Having started my career as an emergency veterinarian, I still have a soft spot for toxin cases. There are a few household toxins that I saw many times at the ER and still see at Salmon Brook Vet. Over the next few issues, I will highlight some of the most common toxins we see, what they do and how we treat them. While I always want to keep these toxins away from our pets, this information is to give knowledge so that panic can be avoided in these stressful situations.
Rodenticides or rat poisons are the first toxin highlighted. Rodenticides can come in different forms but are mostly seen in blocks or pellets. There are three major types of rodenticides that all have a different effect on the body and require a different treatment. In 2024, ASPCA published a list of the most common toxins where rodenticides came in at #7. Seven percent of overall exposures they received calls about regarded rodenticides. Most of the blocks are peanut butter flavored and so dogs will often be drawn to them. The first step when a pet ingests rodenticides is for the owner to call ASPCA Pet Poison Helpline or Pet Poison Helpline. These poison controls have veterinary toxicologists on staff that can direct your veterinarian to the appropriate treatment as well as the severity of toxin exposure.
The anticoagulant types of rodenticides are the oldest available. They interfere with the production of vitamin K, which is essential to produce clotting factors. Without those clotting factors, the body has the inability to clot and bleeding will occur spontaneously. With quick action, we won’t see any symptoms. Without early intervention, we may see dogs or cats with bruising, bleeding from the gums or eyes or, in severe cases, internal bleeding. This is the only rodenticide with an antidote which, in my opinion, makes it safer to have with pets if there are no other options for rodent control. Once the pet who has ingested the rodenticide has walked through the vet doors, typically immediate action is taken. We usually start by inducing vomiting. While there is information on how to induce vomiting at home with hydrogen peroxide, this is no longer recommended due to the side effects. It is not the most efficient way to induce vomiting and it can leave your pet with significant stomach ulcers.
Once we have induced vomiting and spoken to poison control, treatment depends on the severity of ingestion. Typically, if the cat or dog does not have any symptoms, we will elect to start oral vitamin K supplementation for a minimum of 28 days, sometimes as long as six weeks. Three days after finishing the vitamin K course, we recommend checking a coagulation panel to see if the clotting factors are working as they should. If those values are normal, we are in the clear. If the values are abnormal, we continue vitamin K supplementation.
In the coming issues, I will discuss the other two types of rodenticides and how we handle exposures.