Assess the situation
Fill in what you know. Estimates are fine, exact numbers are better. Keep the packaging nearby for your call.
Emergency vet or poison control: which do I call?
Early decontamination (inducing vomiting and activated charcoal) within the first few hours is the most effective treatment for most rodenticides. A vet should do this.
Go straight to an emergency vet if…
- Always, as soon as possible, for any rodenticide ingestion
- Your dog is bleeding, coughing, weak, has pale gums, tremors, seizures, or is drinking and urinating more
- You do not know the active ingredient
- Your dog may have eaten a poisoned rodent
Call poison control first if…
- Call on the way to the vet so the clinic is ready
- Have the package or the EPA registration number ready
- Ask for a case number to hand to the vet
- Never wait at home to see whether signs develop
Do not induce vomiting at home, especially with zinc or aluminum phosphide: vomiting can release toxic phosphine gas that can harm people nearby. If phosphide is possible, drive to the vet with the windows open.
What to expect by poison type
Each class of rodenticide works differently. Some act within hours, others take days to show signs.
1 – 4 hours
Zinc / aluminum phosphide
- Vomiting (may smell like garlic or rotten fish)
- Restlessness, trouble breathing, collapse
Hours – 7 days
Bromethalin
- High doses: tremors, seizures within hours to 36 hours
- Lower doses: back-leg weakness or paralysis within 1–5 days
- No antidote
18 – 72 hours
Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3)
- Vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst and urination
- Rising calcium damages kidneys; weeks of monitoring may be needed
- No antidote
2 – 5 days
Anticoagulants
- Usually no signs at first
- Then bleeding: weakness, pale gums, coughing, nosebleeds, bruising, blood in urine or stool
- Vitamin K1 is the antidote
Because bromethalin and cholecalciferol products have become more common in the US, never assume a poison is an anticoagulant without checking the package.
Published case data behind these estimates
These facts come from the Merck Veterinary Manual. Doses are not used here because bait concentrations vary and toxic doses can be very low.
| Poison type | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Anticoagulants | Clotting problems develop within 2–5 days; vitamin K1 is the antidote; second-generation products (brodifacoum, bromadiolone) are toxic after a single feeding |
| Bromethalin | Nerve toxin causing brain swelling; signs within 1–7 days; no antidote; early decontamination is key |
| Cholecalciferol | High calcium and phosphorus within 72 hours, kidney damage; no antidote; narrow margin of safety |
| Zinc / aluminum phosphide | Releases phosphine gas in the stomach; rapid onset; risk to people from vomit |
Every rodenticide exposure in this checker is treated as an Emergency.