My dog ate a rat. Should I worry about rat poison? What to do?

There are a couple things you should be concerned about, if your dog is not vaccinated then leptospirosis is a concern as Rats carry it and it is a serious disease in dogs (affecting the kidneys and liver). the main second concern is rat poison, if the rate ingested rat poison in the past couple weeks, then your dog could be poisoned too, these poisons are usually blood thinner which cause an animal to bleed to death, often it has a delayed action and the treatment for that is vitamin K, which must be given by your vet by injection first.

There are two things you can do: 1) nothing, just watch your dog for diarrhea and/or vomiting or paleness. If yoru dog vomits/gets diarrhea do the following: I would fast Bandit for 12 hours and then put her on bland food for two days, such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken meat, fed in small quantities over several feeds and then transition back to her regular food slowly over a few days. Should he get lethargic, and/or pale (check his gums), he needs to be seen by a vet as the rat may have died of rodenticide. OR 2) if your dog ate the rat within the past 90 minutes, take him to a vet to have him regurgitate the rat with a medication called apomorphine.

In these cases close monitoring is needed both for any possible wound/injury from the fight and possible poisoning (some of these rats can be poisoned with rodenticide). Any external wound, lethargy, inappetence, signs of cough, vomiting or diarrhoea should be checked by your local vet.

It can take between 1-7 days for signs of toxicity to occur, so you won't know if Bella is safe until about a week later. Keep an eye on her for signs of toxicity which include muscle tremors, hyper excitability, seizures, depression, hindlimb weakness, and ataxia. If you see any of those signs, rush her into a vet immediately. Best of luck.

Yes, Diesel is at risk from secondary poisoning from this. You need to take him into a vet immediately to get treated for rat bait poisoning. Do not wait until the morning, and this cannot be treated at home. This is a medical emergency, please take him into a vet now. I hope this helps!

I'd take Chubbs into a vet immediately for treatment to be safe. Depending on the type of poison, it can take days for signs of rat poisoning to appear in dogs. Bring the box of rat poison so the vet can treat him appropriately. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Silly Camper! My primary concern is actually the status of the rat. If it was dead or lethargic, or if there has been rat bait placed anywhere Camper could have gone, you need to see your vet first thing in the morning for Rat Poison antidote. Taken as a preventative, it should prevent any problems from occurring. Rat Poison is often FATAL in dogs if not treated and early treatment is very successful. So if there is ANY possibility, please see your vet. Otherwise, continue to monitor Camper. As long as he remains playful and energetic, with normal stool and no vomiting, you do not have much cause for concern. If any of that changes, its time to see your vet. Best of luck to you and Camper!