Yesterday was a horrible day for the Smith family. Their
favorite canine companion, Buddy, had eaten some poison mouse bait
and he began bleeding internally. Before they knew what was wrong,
Buddy had collapsed and nearly died.
Yesterday was a horrible day for the Smith family. Their favorite canine companion, Buddy, had eaten some poison mouse bait and he began bleeding internally. Before they knew what was wrong, Buddy had collapsed and nearly died.
The Smiths had recently moved to the country, looking forward to “getting away from it all.” Mr. Smith was going to retire soon and he wanted to become a gentleman farmer. After they purchased their 3-acre ranchette, he immediately started whipping things into shape, fixing the old fencing and re-hanging doors on cabinets in the old barn.
But the barns and even parts of their home had become general living quarters for mice and rats. They were everywhere, so Smith went to the local store and purchased some poisonous bait. It seemed easy enough to use and he liked the idea that these pests would quietly go off and die … much nicer than if they had to trap them.
Poison baits are popular in areas where mice and rats are unwelcome residents. The more common bait types contain a drug that thins the blood and causes hemorrhage, either internal or external. The victim mouse eats this material and, hours or days later, begins bleeding until he exsanguinates (bleeds to death). The process is usually painless.
The problem here is that these same rodenticide baits taste good to dogs. They actually attract dogs with their appearance and their smell. Even worse, if a dog eats this material, the clinical signs of bleeding don’t appear for several hours to several days.
And, if the bleeding is internal (inside the body cavities), there are no signs of any problem until it is almost too late. A dog owner often has no idea his pet is in immediate danger of dying.
Buddy was acting uncharacteristically quiet so the Smiths took him to his vet. His veterinarian alertly made the diagnosis and, with a blood transfusion and treatment, he survived. Other than the fact they had a large vet bill, the Smiths were lucky. Many victim dogs don’t get treatment early enough and die before they are given a chance. Buddy was able to walk away from this one.
But the lesson here is simple. If you use any type of rodenticide or insecticide, be extremely careful to keep it in an area completely inaccessible to any pets. The consequences of careless useage are too great.
