Beware of bait near your pets
It almost seems like everyone is getting ready for hibernation over the past week, with trailer loads of firewood being stacked and all the hedges being trimmed, along with the flyers in the mail for electric blankets.
But we have also seen a huge increase in one type of case as a result of the change in season and I really want to avoid any more potentially sad outcomes this autumn.
Fly is normally an active 3-yearold female border collie who came to see me at the end of another busy evening at 7pm this week.
She was quiet and her owner Ben had also noticed her drinking more than usual from the troughs earlier in the week.
An initial examination showed her to have an increased heart rate and breathing rate, which isn’t always unusual when some of my patients come to see me, and pale gums.
We quickly preformed a full blood test, which confirmed our suspicion of a low red blood cell count – anaemia – and her blood’s poor ability to clot.
Fortunately, we have fresh whole blood on hand at all times and Fly was soon set up and receiving a blood transfusion to correct her anaemia.
People often ask if our patients’ blood has specific types like ours. They do, but in an emergency situation we can transfuse from one donor dog without any problem while we wait for the typing to be completed.
Cats are a different story and any transfusion needs to be carefully matched. A little more discussion with Ben and the cause of Fly’s problem was confirmed: Rat bait.
This seems to be the time of year when people lay rat bait as those little guys come inside for a bit of warmth and eat anything they can find.
One lady the other day was describing how she and her husband were quietly watching TV and a little mouse crept out from behind the cabinet to have a look around. Her cat had gone missing several days earlier and the mice must have realised pretty quickly that the coast was clear.
Anyway, back to rodent bait. These poisons stop the blood from clotting, causing death, eventually, from anaemia and blood loss.
In dogs and cats, the effects usually take four-seven days to start to be noticeable, at which time the dog or cat is lethargic from lack of red blood cells.
The antidote, funnily enough, is vitamin K. Fly was given a large dose by injection, along with two bags of fresh blood and lots of supportive care.
Within an hour she was visibly brighter and her colour was much more pink, and over the next day she continued to improve rapidly.
Fly was extremely lucky and she is back at home resting for another week before going back to work running after four-legged blankets.
So, what are the tips about laying bait:
■ If you are going to use baits of any sort, place it in ‘‘bait stations’’ and in a place that is dog and cat proof, for example, high up and well concealed. Even though the packaging may say that it contains animal repellents, if mice are going to eat it then logically so is the dog or cat
■ Check them daily to make sure that the dog or cat hasn’t found them
■ If you think they have eaten some or are unsure, then call us straight away. We can empty their stomach and remove most of the bait if we see them within 30 minutes or even an hour.
■ Cats seem to be a bit more discerning and don’t generally go for the baits
It seems a bit strange me writing about controlling mice, because I really think they make great children’s pets, but I guess they are housed and not eating the contents of the pantry at night and leaving their calling cards.
If anything does happen, please call Anderson’s any time on 06 357 9993 and remember we are here until 7pm Monday to Friday and open Saturday and Sunday at times convenient for you.