Pick up any dead rodents you see around the place to minimise the chance of dogs and cats eating them – dead rodents are enough to cause toxicity in dogs and cats.
Take Your Dog to the Vet for a Checkup
You want to be sure that there are no other implications associated with eating or having a rat in the dog's mouth. Rats may not transmit scabies but remember this is a dead rat. It could be a host for lots of hungry disease-causing bacteria and other pathogens.
If you suspect your pet ingested an anticoagulant rodenticide, it is important to contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline, a 24/7 animal poison control center, at 1-800-213-6680 right away to help determine the risk of poisoning to your pet.
It is best to keep your dog away from dead animals that they may encounter while outside. Dead animals could have ingested a toxin, such as rat or mouse poison that would, in turn, be dangerous for a dog to consume. Dead animals may also be carrying dangerous bacteria that your dog could be exposed to.
Dead mice can contain poison and be harmful to your pup if consumed. There are a few types of common rodenticide poisons which are commonly used in mouse traps.
Whilst catching a mouse or a rat may be a natural activity for cats and in some cases, dogs, eating rodents can have undesirable consequences on our pets. Dangers include infection from intestinal worms and/or toxoplasmosis as well as the possibility of suffering from secondary rat bait poisoning.
“The fatal bacterial infection is spread by rats and other rodents. Dogs can become infected by direct contact (from a rat bite or from eating a rat) and indirect contact (drinking urine-contaminated water or licking contaminated soil).”
You can clean it directly by wrapping a cloth around your finger and gently wiping it out with salt water, baking soda or even coconut oil. Be careful not to gag your dog. Alternatively, you can add mouthwash to your dog's water or increase his natural saliva production with a dental chew.
While dogs are known to eat anything and everything and seem to have stomachs made of steel, eating any sort of dead animal can pose a health risk. Dead animals may carry bacteria, parasites or toxins that could make your dog seriously ill.
Less common signs include vomiting, diarrhea (with or without blood), nose bleeds, bruising, bloody urine, swollen joints, inappetence, and bleeding from the gums. Your pet will die in 3-5 days after eating these baits. Luckily there is an antidote IF we see your pet in time.
Many dog owners do not realize rat poison has been placed by their landlord or an exterminator until an emergency room veterinarian suspects rodenticide intoxication. A blood test showing abnormal blood clotting can confirm the diagnosis. Anticoagulant rodenticide intoxication can be successfully treated.
“My pet ate poison, so I gave milk. Is there anything else I need to do?” Unfortunately there is nothing magical in milk that neutralizes medicines or other toxins.
Getting rid of a rat carcass could put you at risk of becoming ill, so it is best to contact a rodent control professional to handle these situations. However, if you insist on doing it yourself, here's how to properly dispose of a dead rat. You'll need the following according to the CDC: Protective gloves and clothing.
The danger of a dead animal
If no action is taken, these bloodsuckers will eventually begin searching for a new food source, namely you and any other mammal in the house. If this happens, you run the risk of contracting bite-transmitted diseases, some of which cause organ failure and death.
Dead rats can start to smell within 24 hours and the smell can last for several weeks. To minimize the smell, the body should be removed and disposed of as soon as possible. The smell of a dead rat can last for several weeks depending on the temperature, humidity, and airflow in the area.
If your dog has eaten a dead mouse, you must immediately call your local pet poisoning hotline or veterinarian. Depending on the severity of your dog's symptoms, a veterinarian may induce vomiting to remove as much of the poisoned mouse as possible.
If your dog ate rat poison, signs can vary dramatically and will depend on the location of bleeding. Signs may include bleeding from the gums, blood in the stool (or black tarry stool), blood in the urine, lethargy, weakness, coughing, shortness of breath, seizures, difficulty walking and potentially sudden death.
Most Common Symptoms:
Weakness/Collapsing. Difficulty breathing. Coughing (with or without blood) Pale or bleeding gums.
Affected dogs show signs 30 minutes to 4 hours after ingesting the poison. Initially affected dogs become anxious and have an elevated body temperature. Panting is usually seen. Progressively they become worse and staggery.
The clinical signs of leptospirosis vary. Common clinical signs reported in dogs include fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, refusal to eat, severe weakness and depression, stiffness, or severe muscle pain.
Leptospirosis has been found in people and dogs in all five boroughs. Many different animals can carry the bacteria that cause leptospirosis. In NYC, rats are the most common source.
Rats carry a bacterial disease, called Leptospirosis, which can make dogs and humans very sick and even lead to life-threatening liver and kidney damage. The rats do not actually get sick with the disease but will shed the bacteria in their urine. Exposure to rat urine can make dogs and humans very, very sick.
Use Non-toxic Rat Traps
It's a non-toxic rat trap designed with a small opening to attract rodents to the bait. The opening is wide enough to allow rodents in, but too small for dogs to reach the bait. When a rat or mouse enters the trap, it triggers a quick CO2-powered blow, which kills it instantly.