Nunes’ owners returned home recently to find the 4 year old American Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the back yard with some very concerning torn up packaging. She had managed to get into the bin and pull out an old box of rodenticide poison and promptly have a party with it in the backyard! Although there were no visible signs that Nunes had ingested the bait, her owners knew that this spelt trouble, and rushed her down to the Narre Warren team to figure out what the next steps should be.
Rat bait toxicity in dogs is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when a dog ingests rodenticides. These baits are designed to be attractive to rodents but can also be appealing to curious dogs. Rodenticides can contain various active ingredients that disrupt the normal blood clotting process in both rodents and other animals. The most common type of rodenticides used are anticoagulant rodenticides, which work by interfering with Vitamin K, an essential component in the blood clotting process.
When a dog ingests rat bait, the toxic substances interfere with the blood’s ability to clot properly. This leads to internal bleeding, which may be hidden and not immediately apparent. The initial symptoms of rat bait toxicity in dogs may not appear until several days (generally 72 hours) after ingestion, making it essential for owners to seek immediate veterinary attention if there is any suspicion of exposure.
Some symptoms of rat bait toxicity in dogs are; lethargy and weakness, pale gums, rapid breathing or difficulty breathing, coughing or vomiting blood, bloody or dark stools, bruising or unexplained bleeding from the nose, mouth, or other body openings, a swollen abdomen (caused by internal bleeding), lameness or reluctance to move due to joint bleeding. Unfortunately, once these types of symptoms present themselves, the rat bait has well and truly gotten to work and intense hospitilisation and supportive care are necessary to save the animals life. Luckily for Nunes, her owners caught her in the act and were leaving nothing to chance.
Dr. Jon suggested inducing vomiting straight away to see if Nunes would bring up any of the bait that she could have potentially ingested when playing with the packaging. Her owners waited anxiously, hoping that Nunes would bring up the toxic substance, but all she regurgitated was some grass.
Not willing to take any chances, Dr. Jon recommended an ACT blood test (Activated Clotting Time) to evaluate Nunes’ blood clotting ability three days later. A prolonged ACT result would indicate that Nunes did in fact ingest some rat bait. 72 hours later, her results confirmed the worst, that her coagulation time was indeed prolonged, indicating the need to commence immediate treatment. Nunes is currently on a long course of Vitamin K tablets, the antidote for rat bait toxicity, which will help restore her clotting times to normal and prevent life-threatening hemorrhages. Luckily for Nunes, this was all she needed to make a full recovery! Her owners are very thankful that Nunes didn’t hide her misdemeanour too well and they were able to get the help she needed before it was too late. She promises not to raid any rubbish bins again for awhile!