Accessed December 23, 2017.
9. Dr. Karen Becker, "May Cause No Symptoms for 3 to 5 Days, But Swift Action Could Be Life Saving," Healthy Pets. October 12, 2014. Accessed December 23, 2017.
10. Safdar A. Khan and Mary M. Schell, "Bromethalin," Merk Vet Manual. Accessed December 23, 2017.

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

© 2012 Adrienne Farricelli

christy on June 23, 2020:

My puppy is a little over 8 weeks old and found his way into some rat poison. The first thing I did was call a local vet then take him into an emergency vet hospital, all under an hour of him getting into the poison. This was and is extremely scary. He stayed at the hospital for at least 24hrs, they had him throw up (there was a large amount of the green poison), he was given charcoal and vitamin K. I was then given vitamin K to give him for 30 days. He'll also have multiple follow up appts involving blood clot testing and checking for any other symptoms. I'm just hoping that getting him to a hospital in that time was quick enough.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on May 30, 2020:

Hi Amy, this is a delicate situation, and I think your best bet is to give your vet a call. Tell them exactly the brand of rat poison, how much was ingested, your dog's weight, whether your dog vomiting until it was only clear/foam. Depending on several factors, your vet may or may not want to see your dog. Your vet may want to a dose of activated charcoal to play it safe and may want to run blood work. In a dog this small, we do not want to take any chances if any poison made it into the bloodstream.

Amy Zuniga on May 30, 2020:

my 8 months frenchie ate rat poison yesterday like little cube of it , we made her throw up within the two hours and she threw it all up i was able to see the rat poison in her throw up , will she be okay ?

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on November 25, 2019:

More than being scared, at this point it's important to be proactive and have the dog see the vet as soon as possible.

michelle on November 17, 2019:

hi my dog just ate 1/2 of a block of tom cat rat poison im super scared of what will happend shes weights about 9 to 10 pounds

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on November 01, 2019:

Bop7176, I hope your dog who has ingested rat poison recovers fast and uneventfully. I am glad you took him to the vet.

Bop7176 on October 31, 2019:

Today my dog ate 1 1/2 bars of top cat rat poison. I was told by the posion hot line since my dog is 60 pounds he should be ok. I rushed him to tje vet were they induced vomit and fluids are going through her. They also are giving her Charcol liquid to clean the blood. I hope my baby comes out ok.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on October 03, 2019:

Jonathan, this is a difficult case, because we don't know how much was ingested and which dog ingested it. Did they vomit within 2 hours of ingestion? That would reduce the chances for absorption. There is no antidote for bromethalin. This substance causes swelling of the brain and signs may be slow in onset. Activated charcoal can help reduce recirculation in the body, but you'll need to call a vet for directions on how much to give or you can call the poison control center which charges $59. (855) 764-7661

Johnathan on October 01, 2019:

My mother and father had the green tomcat sticks in the cupboards in the house, we have 7 dogs. Three sticks went missing the day it was placed and my parents are sure that one or some of the dogs got to them. My mother gave them all milk and oil to make them vomit within a few hours of noticing this. We are pretty tight on cash. Is there an affordable alternative that we can give to all of our dogs to help treat this? We believe they ingested bromethalin which is believed to be in the Tomcat sticks.

Eric on February 09, 2019:

Thank you for this Article, my dog ate rat poison, the kind that can be treated with vitamin k1, unfortunately we didn't know she ate the rat poisoning until today when the symptoms kicked in (loss of appetite, stopped drinking, followed by vomiting about 2 hours after we noticed she looked sick) it all happened fast and her looking a little under the weather wasn't a huge red flag for me at first because come on we all know dogs have their days too in like when they just aren't feeling good but when she threw up blood I freaked out! I immediately contacted my veterinarian and got my dog in. I also started looking online for reasons a dog would throw up blood, I started doing process of elimination because I know her medical history, (very healthy dog and family genetics) I was able to eliminate several things as a possibility for her throwing up blood and then I seen the possible cause of d-CON rat poisoning! I feel so horrible because I'm the one to blame for this:'( I put a bunch of that stuff under my house (I read the box and I know it said keep out of reach of children and animals) where I put it was definitely out of reach of children and I thought out of reach of animals other than the pesky rodents, we actually don't have a rodent problem I put it under the house as a just in case method. "Very very bad idea" I hope my dog makes it through this, she's been given a vk1 shot and we let the vet do anything else they need to in hopes she will survive, I know blood transfusion may be needed and possibly plasma too, I'm just so sad that this happened to my dog and this suffering could have been avoided had I only took the dangers of using rat poison seriously. Your article was a huge eye opener, very educating and I can't thank you enough for writing it and sharing your knowledge with all of us. I'm praying for my dog, she's a joy to have around and it's gonna brake my heart if she dies but know this, I will pass along my story and what I've learned here today so that others can make a more information decision about using rat poisons and also the importance of seeking veterinarian help immediately when facing situations like that which has been described in this article and by testimony from other people in the comment section. Definitely sending your link to a few friends also... Thanks again.

Eric on February 09, 2019:

Thank you for writing this article, my dog ate

Chase on October 14, 2018:

There is no vet open anywhere near where I live plz help someone

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on April 05, 2018:

Sumarie, as the article emphasizes repeatedly, you should see your vet for treatment.

Sumarie on April 01, 2018:

What can I give my dog that got Finalé rat poison in?I don't have any charcoal tablets only the charcoal for fire making!

Josie on November 19, 2017:

My dog ate rat poison I took him to the vets and within 40 minutes of eating it he was given an injection to make him be sick then given another injection after to stop the vomiting after vomiting the poision up and everything he had in his stomach he also has medication to take with chicken and rice for the next few days but I am very worried it may have got into his blood but the vet suggested that if he is drowsy tomorrow still to take him to the vet immediately but I'm concerned it may be in his blood already what are key signs this is happening as we speak..

Larry W. Fish on September 16, 2017:

What a wealth of information. Thank you for this article. As a pet owner it is one of those things that I worry about. I have no rat poison around my apartment, but it could happen somewhere else. Thank you!

Andy on April 29, 2017:

Hey Karen, thanks so much for that. My daughter's dog, Eshe, may have swallowed some poison. I listened as I watched your video. Thanks for your wise words.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on April 17, 2017:

You need to report to your vet immediately, there is nothing you can really do at home.

HEMANT SAHU on April 17, 2017:

hi, i think my dog ate rat poison before one day. now he vomiting .

i saw him to doctor. dr. gave him multivitamin. it shows effect for two hours but now same position . what should i do ? suggestion plz . fast plz. my dog in trouble .

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on April 02, 2017:

Thanks for your comment SkunkLady, Tom Cat contains bromethalin and denatonium benzoate and is therefore categorized as a Non-Anticoagulant Poison, and yes, there is unfortunately no antidote for the majority of these. Glad your dog saw the vet so quickly and has been recovering nicely.

SkunkLady on March 23, 2017:

Just an FYI, Tom Cat is the most common brand of rat poison found in the stores these days. There is no treatment for it. My husband put a cake of it down on the dining room table to take it to a friends house. Being a nice guy he decided to take our labrador for a ride with him. The minute he turned around to get her leash, she grabbed the cake of poison and ate it. Unfortunately there isn't an antidote for this poison but since he caught her immediately after she ate it and rushed her to our vet that was only 5 minutes away, the vet was able to flush her stomach and give her the charcoal. He felt pretty confident that my husband's quick actions prevented her from ingesting any significant amount of the poison. She had to be on water pills for a month to guard against any water on the brain that this poison causes and he said it could take up to a month for any signs that he didn't get all the poison to show up but fortunately he did and she is out of the woods now. We have thrown out all the TomCat that we had left and are looking for a warfarin brand poison which is treatable with Vitamin K to help the blood coagulate should we need to use any poison again.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on December 12, 2016:

Rem, wanted to add, the odds are your vet will think it's not necessary to give K1 if your dog vomited until clear, but as a precaution he may suggest you have a clotting profile done 3-5 days after ingestion and the results will tell you if K1 vitamin is needed or not.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on December 12, 2016:

Technically, if your dog vomited ALL of the poison there are chances it didn't have a chance to be absorbed much. Usually you will not see symptoms during the first 1-2 days, however, because rat poison is so dangerous even in small amounts to really be on the safe side and ave peace of mind, you can give your vet a call and ask if it may be worthy to start Vitamin K1 as a precaution. You will need a prescription for this..

rem on December 09, 2016:

My dog ate a whole small cube of rat poison, and I was able to induced vomiting within an hour with hydrogen peroxide. I live in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest vet is only open on the weekdays. It's Saturday here, but I called a vet friend of mine, and they advised me to induce vomiting. My dog vomited traces of the poison, and I kept feeding her hydrogen peroxide until her vomit is clear. So far she's acting normal, and I'm observing her for now. Is it safe to say she's gonna survive?

Andrea on June 14, 2016:

I have a 5 year old 100 lb male pit. At the time he was 1 year old and about 70 lbs. Our landlord had his exterminator come to our house and the mouse problem taken care of. So the exterminator thought he would just put large cubs and "put " them under our house and around the garage area. My male pit is a tank, eats everything. I walk out to the garage and he is eating on one. In a pill of vomit. I race down to the vet. They do a full check out and look at the cub as I'm on the phone with the exterminator. They came back out and told me they had to monitor him. So I rush home. I look around the home because the exterminator didn't want pay for the vet bill. And non of them were pushed in. I took pics of them all and the box he left out. Sent to my landlord and to him. Then back to my vet. When I had gotten back, they told me my dog was in pain and they didn't give him more than a 7% chance to live. I told thim I wanted to take him home and do vitamin k and just spend time with him and hope and pray. After 4 rounds of vitamin k, a very strict diet.

( Oh and I got the exterminator to pay all the vet bills. Only for the initial visit. To band not for life. I explain why right now)

Here we are 4 years later. And over those 4 years I have had to spend $$thounds$$ a year because of his compermised immune system. Allergies, Yeast infections, loss of hair and food allergies. So I guess I share this because,maybe check and research the laws of what happens if your animal is sick because of the company/workers negligence. No puppy should have to go through this.

Josie on June 12, 2016:

My Yorky ingested Dcon. Not sure if it happend three weeks ago of my dads house or three days ago here at my home. My husband has trap boxes with Dcon in them. We thought that was safe but if the dog eats a dead mouse who has eaten poison it will transfer the poison to the dog.

I took her in yesterday...she had no vommiting no diarrhea no external bleeding. She was very tired and appeared to struggle to walk, she stopped climbing stairs. At the vet they ran blood test and X-rays the red and white cell count was normal. The X-ray showed irritated internal organs a little swelling. Initially the vet thought she ate a piece of plastic that would not show up on X-ray. Right before I walked out I said...could she of eaten a poison frog or tarantula since she love to Cchase them. The vet called me back in as I was walking out the door and asked if they could run one more blood test? I said yes took her back in to get a coagulation test done. BAM!!! That's it she has eaten rat poison. One injection of vitamin K1 200 cc of IV indigestion shot to releave the upset stomach and off to the hospital. She spent two days at the hospital. She got more vitaminK1 plasma and monitoring. We're on day three she is still lethargic she drugged to breath. She is trying to eat very little but a doggy with an appetite is good news. I give her Half a tablet of VK1 daily baby food to help her digestion and water. I'll keep you guys posted.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on March 21, 2016:

Sue if your dog is acting tired, you should see the vet regardless of possibly eating rat poison or not.

sue on March 21, 2016:

i just found a carcass in garden half eaten. dog started getting tired over a month ago. is she still in danger? or is she better

p on September 02, 2015:

Just posting to help others. My 4 year old male neutered dog weighing 35 kilo, "is that 77 pounds?" ate 19 blocks of tomcat mouse/rat poison. Which is a lethal dose. Found his nose in bag and called emergency number right away. Was told to get him to throw up etc. then take to Vet. I just called Vet and took him asap. Within an hour and 15 mins he was at Vets throwing up. They gave him some shots to settle stomach and fed him food with charcoal. I took him home and fed him twice a day with charcoal for two days. Besides the charcoal prob giving him a belly ache, he did not have any symptoms. Dog is fine. On other hand Vet wanted 2600 for a two day treatment of IV and charcoal. I declined and gave him the charcoal myself. I called my old Vet from Philly and he said the best thing to do is introduce vomiting and then charcoal to coat stomach but after that the Vet's just charge extra to bill you. It is a shame there are so many crooked Vets out there. Point is.....get dog to Vet so it can vomit in under 2 hours and the dog should be fine. If you wait till after 4 hours it may be too late. There are no cures for the Tomcat poison.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on April 26, 2015:

Good to hear you had the opportunity to intervene quickly, wheeww...Best wishes to you and your pup,

Adrienne

melissam on April 26, 2015:

I thank you for this article. My little pup got ahold some rat poison. He didn't get very much at all it was stuck in the roof of his mouth. I got that out with a brush and then I made him throw up because it happened like thirty mins ago. And there wasn't anything in the vomit. Yes I want to take him to the vet but ours is not open due to his mother dying and they do not plan to be open for a few days. So thank you for this article. It is very helpful. I think he will be fine BC the packet was still all there it just got ripped open. So I induced vomiting immediately. And when the vet is open again I will have him checked out. Thank you

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on September 30, 2014:

I hope your vet can go to the bottom of this, best wishes for a speedy recovery

nosebleeds...rat poison? on September 29, 2014:

This article is great. My dog is my best friend. Recently, I left her with a new boyfriend and went to visit my family out of state. He took her to his sisters house that weekend. Just after I got back, my poor pup got a nosebleed. I thought she had caught it on a thorn and that it was external. Now she has had a couple nosebleeds, I took her to the vet on Saturday. Today is Monday and we got the blood test results back. She is anemic and her red blood cell counts are down around 24. When the vet first asked if she had been exposed to rat poison, I immediately said "no" and then my boyfriend said that his sister had rats at one point. At this point, we are not sure what it is, but she has a pronounced heart murmur and the nosebleeding. Please heed my warning and if you suspect that the pup may have eaten rat poison, take him/her to the vet. It has been a month and the symptoms are just now kicking in. Wish I would have taken her when the first nosebleed happened.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on July 31, 2014:

Only way to know for sure if rat poison is the culprit is through a necropsy.

Beth Skellenger on July 30, 2014:

I lost my beloved friend November 2013. He was a very healthy, happy, energetic lab mix. He was only 5 years old. On the day he died, he was happy in the am, but by the time I got home from work, he was gravely ill. We rushed him to the vet, but it was too late. The first question from the vet was, "Could he have ingested D-con?" He died there. His abdomen was full of blood from his spleen.

We're not certain, but suspicious that he may have eaten D-con 2-3 days prior, put out by my inlaws. They place it under their RV while camping to kill mice before they have a chance to enter their RV. We have never been supporters of this practice, and asked them to stop this practice. They only put it up higher on their rig.

The more I read, the more I believe that my Max was unintentionally poisoned. Any thoughts?

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on March 29, 2013:

Thank you for your expert input on this. It makes perfectly sense for rats to become stronger requiring new generations of more potent poisons that even in small doses can harm a pet. I don't use rat poison personally, but every time we move to a rental home I ask if the previous tenants used poisons anywhere. I prefer traps as well, even though I am not a fan of the glue ones.

pestcontrolproduc on March 29, 2013:

An excellent article, pointing out the downside of using poisons to control rats. But there's also another reason to be careful with rat poisons. Rats become resistant to them, at least populations of rats do.

It's a phenomenon similar to antibiotic resistance. Not all individual rats and mice respond to poison the same way. Some rats and mice will survive poisoning, and live to reproduce. Their offspring will also be less responsive to rat poison, and putting out the poison again to do another cull of the population leaves only mice and rats that are still more resistant.

Typically a homeowner who uses poisons only in desperation because the numbers of rodents have become overwhelming have this problem. The more the poison is used, the less effective it is on rats and mice. But pets and people don't build up resistance to the poison.

To me, it makes a lot more sense to put out traps or to use shock boxes.

Mindy on May 03, 2012:

My dog ate rat poison a couple of years ago but I thought the amount did not harm her because she looked perfectly fine; some time later she became severely ill and she had to be put down because it was too late, thank you for sharing this helpful article, had I read it back then, my Missy would probably still be with us. Imiss her so bad!

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on April 18, 2012:

Deb, thank you, if you read my article on dog ate rat poison in its entirety you will see I repeatedly tell to see the vet, problem is with rat poison things get tricky; symptoms develop late and many owners wait it out thinking their dog is fine which can be deadly instead! This hub is for the purpose of saving a dog's life because the owners underestimated the problem; it's an eye-opener. It also alerts dog owners that over the counter vitamin K will do nothing; the real vitamin K is only available through the vet.

Deborah Brooks Langford from Brownsville,TX on April 18, 2012:

I wouldn't wait around if you know your dog ate rat poison get him to the vet.. interesting and useful hub.. great hub

Debbie

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on March 06, 2012:

How long it takes really depends on how much was ingested, the type of poison ingested, the dog's metabolism/immunity strength, the size of the dog and several other factors.

Peeples from South Carolina on March 06, 2012:

Very Good hub. I have a neighbor right now who's dog ate rat poison 4 days ago. They can't afford to take him to the vet and I believe the dog is going to die. I was trying to find info to help him but short of paying his vet bills it looks like there is nothing I can do. The only thing I wish you would have covered is how long before it kills them. Voted up

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on February 05, 2012:

Thank you for your support. I made all my statements to bring a dog to the vet in bold so to hopefully stick out. It is astounding the number of people who still underestimate the problem and look online for home remedies and a way to avoid taking the dog to the vet.

Alex Ferris on February 05, 2012:

Alexadry I read the article and understand exactly your point. I don't see what the people above have issues with, probably they did not read the entire article. I found the article was very informative, well-written and you repeatedly stated the dangers of the issue. Hopefully it will warn many owners of the problem and even save the lives of many poor dogs.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on January 30, 2012:

Again, I repeatedly said in the article to take the dog to the vet immediately. But let's look at reality: people try to avoid the vet as much as possible, either because they cannot afford it or they have no clue about how rat poison affects their pet: this hub is for those people. If you read the article in whole you will see why I wrote it. It helps people understand why not taking the dog to the vet may prove deleterious. What inspired me to write this article was the amount of people online trying to figure out a way to treat their pet at home. People online have been told to try vitamin K from health stores! That vitamin K is not the same one the vets give! At least if somebody is dealing with the problem I do not want them to receive ill advice from other people who have no clue of what they are saying. Also, many people think their dog is OK after ingesting it because it did not develop symptoms. This is an eye opener, it's not like that! So yes, in an ideal world you would not even write an article about this because it's common sense to take the dog to the vet, but they way things are, you have to really figure out a better way to convince people of the dangers posed by rat poison.Finally, this is a good source for people wondering what to do just in case. If it was that easy to convey the seriousness of diseases you would not see so many articles about what to do if you have chest pain or books on first aid. These articles and books can be life savers for those who do not realize the seriousness of their symptoms. I hope this clarifies everything; I worked for vets so I would never underestimate the seriousness of the problem.

William Luke from Chicago, Illinois, USA on January 30, 2012:

yeah i agree with justmesuzanne,take the dog to the vet immediately....

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on January 29, 2012:

Technically in an ideal world it should be that way. But unfortunately, many people cannot afford the vet or underestimate the fact that just because ''the dog is doing fine'' there are no problems. The purpose of this article is to address those that are underestimating the issue and inform them of the dangers of rat poison. Hopefully they will get the message. I was inspired to write this article after I saw how many people fail to take their dogs to the vet just because the dog is still active and apparently doing fine after ingesting rat poison.

justmesuzanne from Texas on January 29, 2012:

This should be a very short article. Take the dog to the vet immediately is the only answer to this question.

My Dog Ate Rat Poison Now What

Source: https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Dog-Health-Dog-Ate-Rat-Poison-What-to-Do

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