Summer is over, the days are starting to get cooler, and as you spend more time at home to be near the fire, so do our unwanted housemates, rats and mice. A lot of people choose to use rat and mice baits to control this issue. Unfortunately, our pets can fall victim too. If eaten, rat bait can have serious consequences and can ultimately lead to death of your beloved pet.

The active ingredient in rat and mice baits leads to reduced vitamin K-dependent clotting factor which then stops your pet’s blood from clotting. Signs that your pet may have been affected by rat bait include: uncontrolled bleeding from the nose, mouth, rectum or wounds, pale gums, bruises on the skin, trouble breathing, lethargy, lameness, bloody urine and black tarry stools.

Another important fact that a lot of people do not realise is that these signs can take 1-5 days after ingestion of the bait to appear. If you discover that your pet has eaten bait recently, you need to visit your vet straightaway so that we can induce vomiting before all bait is absorbed.  

If you are not sure if your pet has eaten rat bait in the past week or so then we can perform a blood clotting test to determine if the blood is clotting normally. Additional tests also include a full blood count to see if your pet has enough red blood cells and is not anaemic.

The treatment for rat bait toxicity depends on how unwell your pet is. Oral vitamin K tablets and rest for 4 weeks is often required.  Unfortunately in our hospital we sometimes see pets who have lost a lot of blood before coming to us.  These pets need lifesaving blood transfusions and a stay in hospital. If you do use rat baits, please make sure that there is no potential access for your pets. It is amazing what dogs and cats can get into when unsupervised! If you suspect that your pet has eaten some rat bait or is showing any signs of rat bait poisoning, please contact your vet straightaway for immediate attention.

Author: Dr Kate Harmon