The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center advises pet owners to use caution when using products to eradicate rats, mice and other rodents, known as rodenticides. In 2005, approximately 7,000 cases involving animal exposures to rodenticides were managed — nearly twenty-two percent of all pesticide calls to the Center. 

 

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The most common active ingredients found in rat and mouse baits are anticoagulants, which interfere with blood clotting processes. Ingredients of this type include warfarin, brodifacoum, bromadiaoline, difacinone and difethialone. Other formulations can contain bromethalin, cholecalciferol, zinc phosphide or strychnine, which are designed to kill rodents by affecting various other critical body systems. Some baits may also contain inactive ingredients meant to attract rodents, and these ingredients can sometimes be attractive to pets as well.

 

According to Dr. Steve Hansen, Senior Vice-President of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, “If a pet ingests a rodenticide, potentially serious or even life-threatening problems can result, which may include bleeding, seizures or damage to the kidneys and other vital organs.” Therefore, when using any rodenticide it is important to place the product in areas that are completely inaccessible to companion animals. 

 

“Poisonings resulting from the consumption of rats, mice or other rodents that have ingested a rodenticide are not typically a concern in companion animals unless their staple diet consists mainly of rodents,” advises Dr. Hansen. “Generally, the greater concern with the ingestion of rodents or other wildlife involves the potential risk of disease transmission or bacterial gastroenteritis. Because of this, we would still advise pet owners to contact their local veterinarian if they suspect their pet may have ingested a rodent or other wild animal.”

 

If you suspect that your pet may have ingested a rodenticide, immediately contact your local veterinarian or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for assistance, and be sure to have the container or package information readily available so that a proper identification of the rodenticide's ingredients can be made for appropriate treatment.

 

About ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center

For over 27 years, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has been the premier animal poison control center in North America. The center is an allied agency of the University of Illinois. Located in Urbana, Illinois, it is the only facility of its kind staffed by 25 veterinarians including 10 board-certified toxicologists and 14 certified veterinary technicians.