My dog ate rat poop, is lethargic and won't eat. What should I feed?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, he should see a veterinarian. He may not be eating due to dietary indiscretion from eating the bird or mouse or it could even be due to a gastrointestinal obstruction. I am afraid that if he is not drinking water he may be becoming dehydrated. They would be able to check for these possibilities and most importantly start him on medications to make him feel better. Good luck and have a great day!

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be a sign of nausea. I think that if this continues, Zekie should be evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They may be able to look into this so that it can be treated. Further diagnostics would include general labwork and abdominal imaging. You can try giving him a bland diet such as one composed mainly of boiled chicken and white rice to entice his appetite. Good luck and have a good night!

Eating a rat likely will not cause problems unless the rat was poisoned with rat poison or had already been dead for a while. Your puppy may get a bit of diarrhea or start vomiting. If that happens, start feeding her some white boiled rice with boneless boiled white chicken meat for a day and then slowly introduce her normal food again. Watch his gums for color (they should be pink, not white or bluish) and little specks of blood (petechiae). If her gums turn white or you see petechiae within the next few days, you need to take Kilo to a vet right away, as the rat may have ingested (and died from) anticoagulant rat poison and Kilo would need to be treated with Vitamin K1 tablets.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Dude. That’s not good. Rats carry many diseases like leptospirosis, which can pass along to a dog. In addition, if the rat was poisoned with rat poisoning, that will make the dog sick and kill them. I’m very concerned about him and I think he needs to see a vet immediately. Please take him into an ER vet now. Best of luck.

Hi and thanks for your request. It is unlikely that toxicity is a problem at this stage. Differentials for inappetence are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. The approach must be logic, starting from offering different kind of food.I would recommend a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. A check up is needed if inappetence lasts for more than 24hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Given the lack of clinical signs besides lethargy and inappetence, there is not much else to go on here. I would consider obtaining a rectal thermometer tomorow and checking for a fever (above 102.5), which might suggest the presence of an infection or inflammation. If you detect a fever, I would definitely suggest getting Rusty to the vet sometime soon. If there is no fever, but his condition does not get better by Monday he should be taken in for an examination regardless. You can certainly try and feed Rusty something that would normally be considering irresistible just to see if he will accept it, rather than just his normal dog food. Anyway, hope this helps and that Rusty is feeling better soon. It is entirely possible that he might just feeling a little under the weather or maybe could have eaten something he shouldn't have that upset his stomach. If this is the case, the symptoms should pass with short time.