My Dog ate a dead mouse that was poisoned. What do I do?

A lot have asked the question “My Dog ate a dead mouse that was poisoned. what do i do?” Now that is a very scary thing to happen to a dog. Even the thought of it is enough to throw someone off his game. Eating a dead mouse is awful on it’s own, what’s more awful is eating a dead mouse that was poisoned.

You remember Eric from the plane episode yeah? Yes Eric who had a dog and wanted to travel with it? Yes that Eric. Do you remember his friend John? Well his friend John bought a dog. Eric had spoken to him at length about it, and it seemed like a good idea. He had seen the way Eric’s dog had replaced him in Eric’s life as his (Eric’s) best friend, and he wanted something like that for himself.

He went ahead and bought himself a boxer, and he was happy for a while. He and his boxer became best of friends. It effectively replaced Eric in his life. Tit for Tat they say. Well that was until tragedy struck!!

Exactly a year to the day he bought it, his boxer went scurrying after a mouse. He eventually found it dead, took it in his paws and quickly threw it into it’s mouth. Little did the dog know that the mouse had already eaten the poison John had set out for it to eat. You see, John had been having a mouse cataclysm. They had bred and bred till they were nearly taking over his house, and he didn’t want to call the Animal workers. He didn’t want to seem irresponsible enough to have let mouses take over his house.

He also didn’t want to get a cat, because he knew that the cat and his dog would always be at logger heads, and he didn’t have the strength to take care of that kind of trouble. That’s why he bought mouse poisons. He bought different types and placed them at different parts of the house. This time, he was all out for the mouses and was determined to end their reign of terror. Little did he know that he was dooming his dog to a terrible death.

Yes! John’s dog ate one of the mouses that had already eaten of the poisons. It was a terrible thing, John watching his dog whine and gasp for breath. It eventually began frothing at the mouth before dying. John was traumatized, and never got another dog.

Now this is a very sad tale, but replicas of this exact event have played out in so many homes across the United States. It’s a really dad thing when people do not know how to handle situations like this. In case you didn’t get the gist from the story I just told, Poison is poisonous whether ingested directly or indirectly, or by a dog or a mouse. It can kill your dog. It can make it die a death of anguish.

However, I do not mean to scare you. That is not my intent, far from it. I want you to be prepared for what could happen and be in a pole position to handle it effectively. So the question remains “What do you do when your dog eats a poisoned mouse?” Well there are a number of things to do. We’ll take them one after the other. First let’s look at the problems that could cause this to happen.

First, your dog most probably likes chasing around small animals. Dogs naturally do this. They have a protective and possessive instinct, and do not want any other animal on their turf. Also, they can bully smaller animals naturally. Given that case, you can’t stop your dog from chasing small animals around.

The second problem that could likely cause this is the fact that these poisons are prepared with attractive and aromatic pieces of food. Your dog would be drawn by the scent and the sight of the food to eat it. If wouldn’t know that it was poisoned. Why should it? It’s not like it can converse with you. Given that case, it’s most likely going to eat food laced with rat poison. How do you take care of this problem?

Well it’s simple. Make sure that the poison laced food is kept in a place where the dog can’t reach, but where the mouse can reach. Make sure it’s secured and kept in crevices where the mouses go through but where the dog’s nose or mouth can’t fit.

Now, what kind of mouse poison can kill your dog?

There are four main types of mouse poison, depending on how they work and the effect on the animal.

1. Anticoagulant rodenticides:

This can lead to internal bleeding in your dog. It can also cause your dog to couch and vomit blood, and make it pass blood in feces and urine. The symptoms of the poison may not show for 3 or even up to 5 days after your dog has eaten it, so you might not know what is wrong with your dog.

2. Bromethalin:

This particular mouse poison can make the brain of your dog swell up within hours of taking it. It is very very lethal, and can be really hard for the vet doctor to treat. My advice? Don’t use it to kick out the rats in your house except you are entirely sure that it’s placed in places where your dog can’t reach.

3. Cholecalciferol:

This poison can lead to kidney failure in your dog. It is based on Vitamin D3, and can be really hard for Vets to treat. My advice remains the same as in no 2 above. Keep away from dogs.

4. Zinc and Aluminum phospides:

These poisons cause a release of phospine gases into the stomach and Gastro Intestinal tract of your dog, therebly causing very severe liver damage and even seizures. My advice remains the same as before. Keep far away from dogs.

Symptoms of Mouse Poisoning in Dogs

The next question going through your mind is; How do you know when your dog has eaten a poisoned mouse, or even a poisoned mouse food? Well here are the major symptoms associated with Secondary Mouse Poisoning in Dogs:

•  Your dog may have bleeding nose.
• Persistent Coughing may result.
• Your dog may collapse.
• It may have blood in it’s urine.
• It may have bruises on it’s body as well.
• It may have difficulty in breathing.
• It may come down with diarrhea.
• It may begin to urinate excessively.
• It may have decreased appetite.
• It may have halitosis.
• It may experience general weakness.
• It may start vomiting frequently, and might even vomit blood.
• It may have sudden paralysis.
• It may have swollen joints.
• It may be lethargic.
• It may experience seizures.
• It may become increasingly thirsty.
• It may have pale or bleeding gums.
• It may experience shaking and tremors.

However, what if your dog has already ingested the rat poison?

The one thing you can do in this situation is pick up the phone and immediately ring your Vet. They will direct you on what to do next. Make sure you tell them the exact symptoms your dog is going through. They will require you to bring the dog to the clinic, but before that happens, they might need you to apply some first aid. In that situation, it becomes imperative that you follow all of their instructions with a calm head. Do not do it with shaky hands. Breathe in, breathe out and then follow all their instructions to the latter. Your vet knows better about your dog than you do, so don’t try to act smart.

General Precautions and preventive measures.

Here are the general precautions to take to prevent your dog from eating poisoned whether primary or secondary.

1. Instead of using rat poisons to curb your rat problem, you can use an alternative. Human traps are a very good alternative.
2. Prevent your dog from having access to the places where the rats are mostly found.
3. If you use a mouse poison, make sure it’s kept in a bait trap and not left out in the open.
4. Employ a very good and professional pest control company to take care of your mouse problem.

If you adhere to all these precautions to the latter, you should be in a safer place as regards your fears of your dog eating rat poison, or an already poisoned rat.