Our dog’s do not speak our language and they do not know that humans make poisons that resemble treats. We have to do better by them. Be proactive and be prepared.
Keep reading if you want to learn about:
- What you can do if your dog eats rat poison
- How Pi survived eating rat poison…
- …Plus resources that can save your dog’s life!
IF THIS IS A VETERINARY EMERGENCY PLEASE CALL YOUR VETERINARIAN OR POISON CONTROL IMMEDIATELY!
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE OR TREATMENT.
YES,
My Dog Ate Rat Poison
& Survived
We were visiting my parents for the weekend. Pi, our 20lb schnauzy mix, Pi loves her grandma’s and grandpa’s house because she gets to run around freely in the back yard and explore.
She has demonstrated that she knows what fruits not to mess with, however she remains a curious dog.
Routinely, I call out to her just to keep an eye on her and make sure things are going well as she free roams. I like to keep an eye on her in case something happens. [Spoiler alert: something happened.]
We were all outside enjoying the weather. Well, not really. We were occupied with trying to figure out how to put together a metal gazeebo and making it fit in this one spot near the pool.
Early in the process of remedying the gazeebo situation, the tags on Pi’s collar were too quiet for my liking.
You know that feeling you get when you know your fur baby [kiddos too] is up to no good? Well momma bear’s spidey senses were tingling.
As I called for her in the patio, my mom noticed the door for the little storage area on the side was propped open and Pi stuck her head out in response to my call.
The feeling of panic began to reveal itself on my mom’s face as she recognized that one of the three blocks of rat poison was missing.
One whole block of rat poison was missing!
[You’re right. Humane traps are the way to go. We are not here to talk about why there was rat poison in a normally secured storage area. We have bigger fish to fry.]
My mom started to outwardly, but lightly panic. She was confident there was three and Pi must have eaten one whole block.
Yeah… This is not good. Nope, not good at all.
If pieces of those rat poison blocks efficiently neutralize rats, then of course we are in a terrible situation if Pi ate a whole block!
At this point I am thinking a few things simultaneously
- Thank goodness we found her!
- What time is it?
- Let’s figure out if she really did eat poison.
- If she did we need to get it out.
- We can figure out how much poison she ate after we get some or all out.
Note to SELF: [Grab a bottle with a lid and put your own panic in there for later…]
//1//
stay on task and be calm
Time is relative, and in an emergency situation timing is everything. Take a minute to find a phone, a watch or look at a shadow. Having a sense of time will help keep the focus during an emergency especially when working against the clock.
A key thing to remember here is to stay calm. Seriously. Stay calm.
Dogs can sense fear, discomfort, and panic amongst other emotions. It is important not to transfer your fear and panic onto the dog.
If Pi did eat the rat poison, I don’t want her to bolt in the opposite direction. Time is of the essence. Secondly, speeding up her heart rate can increase the amount of poison circulating in her body.
//2//
assess the shituation
First things first; we had to figure out if she actually ate rat poison.
“Pi… Come here…Good girl…Smile!…Let me see your teeth…Good girl.”
Nightmare CONFIRMED.
Yep! The green crocodile goblin is all in between her teeth.
These rat poison blocks are dyed green and it was obvious she had been chowing down on death.
There is no time to dwell on the “how did this happen?” right now…because it already happened. With this unfortunate discovery, I had to remind myself “What’s done, is done. Now it is time to fix the situation.”
Yes, I mentioned that my dog, Pi, has demonstrated she knows for the most part what NOT to eat.
So then …Why did she not know that the rat poison wasn’t a treat?
The rat poison had the slight odor of peanut butter. Why did the rat poison smell like peanut butter? Because peanut butter extract is used as an ingredient in rat poison to attract rats!
Try explaining that in a calm voice after this experience. [Insert blank stare here]
No part of this is funny, but in hindsight while appreciating everyone’s’ efforts I can laugh [out of disbelief] at my mom’s panicked state of mind and voice versus my calmness.
I knew once I confirmed Pi had eaten the block of rat poison, my mom would start freaking out. Dogs channel our energy and it was important that Pi stayed calm.
//3//
Take Charge
Find that inner confident yet zen sense of urgency, pick your brain and channel that survival mode because go time started before we found her.
My dad and hubby were both working on the gazeebo. One was on a ladder and the other a step stool. Both were busy with tools in hand and focused on the job.
I needed my mom to calm down a bit [without tapping into the part of my extensive vocabulary she is unaware exists]. So I sent her on a mission:
“Mom, go find the bottle of hydrogen peroxide.”
There was once a time where the only thing I knew about dogs, was how stinkin’ cute they are. upon becoming a dog momma, I Googled everyyyything.
One of the many things I put away in my brain for later use [come on… dogs get into everything, you know this would be used at least once in their lifetime] is that hydrogen peroxide can be used to force a dog to puke in extreme shituations.
THANK YOU INTERNET! [Before net neutrality]
So my mom rushed to retrieve the hydrogen peroxide.
I held Pi and calmly proceed to announce to my hubby and dad that their assistance is needed because Pi ate rat poison. No one asked questions. They headed our way and took directions VERY well I must add.
Truthfully if they asked questions, I really don’t remember hearing any. The brain clicking noises were loud in my head. I was mentally calculating outcomes and our next steps.
//5//
what's the plan boss?
It’s interesting how a person can go into auto pilot and all of the minuscule details and observations made in a lifetime come together as we decide how to proceed in emergency situations.
Next Steps:
- Continue to stay calm!
- Use hydrogen peroxide [H2O2] to make Pi puke out the poison.
How do you get any dog to drink H2O2? Think of ways to get any dog to eat or drink anything in general.
“For my dog, what is the best method to get her to consume the effective amount of hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]?”
I know that shoving spoonful after spoonful of hydrogen peroxide down Pi’s throat is traumatizing and will cause panic. So that method is out.
I also know that she will not willingly just drink it from a bowl, much less drink an adequate amount [approximately 2-3tsp of hydrogen peroxide [H2O2] for a 20lb dog is needed].
I do know that currently, we have to put water with her dry food to get her to drink water. Therefore, the thought was to pour the H2O2 into a bowl with food.
My mom grabbed the bowl and food for Pi. I mixed a little bit of food and water with the peroxide.
No, I don’t want to promote digestion by having her eat food, but the peroxide would make her puke the little that she has eaten.
I looked at the bottle and realize it has been opened and it is expired. The drug store is around the corner, so I sent my dad for fresh hydrogen peroxide.
[We are no more than 3 minutes into this nightmare, and it seems like forever!]
//6//
ready, set, ACTION!
In the meantime I did not want to waste precious time. So I poured a little bit of the hydrogen peroxide [H2O2] in my hand and licked it. I instantly knew the expiration date was merely a suggestion.
I then handed the leash to Pi’s papa and said with disgust [and so much relief]:
“it is going to do the job fine, but I’ll be behind that tree for a minute.”
Trust me when I say you WILL know if is going to work!
Pi lapped up the liquid and proceeded to eat some of her food. She abruptly stopped. Her mouth began to foam.
For the first time in this whole ordeal my heart shot up to my brain. I remember thinking:
“oh crap, she isn’t puking. Is she having a bad reaction or is it cleaning her teeth?”
Less than 40 seconds later… the puking began. [Insert short sigh of relief]
The hydrogen peroxide must have been reacting with the rat poison that was woven between her teeth.
“…stupid green crocodile goblin!”
The first two pukes dispelled the green crocodile goblin covered in white foam.
The last four pukes were her breakfast [which she ate at 8am] and absolutely no signs of green rat poison in her last puke.
[Jiminy cricket and friends doing an abbreviated version of the happy dance on my shoulders.]
Pi did not continue to puke after the hydrogen peroxide induced vomit session.
She just walked over to me and laid down. I washed her face off and watched her for a few minutes.
No one wanted to move.
No one was sure if they were allowed to feel relieved.
No one knew if the punch line was yet to come.
We all thought it would be best to let Pi relax. Pi was escorted to her nice, cool, and comfy crate.
//7//
there's more?!
WAHOOOO!!!!! Job well done team! However, we are not out of the woods yet.Sit back and enjoy a ride on Dr. DoOm’s drop of fear…
Now its time to go to the clinic for a quick blood eval and a script for vitamin K in order to reverse the anticoagulants in the rat poison if any was left in her system.
As I headed down this path of thinking, I grabbed the rat poison product bag just to see if indeed Warfarin was the anticoagulant that was used.
[Warfarin also known as Coumadin, is a common anticoagulant prescribed as a medication- prevents the blood from clotting quickly. In the case of poison, it can lead to hemorrhaging.]
STOP THE TRAIN! Bromethalin does not sound like a familiar anticoagulant. Oh wait… that’s because it’s NOT!
So apparently Bromethalin is a neuro toxin that has NO ANTIDOTE!
Alrighty then…just remain calm. [IF LOOKS COULD KILL, my eyes would have burned a hole in the rat poison packaging, like cyclops with no glasses!]
No one has time for jigsaw puzzles these days, but no time like the present to start a new hobby.
I love my husband! He probed through Pi’s puke to gather the green crocodile goblin pieces of rat poison in order to approximate the amount of rat poison consumed and dispelled.
It should be known that he pieced together “a whole bar of rat poison with rough edges.” [The one time I am glad she doesn’t thoroughly chew her food!]
Confident that Pi expelled most if not all of the nasty crocodile, I turned to my buddy for further help.
“Okay Google… teach me about the green devil.” This is what I found…
[Loosely put…] The FDA and EPA made a judgement that forced the rat poison industry back in 2011 to switch from anticoagulants to a neuro toxin because it is more effective. [Insert blank stare]
According to Merk’s Manual for Veterinary Medicine, Bromethalin is neuro toxin that cannot be reversed. If accidentally ingested, this toxin must be expelled in 20 minutes.
So, we got it out in 5 minutes! Yay go us…right?!
MEH… it means nothing if the following occurs: The neuro-toxin Bromethalin, which is the main active ingredient found in the rat poison, causes cerebral edema.
GREAT! [Insert LOUD and colorful adjectives here]
Signs of cerebral edema include, but are not limited to:
- Seizures
- Muscle tremors
- Pupillary changes
- Hallucinations
- Lack of coordination
- A drunk looking dog
THANK YOU: Merk’s Manual For veterinary Medicine!
//8//
and thennnnn... no more and then please!
Well on that note I called the pet clinic!
The clinic said they are closing for Easter and that I need to call an emergency pet hospital.
The emergency pet hospital said “you need to call poison control or if you came here we would call poison control.”
I knew to use hydrogen peroxide [H2O2] in this situation, but I did not have poison control’s number saved in my phone!? [What the hey?!]
I quickly learned that poison control isn’t free.
Months later I learned that depending on the poison control number you call and if your dog is chipped, the fee may be waived the first time you call. Hopefully, you do not have to find out!
Since I was not going to go bargain hunting, I chose a poison control hotline that seemed reputable. [Full disclosure: I used the “innie minnie miney mo” method to choose…]
Poison control asked [after $50ish] many questions to best advise us on the situation.
Based on the rat poison package, Pi’s weight, and poison control calculations, can you guess the lethal dose of Bromethalin for Pi and the amount she gobbled?
Well one bar is 28 grams. She ate the whole thing and she is about 20lbs.
Not only did she consume the lethal dose, Pi ATE ABOUT 1.5 GRAMS OVER THE LETHAL DOSE FOR HER WEIGHT!
They instructed me to wait to feed Pi anything until 2 hours after puking has resolved and to watch for any of the symptoms of cerebral edema [mentioned above].
After describing the event in extensive detail to poison control, I was then informed that we acted correctly and handled the situation well.
Yay! Go team! Time for lunch under that gazeebo. Yes, this all happened before lunch.
//9//
observation ward
Poison control said she should be fine. They asked if I would be comfortable monitoring her overnight, and if I was not comfortable with that responsibility, then to take her to a clinic.
She stayed home where she would be comfortable and not anxious. [Please keep in mind that every dog and situation is different.]
The biggest concern at this point was that she needed to stay calm and relaxed so that we could observe her in that state.
Pi stayed in solitary confinement for 2 hours, and I checked on her every 15 minutes.
I had her come out and “walk the line” in order to subjectively measure her sobriety.
Seriously? A sobriety test on a dog? I can barely walk a straight line.
After “relaxing” in our own little observation ward, Pi beat the evil green crocodile goblin thing!
My dog ate rat poison. By the graces of my family, the cosmic forces, and the internet collectively, she survived!
We re-introduced her to water. Pi will seldom drink water without edibles included, so a little plain rice was added to encourage her to drink the water.
Pi was fed regular portions thereafter at her scheduled meal times.
Poor pooch was starving so she began sneaking table food.
She stole a whole slice of buttered toast from my mom’s plate off of the table and later stole my banana from the counter.
She is a dog, but she doesn’t steal table food!
Until now, she has never had buttered toast!
No, we do not condone this behavior, but reprimanding an extremely hungry pooch was unreasonable given the circumstance.
[Insert unabbreviated version of flash mob happy dance]
Everything was rainbows and unicorns. And she lives happily ever after.
For those of you still wondering… no, grandma and grampa are not using rat poisons anymore.
in summary...do this:
- Stay calm, take charge and act swiftly
- Create a pet first aid kit
- Check expiration dates periodically
- Take time to know your pooch
- Have animal poison control programmed in your brain or phone:
- ASPCA Animal Poison control:
(888) 426-4435 [ASPCA $65 consultation fee, but no charge if the call involves a product covered by the Animal product Safety service.]
No additional charge for follow-up calls made for the same issue (888)299-2973
- Pet Poison Helpline:
(800) 213-6680 [$59 consultation fee]
- Approximately 2-3tsp of hydrogen peroxide [H2O2] for a 20lb dog in necessary to induce vomiting
Consider humane rat/mouse traps and do not let the consultation fee be a reason to not call poison control. Your beloved furry family member’s life is at stake.
The fee allows for the help to be available.
Pet poison control unlike human poison control does not have government funding.
I hope no one else has to go through this ordeal. If you do find dog in an unfortunate tango with the green goblin crocodile [RAT POISON], I hope this information proves to be helpful.
Our dog’s do not speak our language and they do not know that humans make poisons that resemble treats. We have to do better by them and be prepared.
I am not a professional. I am a fellow pooch companion hardwired to share my experiences.
Please call your vet or poison control for professional medical advice!
Has anything like this ever happened to you? What would you have done differently?
