It’s funny how we are here discussing My Dog Ate a Mouse and not a cat after all the stories we have come across. But, dogs love meat. They will prefer eating meat over any other food items you present to them and a rat is just another piece of raw meat to your dog.
Why do dogs like meat so much more than the foods they’re served? Dog’s body gets attracted to the smell of the meat including rib bones, their taste buds react to the smell and moisture. And since a mouse-like mentioned before is just nothing more than a piece of meat for them to relish, they get attracted to it.
Dogs can eat mice, but you shouldn’t let your dog eat mice since you never know the places the mice have been and what are things the mice had before your pets could eat them.
Is Eating a Mouse Dangerous For Dogs?
The consumption of a mouse is not dangerous for the health of your dog since they can consume meat-like ham bones. If your little friend just saw a mouse running by in the backyard and happened to eat it then don’t stress, it isn’t a threat to your dog’s life.
However, you should make sure to call your vet after you get to know that your dog has eaten a mouse because it’s always better to keep your vet aware of such situations in the future. And also a mouse can be insidious at times, hence, make sure to contact your vet.
What Should I Do If My Dog Ate a Mouse?
There have been a few cases in the record where a puppy eating a mouse did not go well. But there are many cases of little puppies eating mice while they were just left alone to play in the backyard or a garden and believe it or not it is something you do not have to worry about. A mouse is just as good as raw meat for your little friend and nothing more.
Canines for thousands of years have been used to eating raw meat or even mice because that’s their nature and instincts. So it’s nothing for you to be worried about unless and until your puppy has eaten a big mouse. Consuming big mice can lead to the gastrointestinal obstruction which is really dangerous.
Your puppy may or may not show instant signs of discomfort, but whatsoever the case is you need to keep your vet aware and begin to oversee your puppy for any signs or symptoms like increased thirst, vomiting, abdominal pain, anorexia, loss of appetite, or any other diseases which you find abnormal.
You should reach a pet hospital near your home as soon as possible if your puppy does show any signs of discomfort or any of the symptoms mentioned above since your puppy may need surgery.
If your puppy does not show signs or symptoms and is absolutely normal, then you should know that there is nothing you have to worry about and it will pass successfully.
What If Your Dog Ate a Dead Mouse That was Poisoned?
The biggest concern in a situation wherein your dog eats a poisoned mouse is what the mouse ate before it could be found by your dog. You never really know the places the mouse has been to and what it has consumed, so that can get really dangerous.
But if your dog has eaten a dead mouse it can be dangerous since you are not aware of the reason behind the death of the mouse. It could be anything, the most possible case could be the mouse died of rat poison. If your dog picked mice from your backyard where you have kept rat poison, then it’s a big possibility of your dog consuming a poisoned rat.
Eating dead animals like a dead mouse can severely affect the health of your dog. The likely chances are your little friend has eaten poison straight out of the box.
Rat poison is equally dangerous for dogs as it is for mice. The best solution here is to contact your vet and let them know about it. Take your dog immediately to the vet.
Now it is important to know that not only is a poisoned rat harmful to your dog but also the mouse poop which contains some traces of the poison in the body of the mouse. Resulting in intestinal worms and toxoplasmosis mouse poop can be officially called DANGEROUS for the health of your dog.
You can call the pet poison helpline and ask them to come to the nearest veterinary clinic once you know your dog has eaten poison in the form of poop. Carry along the poison package as well as the documents of your dog’s previous medical history.
Signs of Intoxication Due to Rat Poison in Dogs
There can be a scene where you must have been out at work while your dog ate a mouse and you have no idea about it until you notice some form of discomfort they show or any other symptoms.
If you have no idea about the active ingredient of the poison then make sure to instantly call up the pet poison helpline and carry the package of the poison so the helpline or the people at the veterinary can identify what type of poison your dog has consumed through the mouse.
The most common rat poisons your dog might have consumed.
It is very important to identify what type of poison your dog had consumers through the mice since it will help it give your dog the right and suitable treatment.
Phosphides
Its not just humans who should stay away from rat poison. The same thing can happen to dogs. The way rat poison can affect dogs as they affects us humans.
Once this poisoned rodent is invested by your dog it will happen to release some gas in the stomach of your dog. You cannot feed your dog any food after he or she has ingested such type of a rat podium since food creates more gas in the stomach.
What are the signs of phosphine gas? Vomiting, abdominal pain, stomach bloating, fairing, shock and the worst case live damage.
This type of rodenticide does not have an antidote so the moment you recognise that your dog has invested this type of rat poison take your pet to the vet and let your vet deal with the situation, they know the best! Another disastrous thing that could happen after your dog has ingested mouse poisons is kidney failure. Apart from this, many other things are bound to happen like affects in nervous system.
You may happen to think that since inducing vomiting is the most common solution when your pet eats something they shouldn’t have, you might want to do it now. But please do not try inducing vomiting since this gas is dangerous not only for your pet but also for human beings.
Long-Active Anticoagulants
Long-active anticoagulants (LAACs) is a very common type of poison. It works pretty similar to human anticoagulants. It prevents your dog’s blood from clotting. This poison is the worst since it can lead to internal bleeding but may take five days before the time of your pet showing any symptoms.
What are the symptoms of internal bleeding? Pale gums, lethargy, weakness, low energy and also less often bleeding from the nose, in the stills or the gums.
With the help of vitamin K1 this poison can be treated easily.
Bromethalin
This is a poison that causes cerebral edema, and that is why it is supposed to be considered the most dangerous type. When does cerebral Edema come into the picture? Cerebral edema happens when the blood supply to the brain is blocked due to the fluids filling up the pace around the brain and increasing pressure on it. It is simple since you know that blood carries oxygen and with the brain receiving no oxygen death of the cells occurs.
The affects of having consumed this poison shows up instantly two hours following the ingestion. It can be delayed up to 36 hours after ingestion. So, make sure to observe your friend for the first 24 hours very well.
Conclusion
From this you should know by now that you cannot leave your them alone in an open space or when you take your dogs for daily walk in the park. Always make sure to observe them since one look away and your dog can consume something they shouldn’t.
Rats in the wild are bound to roam various places and eat a lot of things. You never know what they have consumed and when.
Make sure your first step is to call your veterinarian. Do not try to do anything on your own. Another alternative in the long run is taking some dog training tips from an expert. This is the only thing you can do to prevent your dogs from eating mice in the future.