Mary Allen
If the dog has swallowed or eaten rat poison, this is an acute veterinary emergency that requires immediate action. The symptoms of rat poison usually show up with a time lag. Without life-saving measures by the veterinarian, the dog would very likely die or be seriously injured.
General description
Dogs like to eat things when they go for a walk that they shouldn’t have eaten. A big concern of many owners is that the dog could ingest rat poison.
The active ingredients of the classic rat poisons are the so-called coumarin derivatives. These substances inhibit the activation of vitamin K in the body. If all active vitamin K in the body has been used up (this usually takes a few days) and no new one can be formed due to rat poison intake, the body’s own blood coagulation no longer works. In the event of an injury, the body can no longer stop the bleeding on its own.
Rat poison thus inhibits blood clotting – the rat bleeds to death internally. But it also develops the same effect in other animals.
Symptoms
About 3-4 days after ingesting rat poison, minor injuries cause unusually heavy and prolonged bleeding. There is also spontaneous bleeding for no apparent reason, but this is mainly internal (e.g. bleeding into the lungs or abdominal cavity). In the long run, the animal develops anemia (anemia). Depending on where the bleeding took place, corresponding symptoms can appear, e.g. the animal’s cough when bleeding into the chest cavity or the lungs.
When should you go to the vet?
If you suspect your dog has eaten something poisonous, you should go to the vet as soon as possible. The vet will then have the best opportunity to help your pet. Of course, this does not only apply to rat poison!
If your dog reacts to minor injuries with heavy bleeding, this is an indication of a coagulation disorder. This can also have other causes than rat poison poisoning. What is causing the bleeding should be clarified, which is why a doctor’s visit is urgently recommended.
Diagnosis and therapy
If you’re not sure if your dog has eaten rat poison, the vet can usually do a blood test to find out.
If it has been recent (less than 6 hours), the vet will try to remove the toxin from your pet’s body. This can be done via induced vomiting or medicinal charcoal. The latter binds toxins and transports them out of the body. In addition, your animal will always receive vitamin K to compensate for the deficiency. Depending on the poison ingested, this may be necessary for several weeks (new rat poisons have a very long-lasting effect).