Rat poison is generally formulated to get rid of rodents and contains pest control agents that are very harmful for other animals as well as humans too. Unfortunately, many people take advantage of this to get rid of the dogs in the neighborhood too.
The rat poison or rodenticide used contains tasty ingredients that make it very attractive to the rats. It comes in various forms and sadly the dogs too find the taste appealing and eat the pellets. This will initiate internal bleeding and even lead to death in certain cases.
The rat poison available in stores is generally of three types namely, anticoagulants like warfarin, bromethalin and cholecalciferol or vitamin D. The bromethalin kills rats in a single dose and the effects can be seen within 10 hours after taking the chemical. The cholecalciferol raises the calcium levels in the serum causing increased urination, excessive thirst, ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. This usually takes 24 hours to work.
Some of the symptoms seen if your dog eats the rodenticide are: the dog is dull, lethargic and shuns food, and the gums are pale and bleed easily. Normal gums in dogs are bright pink. If they ingest the rat poison it turns pale or whitish gray in color.
It is common for dogs to drool. But if you notice a foamy drool mixed with saliva you should get it investigated immediately with the help of your veterinarian. Other conditions that cause a foamy drool are when dogs eat toads. On the other hand, blood in saliva, if you rule out any cuts or bruises inside the mouth is surely due to poisoning.
Bleeding that is internal in origin may be seen in the urine, feces or vomit of the dog and also from the nose, oral cavity as well as the anal region. This should receive immediate help from the veterinarian and timely treatment should be given.
Other often observed symptoms are weakness, muscle tremors, mild cough and fever. Vomiting, diarrhea and breathing difficulty are a few other symptoms that can be seen in case of the dog ingesting rat poison.
If you suspect poisoning in your dog you should contact the veterinarian and get immediate help for the condition may worsen with extensive internal hemorrhaging and also coma and death if left untreated. If you find that the dog has ingested poison you should induce vomiting by giving him a teaspoon or one-eighth cup of salt water or hydrogen peroxide with the help of a syringe without needle. By injecting this solution into the back of the throat region you can induce vomiting.
The poisoned rats take some time to die and during this time if they fall prey to the dogs and cats in the surrounding it will affect them adversely but the amount of poison ingested is low when compared to eating the poison directly.
It is better to safeguard your pet from the hazards of rat poison and you can also prevent it by setting mechanical traps instead of using chemicals to catch the rats. This is much safer and restraining your pet to your house and yard will also prevent him from getting into trouble.
