Don’t Take the Bait: Keep Your Pets Safe from Rodenticides
Everyone’s experienced the battle of the bug, but insects aren’t the only critters who regularly invade homes. Mice, rats and other rodents also seek cover in our cozy dwellings. Chemical bait products can be effective agents against these unwelcome houseguests, but they also pose a serious health risk for curious cats and dogs.
In 2007, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) handled 7,600 cases of pets exposed to rodenticides—nearly 23 percent of all pesticide-related calls. Anticoagulant rodenticides, which include many types of bait on the market, accounted for most accidents.
According to Dr. Steve Hansen, Senior Vice President of Animal Health Services, “Some baits contain inactive ingredients meant to attract rodents, but can be attractive to pets as well.” Dogs are generally most susceptible to exposure, but cats and other small pets are also at risk. Even domestic rodents can escape from their cages and accidentally eat bait not intended for them. Ingestion may result in life-threatening problems such as bleeding, seizures or damage to the kidneys or other vital organs. That’s why, according to the APCC, it’s important to place rodenticides in an area that is completely inaccessible to pets.
For cat lovers who are concerned about their mouse-chasing felines, the APCC has some good news. Poisonings from the consumption of rodents who’ve ingested toxic baits are not typically a concern. Says Hansen, “Generally, the greater concern with the ingestion of rodents or other wildlife involves the potential risk of disease or bacterial gastroenteritis. Because of this, we still advise pet parents to contact their veterinarian.”
As always, if you think your pet has ingested rat or mouse bait—or any other toxic substance—please call your veterinarian or the APCC’s 24-hour emergency hotline at (888) 426-4435. For more pet poison prevention tips, please visit our website.
October 3, 2008 at 10:36 am
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