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My dog ate rat poison. How long until she's safe from toxicity?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 6 years and 11 months old | 60 lbs

Last night my dog ate a 1oz block of rat poison containing bromethalin. We induced vomit and she threw up some of it. We called our vet this morning and she told us to give her lots of liquids to flush her system out. She's not acting any differently from normal, shes eating, drinking, and playing. How long until we are in the clearing and we'll know she's 100% fine?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 9th, 2019

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on April 4th, 2018
It can take up to three or four days for symptoms of rat poison to show, so it's certainly still possible that Bella could be poisoned if she ate the rat poison. Without knowing the active ingredient in the poison, I can't say what signs specifically to look for, but I can say that she should see a vet immediately. If there is any chance at all she ingested this toxin, she needs to be treated by a vet now to be safe. Please bring her and the box of rat poison into a vet immediately. Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on December 26th, 2018
Yes, you can have a dog vomit it completely and not have any effects, but to be safe, I'd take Winston into a vet now to get checked out. It can take days for signs of rat poisoning to appear. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Macartney, BVet Med, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on September 11th, 2017
It seems possible that Bella has ingested rat poison (through eating a rat) I would take him to the veterinarian as soon as you can.

The symptoms of rat poison ingestion in dogs include loss of appetite, impaired movement, paralysis of the animal’s hind limbs, slight muscle tremors, generalized seizures, and a depression of the central nervous system. Consuming if a large amount may cause a sudden onset of muscle tremors, and even seizures.

Clinical signs usually develop within two to seven days if ingesting the rat poison, or bromethalin ingestion, however it is possible that signs will not develop for up to two weeks following ingestion. If poisoning is mild, with minimal bromethalin ingestion, symptoms may resolve within one to two weeks of onset, although some animals may continue to show signs for four to six weeks.

Here are some tips to help if you believe that Bella ingested poison.

https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-you-should-know-and-do-if-your-pet-is-poisoned
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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