My dog ate a Combat roach trap. Is it toxic? What should I do?

The roachbait is not toxic to dogs. The only problem dogs have with the bait is the bait box if they swallow it. It could cause an intestinal obstruction or blockage. So, if Gretchen did not eat the baitstation/box, she should be alright. Seems like roach bait smells goooood to dogs, too!

While the ant bait itself is mildly toxic, the concern lies in if Tim ate the trap's plastic housing. It's possible that the plastic housing could cause an intestinal tract obstruction or damage to the GI tract . If he just chewed it and didn't eat any part of the trap itself, he should be just fine. If he did eat the plastic housing, I would monitor him for sign of obstruction and damage to the GI tract such as lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, blood in the vomit, diarrhea, and blood in the feces. If you see any of those signs, I would have Tim seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

Thanks for providing your dog's weight and the active ingredient in the roach trap in your question - it's very helpful for us! :) The good news is, this is not likely to cause any serious problems at all for Amber. Chlorpyrifos is a common ingredient in roach and ant traps. An average trap like this contains about 2 grams of 0.5% chlorpyrifos bait, or about 10 mg chlorpyrifos total. In a 70 pound dog, this works out to a total dose of about 0.3 mg/kg. Doses of up to 3 mg/kg (which is 10 times as much as Amber ingested) have been shown in studies to cause no significant issues. It's possible that she might have some minor stomach upset, but otherwise I would expect her to be just fine.

There are a variety of ant traps on the market. Most contain a small percentage of a substance poisonous for the ants, and a large percentage of a sugary or greasy substance to attract the ants to eat the poison. For instance, the packaging on Raid Ant Baits lists n-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide .5% and 99.5% inert ingredients. The .5% is so small that there is no danger to your animal if ingested. Other traps contain a chemical commonly used to kill fleas and if ingested is just as benign. The inert ingredient for the Raid trap happens to be peanut butter. So of course, your dog smells a treat and tries to chew it up to get to the peanut butter! So if an ant trap is ingested, the main concern is the potential for obstruction if the object or container becomes lodged in the stomach or intestines. If your dog chewed up one of the plastic traps and consumed some of the sharp pieces we recommend you feed several small pieces of bread or other type of fiber that can help the pieces pass through the animal without harm. Keep an eye on him/her to make sure eating, drinking, and defecation all continue as normal. Also, you can expect some vomiting and maybe even a little diarrhea from eating a non-food item. If the vomiting or diarrhea becomes persistent and your dog’s attitude or behavior changes, get in to see the vet right away.

Luckily roach bait traps aren't very toxic to dogs, but eating the plastic would cause Lilly Mae stomach upset, leading to the vomiting. I can give you a home remedy for her to see if that helps. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, she vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away.

The good news is that these traps have a small amount of product and Indoxacab isn't toxic to dogs in small amounts. In most cases, exposure to these traps usually does not require any treatment. Typically if signs are seen at all, they are mild in nature, self-limiting, and usually attributed to the inert ingredients instead of the active ingredient. Don't be surprised if you see a little vomiting or diarrhea. However, there are some ant baits that ALSO contain forms of arsenic that can result in more severe GI signs. It doesn't seem like this one does, so you got very lucky with this.

I just checked out the information on the Combat website, and this is what is says: "The active ingredients in Combat products are either fipronil or hydramethylnon. These ingredients are fatal to insects, such as ants and roaches, but have been shown to have a very low toxicity in humans and domestic animals." I would rinse your cats's mouth out with warm water in case there is any gel left in there. I would monitor your cat to be safe. If you see any signs of vomiting, diarrhea, muscles tremors, convulsions, or lethargy, those can be signs of a reaction to the poison, and then I would take him into the vet immediately. There is no specific antidote, but he may need supportive treatment for his symptoms. You would see a reaction to this ingestion within a couple of hours, so if he's still acting normal by tomorrow, he will be fine.