Now that winter is firmly here, there are some typical chemicals and other items that are used which are harmful to pets.

Dr. Christy Fields with Companion Veterinary Clinic of Greene County tells Raccoon Valley Radio mouse and rat poison are used frequently this time of year to keep unwanted rodents out of homes and is lethal for pets if they eat it.

“Please if you have to use some kind of mouse or rat poison make sure it’s in a bait box that the pet cannot get into and maybe even in an area where they’re not going to be able to come in contact with it. Most of the mouse and rat poisons don’t have an antidote. So you can call (a veterinarian) right away and we can induce vomiting to try and get that out of their system. But if they’re already showing symptoms a lot of times there’s not much we can do.”       

Dr. Fields says another chemical that is used heavily during winter is antifreeze.

“Antifreeze in general is toxic to pets, and it’s sweet, so they do like to drink it, even if they just lick it up off the garage floor. That can be very, very harmful to your pet as well.” 

Dr. Fields adds if you believe your pet ate mouse or rat poison and drank antifreeze, contact your local veterinarian and tell them the type of product they ate or drank and about how much to better assess, but may only perform supportive care at that point.