Friday, October 30, 2015

BEWARE!!! TOMCAT Rat Poison!

Sometime last week, I saw a mouse run across my garage.  In the past, we've seen mice, and have used mousetraps because we aren't fans of toxins of any sort.  But since Fermin was about to go out of town, he bought some rat poison so I wouldn't have to deal with finding mouse bodies in the traps.  He told me to be careful and not let Lucy and Ricky sniff around in the garage.

The other night, I noticed they were chewing on something in the backyard.  But they do that all the time.  It's usually pecan shells during this time of the year... And they've got the stained teeth to prove it.

The next morning, I saw them in that same area again, chewing again on something.

I called them inside, and didn't really think twice about it.  They never stay outside long, and didn't that previous night or that morning.

I happened to go out to the yard a little later in the day and found this...
My dogs don't really chew things up usually, so I wondered, what was this and why the interest?!  I looked around a little more and then found THIS...
I could see the word "TOMCAT" on it... and that unfortunately, sounded familiar.

It was the container that the rat poison was in.  How it got from the garage to the yard, I'm not sure.  And where the poison went, and who ate it, I'm also not sure about.

After calling Fermin at his Las Vegas work conference, and working myself into a pure panic state, I put Lucy and and Ricky in the front seat of my car. Both dogs were looking a little weird to me, and I wasn't sure if was them just mimicking my emotional state, or if any poison was taking effect. Somehow, the 3 of us made it from the house to the vet's office.

A couple thousand dollars later, I have a public service announcement to make about this TomCat rat poison.
POISON.  and BEWARE.
First of all, although it says otherwise on the box, IT IS NOT DOG RESISTANT. It apparently tastes and smells like peanut butter which could easily entice more than just rats. As you can see from my photos above, my dogs had no problem chewing through the casing.

Also, it's a kind of poison that causes neurological damage- The idea is that the rat or mouse will have so many seizures that they eventually (and probably pretty quickly) die.  So, if a cat or dog ingests it by mistake, same deal.  This isn't the kind of poison that makes an animal "bleed out" and organs shut down.  Although that sounds absolutely horrible, at least the vets have a antidote for that if you get to them in time.  For this particular poison I'm talking about, there is no antidote.  There is also no test to know for sure whether they've ingested it or not.

All that can be done is what we've done so far. The vet induced vomiting, gave them charcoal that maybe helps pull out toxins (but the downside is that it also pulls out nutrients in their systems...), they've had blood panels done to make sure the charcoal isn't having to many adverse effects, they've been given iv fluids, and they're being watched for any odd behavior that might be signs of neurological problems.

The scariest thing for us right now, is although they are absolutely fine, and show no signs of anything, it can take up to a week or more for symptoms to show.  The vet told me once they get to a point of seizures, there's really not much they can do anyway.

A walk outside sure feels good after the last 24 hours!!
So I'm cautiously optimistic. They're at home, and I'm watching them and coddling kissing on them far more than what would be socially acceptable. They're eating normal, pooping normal (although black!- ewww), and as rambunctious as ever.
Ricky Ricardo- happily on the road again!

Please stay away from that rat poison. (And all poisons in general!) And please ask that all your friends and neighbors do the same.  If a cat were to eat a mouse full of the poison,the outcome could be fatal.  My vet told me they have clients bring in pets that have somehow gotten into this poison on a very regular basis, and there's very little that can be done.

So it's back to traps for us.  Although honestly, if the mice decide they like it around here and don't destroy too much, they're free to stay.  Live and let live.  Let there be peace on earth...



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