Why it is dangerous to dogs
Bait for mice and rats is made to taste good, so it tempts dogs too. It is put out in sheds, garages, cellars, farm buildings and around blocks of flats. A dog can eat pellets or blocks from a bait box, find bait that rodents have carried off, or eat a poisoned mouse.
Some poisons stop the blood from clotting: the dog bleeds inside and out, and the signs only appear days later, while the dog still seems well. Others act on the nervous system or the kidneys. You cannot tell from the signs which poison was eaten, so knowing the product matters a great deal.
If your dog may have eaten bait or a poisoned rodent, contact a vet or an emergency clinic straight away, even if it seems well. Tell them when it could have happened, and take the packaging or a photo of it with you.
What to watch out for
- Blood clotting can fail: the gums or nose bleed, bruises appear, or there is blood in the urine or stool.
- Bleeding inside the body can cause weakness, pale gums and laboured breathing.
- Other poisons can cause tremors and seizures or damage the kidneys.
- Signs may only appear days later, when the danger seems to have passed.
- Put bait only where your dog cannot reach it, and ask your neighbours whether they use poison.
The forms it comes in
The same substance can turn up in different places.
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Pellets, blocks and paste
DangerousEvery form of bait is dangerous, even bait rodents have carried out of the box.
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A poisoned rodent
DangerousThe poison stays in the rodent's body, so tell the vet about an eaten mouse or rat too.
What it can cause
Signs that can appear after eating it. Each page explains what to look out for and when to hurry to a vet.