My ferret ate rat poison. What are the signs and what should I do?

Poor Annabelle! She does have to see a vet right away, as rat bait poisoning is extremely serious and requires veterinary treatment. She will need activated charcoal to prevent any of the poison left in her stomach from being absorbed, and she will need vitamin K treatments. The vitamin K treatments are not the same as ones found in health stores, and it has to be prescribed by a vet. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com Please take her into a vet now.

Mila should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. This product is an anti-coagulant poison that inhibits normal blood clotting and leads to internal bleeding. Fortunately, there is an effective antidote (Vitamin K) but it's important to make sure you minimize the amount of poison Mila absorbs, and get her started on the antidote. Depending on the timing of the ingestion, your vet may make Mila vomit, and may give her something to minimize absorption, or they may recommend testing her current blood clotting ability. Then they will likely start her on a regimen of Vitamin K. Hope this helps! https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/long-acting-anticoagulants-mouse-and-rat-poison/

Yes, this indeed may become life threatening and I recommend you seek an emergency appointment for intravenous fluids and supportive care at any clinic you can get. There is no appropriate home remedy for such a severe presentation but try to maintain fluid intake as far as possible if he is able to swallow and not vomiting

Thank you for the follow-up information. This is a very serious toxicity especially in such a small dog. Brodifacom is a long-acting anticoagulant (LAAC). LAACs prevent the blood from clotting, resulting in internal bleeding. Long-acting anticoagulants work similarly to the “blood thinner” medications that people take (e.g., warfarin or Coumadin®). When dogs or cats ingest LAACs, it typically takes 3-5 days before signs of poisoning are visible. So you don't want to wait until she is clinical signs. You should have her treated now. Common signs of poisoning include signs of internal bleeding: lethargy, exercise intolerance, coughing, difficulty breathing (due to bleeding into the lungs), weakness, and pale gums. Less common signs include vomiting, diarrhea (with or without blood), nose bleeds, bruising, bloody urine, swollen joints, inappetence, and bleeding from the gums. With some types of LAACs ( like brodifacoum), it only takes a very small amount to cause poisoning. Other types of LAACs have a wider margin of safety (like bromadiolone) and it takes a larger amount to cause poisoning. In my opinion this is an emergency and you should get Minty to the vet ASAP.

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!

It can take up to four days for signs of rat bait poisoning to appear, and by then the dog is extremely sick. If you think this rat had gotten into rat bait, the best thing to do for your dogs is to take them into a vet immediately for treatment.

Decon is a highly toxic rat bait that cause death through the disruption of calcium and phosphorus ratio by absorption of vitamin D. Even very small quantities are toxic as only a .1mg/kg dose is known to start producing toxic effects. Also troubling is that clinical signs are sometimes not present for days after the ingestion. As a result, I would highly recommend bring Luna to your local ER for 24-48 hours of IV fluid therapy, Activated Charcoal, and generalized GI support. The use of charcoal in many toxic exposures is useful in up to and further than 24 hours in some cases. I would also encourage you to open up an active case to the ASPCA poison control hot line and provide the case number to your veterinarian should you go this route. It is about 65 dollar but gives you and your vet access to a board certified veterinary toxicologist. Hope this makes sense.