EMERGENCY - Rat poison ingestion
Rat poisoning (usually brodificoum) causes a Vitamin K-1 deficiency which leads to bleeding problems. Symptoms can occur within hours of ingestion but can take up to 7 days to occur. Symptoms include excessive bleeding from wounds, blood in the urine, bleeding from the nose, coughing, difficulty breathing, pale mucous membranes, lethargy, and sudden death. Treatment involves administering Vitamin k-1 until the effects of the poison are gone, this can take 5 days and up to weeks for certain rat poisons. This is not the same vitamin K you can buy in the store, it is a prescription medication.
If you know that your dog or cat has ingested rat poisoning in the previous three hours, induce vomiting with syrup of Ipecac (according to directions) or newly opened hydrogen peroxide (1 ml per pound for a cat, 3 to 5 ml per pound for a dog) orally. CALL YOUR VET. She may reccomend a blood test to determine the extent of potential bleeding problems. If you don't know if your pet has ingested rat poisoning or are unsure of the time frame, take your pet to a Veterinary Hospital
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