Rat Poison Ingredients

Rat poison or rodenticides are used all over the world to exterminate rats, mice or other similar rodents that may have invaded your home. In early times, traditional ingredients consisted of toxic chemicals such as arsenic, barium and thallium among other extremely poisonous substances. The use of these poisons was however, soon discontinued, as they were fatal for humans and pet animals. A lot of these poisons nowadays do carry warnings and a list of ingredients mentioned along with a suggested antidote in case of a poisoning.

What Are the Common Ingredients of Rat Poison?
Modern rat poisons usually contain any one of the following types of toxins in them:

• Anticoagulants: These are chemicals that cause internal bleeding in a rodent, as they block the production of the coagulating factors. Some of the common anticoagulants used are warfarins, indandiones and difethialone.
• Metal Phosphides: They are quick acting poisons that can kill a rat in a matter of a few hours by attacking vital organs as well as the central nervous system of the rat. Commonly used metal phosphides are zinc phosphide, used as baits to kill rats, as well as aluminum phosphide, calcium phosphide and magnesium phosphide which are fumigants.
• Calciferols: These are nothing but different forms of Vitamin D, namely Vitamins D2 and D3 also known as cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol, respectively. They work by increasing the calcium concentration in the body of a rodent, leading to calcification of organs and ultimately death. Calciferols need to be added to the poisons in high dosage for them to work effectively.

Are Rat Poisons Safe?
Rat poisons can be as dangerous to any other animals or birds as they are to rats. There are numerous cases of deaths due to rat poisoning in dogs and cats every year. That is the reason some of the strong poisons that are highly toxic are avoided in rodenticides. The use of anticoagulants is frequent in most commercial rat poisons because it works slowly and in case it is ingested by a pet or a human being, there is enough time to introduce an available antidote in to the system of the being, to counter its effects. Vitamin K1 is used as an antidote in such cases of poisoning. Some of the common rat poisoning symptoms are loss of hair, blood in urine or feces, bleeding gums, fatigue and dizziness. These are some of the commonest side effects which can be somewhat similar in pets as well. If they are not detected early enough it could even lead to death. It is always better that you find out more about rat poison and dogs and other animals, to keep your pets safe. In case of poisoning, report to a doctor immediately or try to induce vomiting if the ingestion is fairly recent.

Rat poisons do work effectively but need to be used with caution. This is because of the toxic nature of the ingredients they contain. Always store them out of the reach of pets and children, who may think it is a tasty tidbit and might ingest it unknowingly. Make sure you use gloves or wash your hands after coming in contact with rat poison. Be careful as nobody would enjoy dying a rat's death.