Rat Poisoning Symptoms

Rat poison is safe to touch but hazardous if ingested. The most frequently asked question about the side effects of rat poison is, what is rat poison made of that it can produce such extreme symptoms? Rat poison is made of toxic chemicals and the most common type of rat poisons available contain anti-coagulant rodenticide chemicals. These coagulants deplete the amount of vitamin K in the rats and thus, kill them. If your pet swallows the rat poison the amount of vitamin K will deplete in the pet's body and so, the vet provides vitamin K to the pet in cases of rat poisoning. Other chemicals used for making rat poison are zinc phosphide and calciferols. Due to the use of such toxic chemicals, one can experience serious symptoms. Rat poison is a type of toxic pesticide and the rat poison symptoms in humans and animals are distinct.

Symptoms in Humans
If inadvertently a person swallows rat poison, the following rat poisoning symptoms may be observed:

• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Nosebleeds
• Bleeding of gums
• Difficulty while breathing
• Blood during diarrhea
• Loss of hair
• Extended bruising
• Urine containing blood
• Feeling of lethargy
• Death

Rat poisoning in humans gives a feeling of weakness, from which the person takes time to recover. Ingesting a huge amount of rat poison, in critical cases, can lead to death, due to heart complications or hemorrhage. If you are caught in a situation wherein you witness a case of rat poisoning, immediately contact the hotline for poison control. They will direct you to the appropriate authorities, who will be able to help you in such a situation.

Symptoms in Pets
The earlier you detect the signs of rat poisoning in dogs or cats, the less painful the treatment for your pet will be. The symptoms for cats and dogs differ, a dog might rarely swallow a rat who ingested poison, but there is quite a possibility that a cat might swallow a rat who is poisoned.

Symptoms in Dogs
Here, is a list of the symptoms of rat poisoning in the dogs.

• Fever
• Uncoordinated gait
• Muscle tremors
• Weakness
• Mild coughing
• Breathing problems or lung problems
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Extensive bruising
• Coma
• Loss of hair
• Slobbering
• Drooling
• Excitation
• Fatigue
• Coagulation of blood
• Blood present in stool
• Blood in the urine
• Bright green stool, if rat bait pellets are eaten
• Nosebleeds
• Internal bleeding of lungs
• Internal bleeding of gums
• Blood in saliva
• Rejecting food

Rat Poison Symptoms in Cats
A cat, if it swallows poison pellets or a rat who ate the poison, might show the following symptoms.

• Constant and loud crying
• Vomiting
• Excessive saliva coming out from mouth
• Troublesome sleep
• Seizures

If your pet is showing the symptoms of rat poisoning, take the pet to the veterinarian immediately for the dog care or cat care. The vet will induce vomiting within a period of two hours by giving the pet hydrogen peroxide. Then he will give the pet vitamin K, 2 times in a day for a period of 3 weeks or more. If it's been more than 2 days after the ingestion of the poison, the vet will check the clotting times and give your pet a plasma transfusion. In critical situations, the vet will supply the pet with intravenous fluids along with blood transfusions.

To prevent any rat poison side effects in your pet, keep all the medicines out of their reach. It is best if you store them in cabinets and lock the cabinets containing medicines. Whenever using rat poisons to kill rats make sure that you dispose all the poison safely after the rats are killed. It is wise to you keep your pet at a friend's or relative's place for few days, when you are using rat poison. So, keep in mind these poisoning symptoms and prevent any health complications.