Don't Let Rat Poison Be Your Pet's Holiday Present

Toxicology Experts Warn of Hidden Dangers When in Unfamiliar Locations

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Although accidents happen, vigilant pet lovers know where in their home most dangers lie for their furry family members. That situation can change when you have visitors bringing unknown items into your home, or when you travel with your pet to someone else's home. In either case, you and your pet may be walking into an unknown landscape of potential toxins.

"Whether you're traveling for the holidays, or staying home, your pet can be at increased risk for accidental poisoning this time of year," said Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline. "We receive a large volume of calls where a pet was poisoned by an item that the homeowner didn't even know was in the home. Surprisingly, many of those cases involve ingestion of a rodenticide, or rat poison."

Even though an owner may think they have properly pet-proofed their home, occasionally a visiting family member or friend will bring items into a home that can have deadly consequences. Take the case of Roscoe, a Jack Russell Terrier mix from Arkansas who ate a block of rat bait purchased by the pet owner's uncle. Because the owner didn't know what kind of rodenticide their uncle had purchased, the toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline had to develop a treatment plan that took the three most common types of rodenticides into consideration.

There was a similar case involving rat poison purchased by an uncle, but this time the poisoning took place at the uncle's home.

"My uncle had gotten a new Chihuahua puppy named Bubba, and he thought he had removed all of the dangerous items in his home, including rat poison he had placed around the house," explained Maygan Parker, who was visiting her uncle when the poisoning occurred. "Bubba found a block of rat poison under a recliner and ate about a quarter of it before we got it away from him. I knew it was dangerous, so we tried giving Bubba some hydrogen peroxide to make him vomit, but it didn't work immediately so I drove him to the emergency hospital. As soon as I pulled up to the hospital, Bubba started vomiting and returned some of the rat poison."

Bubba was taken to Legacy Animal Emergency Hospital in Midland, Texas. There, the medical team started Bubba on intravenous fluids and an antiemetic. Due to Bubba's young age and small size, even a pea-sized amount of bait would have been toxic, regardless of the type ingested. Due to this, Bubba was given medical grade activated charcoal, continued on intravenous fluids, and had bloodwork monitored for changes to clotting ability or calcium and phosphorus levels. Because of the large amount of hydrogen peroxide ingested, Bubba was also started on gastroprotectants to minimize damage the hydrogen peroxide may have caused.

"I actually did more damage by trying to induce vomiting at home," Parker admitted. "You're only supposed to give him a little hydrogen peroxide, but I gave him way too much, which could tear up his stomach. I'll definitely leave it to the professionals next time." In most cases, Pet Poison Helpline recommends having a medical professional induce vomiting. If you must induce vomiting at home, it is best to do it under medical supervision.

Like Roscoe's case in Arkansas, the medical team did not know what type of rodenticide Bubba had ingested, so they had to develop a treatment plan that could protect Bubba against the three major types of rat poison.

"With an unknown amount of an unknown product, it is safest to consider and treat for all likely active ingredients," Dr. Schmid explained. "Bromethalin is a neurotoxin that may cause cerebral edema (brain swelling) and central nervous system signs within two hours to several days after ingesting. The second type is a long-acting anticoagulant that may cause coagulopathy (impaired ability of blood to clot) within two to seven days. The third major type of rodenticide is cholecalciferol, which may cause hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium in the blood) and hyperphosphatemia (excess phosphorus in the blood) within 72 hours, which can lead to kidney damage and failure."

Fortunately for Bubba, the owner was able to locate the packaging a short time later. This helped to identify the specific type of bait and allowed Pet Poison Helpline and the treating veterinarian to tailor Bubba's therapy needs and concerns. 

In addition to dangers at home, pets can also get into trouble when visiting other people's homes, even when it's family.

"We had a recent Pennsylvania case where a woman was visiting her mother when her dog named Nuala found a rat bait station and ingested some of the pellets. Fortunately, the pet owner found the product information, and we were able to develop a treatment plan based on the product's specific ingredients."

Pet Poison Helpline created Toxin Tails to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered.

Starting Dec. 17, pet lovers can vote for their favorite Toxin Tails stories of 2025 by visiting petpoisonhelpline.com/vote.

About Pet Poison Helpline
Pet Poison Helpline^®, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. Per incident and subscription service options are available. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $89 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. The company also offers pethelpline^(SM) and pethelplinePRO^(SM) subscription services directly to pet lovers. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information, including a chat feature for pet owners, can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Contact: Curtis Steinhoff
Pet Poison Helpline^®
(602) 300-8466
[email protected]

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SOURCE Pet Poison Helpline