Rodenticide Risks to Pets, Children, and Wildlife

Rat poisons and other rodenticides don’t only poison rodents. They can be lethal to any bird or mammal, but especially smaller ones — like children, pets, and wildlife.

If you ever suspect rodenticide poisoning of a person or pet (or wildlife), take these emergency measures that could save a life.

If not, keep reading to learn how that poisoning happens and how to prevent it.

Poisoning in Children

Children and rat poisons don’t mix. These chemicals lead to thousands of poisonings of children across the United States every year. Young children, especially those under the age of 6, are at high risk of unintentional poisoning through ingestion because of their curious nature and desire to stick everything in their mouths. Safe rodent control and preventative measures can help you keep rats and mice out of your home while protecting little ones from rodenticide poisonings.

How Kids Get Exposed

Residential use of rodenticides puts children at high risk of accidental poisoning in their own homes.

Rodenticides are usually formulated as baits that come in different colors and forms, like pellets, grains, and blocks. Some baits also include flavorings such as fish oil and peanut butter. So all baits — but especially the small and colored pellets — pose a high risk of poisoning for children who may mistake them for candy or other food. It can be surprisingly difficult to keep these products out of the reach of children even when they’re placed in bait stations: in order to be most effective, baits are usually placed on the floor, offering kids ready access.

How to Prevent Poisonings

The best way to protect a child from accidental rodenticide poisoning is to eliminate the risk of exposure in the first place. Safe and cost-effective solutions can keep your home rodent free and safe for children.

Poisoning in Pets

Dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals all too often suffer and die after exposure to toxic rodenticide baits. These chemicals make the top-ten list of toxins responsible for pet poisonings, according to American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that more than 100 rodenticide-caused pet deaths are reported each year.

Pets can become ill or die from rodenticide poisoning either through direct ingestion (primary poisoning) or by eating a poisoned rodent (secondary poisoning).

But there are effective and affordable solutions to help you rodent-proof your home while keeping your pets safe from hazardous poisons.

How Pets Get Exposed

Don’t underestimate your dog’s or cat’s ability to access rodenticides baits placed in seemingly secure, out-of-reach locations. The misconception that your pet won’t be able to find or chew through a secure bait station results in poisoned pets every year. Many rat and mouse poisons have food-grade ingredients meant to attract rodents, which can also end up attracting curious dogs, cats, and other animals.

How to Prevent Poisoning in Pets

If people nearby use rodenticides, your pets could be exposed to the poisons whenever they’re outdoors unsupervised. Even worse, sometimes people intentionally feed rat poisons to dogs and cats to hurt them. So even if you don’t use the chemicals yourself, it’s important to be aware of the risks.  

Here are a few tips for pet owners:

• Ask immediate neighbors if they use rodenticides and offer alternative solutions. If they do use rodenticides, ask them if they use tamper-resistant bait boxes. (Tamper-resistant bait boxes are better than nothing, but remember: They won’t protect pets from secondary poisoning.)
• For dogs, make sure your fencing doesn’t have gaps granting access to bait stations in neighboring yards.
• For cats, consider installing a fence that’s made to contain cats to decrease odds of your cat consuming poisoned rodents from neighboring yards. At the same time, be aware that a poisoned rodent may enter your yard and poses a threat to any animal who consumes it.
• If you’ve had issues with neighbors complaining about your pet, try to maintain an open dialogue and stay alert for a potential purposeful poisoning. If you see neighbors acting weird or find suspicious food products, contact your vet or call ASPCA at 1(888) 426-4435. If you can, save a sample of any suspicious food products for authorities to test.

Poisoning in Wildlife

Since rodenticides are designed to kill rats and mice, it’s no surprise that these products often poison other wildlife species — either when those species directly consume rodenticides or when they eat another animal who has. Numerous studies have documented harm to wild mammals and birds, but even vertebrates like reptiles and amphibians are at risk.

Most rodenticides work by disrupting the normal blood-clotting or coagulation process, causing uncontrolled bleeding or hemorrhaging. This hemorrhaging can occur spontaneously or from cuts or scratches. Signs of bleeding from the nose or mouth may be visible, but internal hemorrhaging is difficult to spot, so often the only indication of poisoning in exposed wildlife is weakness or listlessness. Affected wildlife may be more likely to crash into structures or moving vehicles or to be killed by predators, in which case poisonings are even harder to document.

Wildlife rodenticide poisonings have been detected in more than 25 wildlife species, including San Joaquin kit foxes, Pacific fishers, golden eagles, bald eagles, bobcats, mountain lions, black bears, coyotes, gray foxes, red foxes, Cooper’s hawks, red-shouldered hawks, red-tailed hawks, kestrels, barn owls, great horned owls, long-eared owls, western screech owls, spotted owls, Swainson’s hawks, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, opossums, turkey vultures, and crows.  

Because rodenticides contaminate food chains in most inhabited parts of the world, it has become increasingly difficult to find owls, red-tailed hawks, or other birds of prey that don’t carry residues of at least one or several rodenticide products, which tend to accumulate in the liver. Many mammalian predators, like foxes and fishers, show similar levels of rodenticide residues. And surveillance networks are reporting an increasing number of wildlife fatalities with some kind of apparent rodenticide involvement.

Emergency Measures for Potential Rodenticide Poisoning

In a Human

If someone collapses or stops breathing, call 911 immediately. If someone swallows a rodenticide in the United States, immediately call the Poison Help Line at 1(800) 222-1222.

While you’re waiting for help to arrive, take these steps:

• Clear the person’s mouth and give them a small amount of water or milk to drink.
• Have the rodenticide package or name of the active ingredient handy to share with the poison control operator and medical personnel.
• If you suspect that a child has swallowed a rodenticide, check their mouth for bright colors, as these poisons sometimes have indicator dyes that will leave a stain on the  mouth or hands.

In a Pet

If you suspect your pet has ingested a rodenticide, the ASPCA recommends first calling your local veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center hotline at (888) 426-4435 (the latter of which may have a consultation fee).

ASPCA also recommends the following:

• If you see or know that your pet has ingested rodenticides or consumed a poisoned animal, take your pet to a local veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic.
• If your pet is exhibiting severe symptoms like seizures, unconsciousness, or breathing difficulties, take your pet to an emergency clinic immediately — and call ahead if you can.

While you’re waiting for expert help, take these steps:

• If possible, find the rodenticide packaging and/or identify the active ingredient so you can share this information with the vet or animal poison control operator.
• If you suspect a pet has directly swallowed a rodenticide, check their mouth for bright colors. These poisons sometimes have indicator dyes that leave a stain around the mouth or in stool or vomit.
• Also pay attention to changes in your pet’s behavior, like loss of appetite or lethargy.

In Wildlife

If you suspect that wildlife has been exposed to rodenticides, immediately contact your state’s Game and Fish Department or, if you’re on Tribal lands, call your local Tribal wildlife agency.