Rat poison-Pleasetake care .

[comanche 2,799]

As you may guess from the title of this post I'm very upset at the moment .

A few mornings ago I woke to find that my lovely eight month old lurcher pup had snuck into the bedroom and somehow clambered unoticed onto the bed . The bed was also covered with patches of blood . Blood was also appearing from around one of the pup's teeth . My first thought was that a bone splinter had injured her but soon realised that there was no wound . She was also in some distress.No time for DIY wisdom and remedies .

Straight to the vet who looked at the dog ,asked about recent behaviour changes provisionally diagnosed rat-bait poisoning .To be honest I'd not noticed any coloured dye in her poo or coughing and bleeding from the nose or bottom that are apparently classic symptoms . She had been a bit cuddly and quiet though for a couple of days .

My bait for work is in a steel cabinet in a locked out-building so I had to think back to the only place that she'd been running loose unattended where she might have picked the poison up.

This turned out to be my parents garden . Not that they were likely to have put rat bait down . When I looked over the fence at the end of their garden however I was horrified to see that tucked between the fence and the neighbour's compost box but completely uncontained were a couple of "Contract Blocks". My guess is that one had either rolled under the fence or the pup had scrabbled for it.

It seems that the neighbours are away so I climbed over the fence to bag the blocks and noticed a couple of very nice ,new and expensive professional- looking metal bait-stations in the garden.

On the face of it this does'nt look like the work of an amateur but I'll have to wait to speak to the house-holders before deciding what to do .

Thankfully dear Daisy is still in the land of the living and hopefully tomorrow's trip to the vet will confirm that she is responding to treatment .

 

So no angry rants from me just a plea to anyone using rat poison to please be carefull and if in doubt just don't use it .

[ferret110 27]

i hope your dog makes a full recovery mate

[heritage 202]

Sorry to read about the trouble your having at the moment, fingers crossed everything will be ok.i was so pleased to see you acted swiftly and responsibly and got the pup the vetenary attention it needed.i hope a few readers will take note of this example of good dog ownership and the responsibilities that comes with it as there are still far to many people that rely on old and outdated methods.best of luck with the pup (and the neighbours) and well done to you,ATB

[Matt 160]

Very sad story, and one which should be pinned for all the DIY'ers to see.

 

Please make sure you report this incident to the WCIS, as the more proof they get that rodenticides are being misused in this way, the more chance we will have of getting amateur sales of professional use rodenticides banned.

 

I hope your dog makes a full recovery.

[comanche 2,799]

Very sad story, and one which should be pinned for all the DIY'ers to see.

 

Please make sure you report this incident to the WCIS, as the more proof they get that rodenticides are being misused in this way, the more chance we will have of getting amateur sales of professional use rodenticides banned.

 

I hope your dog makes a full recovery.

Thank you so much Matt. . I've spoken to the house holders and they paid for someone to do the job .

It's a bit awkward as they are my parents neighbours (which is extra annoying as I would have done the job for them at a very friendly rate ).

I'm all a bit numb about at the moment . Daisy seems to have perked up so fingers crossed .

Thanks for the good wishes .

[Matt 160]

If they paid someone to do that, then PLEASE, make sure that the relevant authorities know what has happened.

 

There are far too many cowboy outfits out there who need sorting out.

 

If you want to PM me the details, I can make sure the trade associations know about this incident.

 

I'm just waiting for someone to label me 'grass' now...............

[comanche 2,799]

If they paid someone to do that, then PLEASE, make sure that the relevant authorities know what has happened.

 

There are far too many cowboy outfits out there who need sorting out.

 

If you want to PM me the details, I can make sure the trade associations know about this incident.

 

I'm just waiting for someone to label me 'grass' now...............

I know how you feel . I've always thought it unprofessional to run-down other people in the same trade . Better to stand by your own reputation than than debase someone else's . I have a comfort zone of knowledge,training and experience of my own and If someone asks me to step out of it I'll happily recommend another more specialist operator rather than take risks . Twice in the last year though I've had to be a "grass" in an effort to distance myself from some shoddy work.

Once was when I was culling squirrels for a health authority and I came across some exposed rat bait on site when I was doing my initial scout about .. I actually put it in writing that I was not in any way connected with rat control on site ,told the manageress about the bait and added that I'd felt obliged to cover the bait with paving slabs as a tempory measure and advised then to get someone back to sort it out ASAP. Cowboy firm? . No ,the local Council !

Edited January 13, 2010 by comanche

[topshot 0]

hi hope the pup is recovering well. and i dont think its grassing when it concerns matters as serious as this ther is no need for bait to be left out in the open especialy by a so called professional. It is advised while baiting outside that frequent checks are made to reduce the risk of non target species so next time they come round to visit grab him by the throat and make him pay the vets bills

ATB topshot

[foxdropper 17,092]

Just out of interest mate ,was the type of poison used treated by the vet with a vitamin k jab.Please find out and reply as its important to know that i carry the right antidote .Cheers .

[moley 115]

hi hope the pup is recovering well. and i dont think its grassing when it concerns matters as serious as this ther is no need for bait to be left out in the open especialy by a so called professional. It is advised while baiting outside that frequent checks are made to reduce the risk of non target species so next time they come round to visit grab him by the throat and make him pay the vets bills

ATB topshot

 

 

theres a couple of other things that can help you to recognise the early stages of poisoning , one is lethargy , bloodshot eyes and pale gums , ok thats 3 ,

[RatSnatcher 0]

I Hope the dogs well, maybe you should claim for the vets bill

 

I see stuff like your scenario all to often, I have even seen bait placed in the t-towel cupboard amongst the towels bait placed in egg boxes in the garden

 

I currently have a residential job on where the council have been treating for 4mnths with very little bait take, I have caught 25 rats to date in the garden and lost 4 traps to foxes contained in boxes, there are 2 holes under the shed that were not dealt with due to the council guy saying they were rabbits

 

If any of you are sorting a problem yourselves and placing blocks down holes slide the blocks on some fencing wire and hook it over then cover it with a slab,

[RatSnatcher 0]

Just out of interest mate ,was the type of poison used treated by the vet with a vitamin k jab.Please find out and reply as its important to know that i carry the right antidote .Cheers .

 

I have spoken to a vet that had a case of 80gms bromadiolone eaten in block form, no antedote was administered and the dog was around 10kgs the dog was fine although they did say that 20g more and there would of been a problem, 80gms is a lot in my opinion for a dog to eat

[Matt 160]

The only rodenticides now approved for use against rats are 'anti-coagulant' and therefore, vitamin K is the antidote.

 

A surprisingly large quantity of bait needs to be consumed by the average dog for it to have any effect: the problem comes when people do not secure bait blocks - which usually results in bait translocation, or ignore the label instructions and place too much bait at each point.

 

Vets are very keen to sell vitamin K tablets and put pets on drips in 'hospitals' when they think that rat bait has been consumed. The best advice is to monitor the animal carefully and watch out for the signs of poisoning (bleeding gums, blood in urine and faeces etc). Once haemorrhage starts, that is the time to administer the antidote.

 

More dogs die from slug pellet poisoning than rat bait each year, so be more aware of that.

[comanche 2,799]

Apparently if you actually see or know that the dog has eaten poison you have a window when simply making it vomit-up the poison will do the job.

 

I doubt you'd actually be able to get vit k in the right strength or formulation to make any difference as a n antidote without a prescription .

 

My vet was pretty good and the bill Is'nt a big one but I won't be the one paying it !

 

Thanks for everyones kind thoughts .

Edited January 14, 2010 by comanche

[bigwig 0]

If they paid someone to do that, then PLEASE, make sure that the relevant authorities know what has happened.

 

There are far too many cowboy outfits out there who need sorting out.

 

If you want to PM me the details, I can make sure the trade associations know about this incident.

 

I'm just waiting for someone to label me 'grass' now...............

 

 

Grass lol, i am with you mate as you know i am looking to get into the pest control industry. i have on different courses and learning from others, but taking it 1 step at a time. it shocked me to see the number of people on some of these corses that where already trading as a pest controler. with no or very little training, they had no insurance and whernt a registerd company. i have spent about £800 on training to date mostly 1 or 2 day courses and have another £650 to go for my RSPH/BPCA - Level 2 Certificate

too many cowboys around in most trades, so why let them get away with it