In the fall, mice start to look for winter housing -- sometimes inside your house, barn or garage. If you use rodenticides to prevent an invasion, be sure to place them where pets absolutely cannot gain access to them. Dogs have been known to move washers and refrigerators to get at baits, probably because they can hear or smell rodents behind the walls.

Keep track of exactly what brand and type of bait you purchase because clinical signs and treatments are so different. Be aware that almost all baits are dyed green or blue-green, so knowing the color does not identify the bait. If there is any question about a bait and how it may affect your pet, check with your veterinarian before an accident happens.

Death from rodent poisoning (rodenticides) is due to internal bleeding. Anticoagulant rodenticides, the most common form used, prevent the production of new clotting factors in the liver. Symptoms of poisoning, which may take three to seven days to appear, generally are vague and nonspecific. Exercise intolerance and lethargy may be seen first. As internal bleeding increases, clinical signs reveal where blood is accumulating. If the animal bleeds into joints, lameness occurs. Bleeding into the chest is one of the most common scenarios. Bleeding from the nose, mouth or rectum is seen infrequently.

Early decontamination of the animal by a veterinarian, which consists of inducing vomiting (if ingestion was within the last few hours) and giving activated charcoal, is important in treating this kind of poisoning. In most cases, decontamination is followed by a blood test to determine if the blood is clotting normally.

The best cure is prevention. Either do not use rodenticides at all -- and do not let your pet wander loose where it might get into poisons in a neighbor's garage -- or only use them where you are absolutely certain that your pets cannot gain access. Lock all storage sheds securely and double check the area if workmen have been in the area. (A neighbor of the editor of YGRR's Golden Times discovered her Labrador puppy eating rat poison in storage shed whose door had been left open by a house-painter. Quick action saved the puppy's life.)


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