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B&b Left Out Rat Bait


mirajam
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how awful :laugh: really hope your pups are ok

imagine if a child had crawled under there and got to the ratbait, im sure they would give a damn then! definitely pursue the issue, it is their own negligence that caused this to happen.

good luck!

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It's ironic - Doing the right thing, I left full payment in cash on the bench, alongside a note and the box of bait. Tried to call her before we left, but no answer.

Maybe she'll calm down and send money back for spoiling our weekend and offer to pay the vet bills... (wishful thinking)

[edited to add:}

Yes, Emilyszoo, the owner was asked directly "are you pet friendly" when I booked the place

During one phone call when the owner said that all country places used bait, I did point out that the rat bait would be a danger for children as well - her young grandchildren were outside playing when we arrived....

Edited by mirajam
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Personally i would be visiting a solicitor to get them to write up a letter that says you are prepared to take legal action. Make sure they put an official looking header on the letter and include a vet report (from 2 vets if you can get them - the country vet and your own).

Hope your dogs are okay - what a nightmare for you!

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How horrendous!!! I hope the pups make a full recovery.

On a side note it is a workplace, health & safety breech ( regardless of the pets getting to the bait forst before a child did) and comes under the hazzardous substances act. Yes, they are allowed to use it, but it has to be not accessable to anyone/anything. And in the case of a bait that a rat can actually carry OUT and drop just anywhere, it is a very dangerous thing to even do. I expect that being a 'pets allowed' place would also carry more ramifications in fact

WHS hotline 1300369915

All the best!

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:laugh:

We planned a lovely weekend away in Country VIC at a 'pet friendly' Bed & Breakfast in Murindindi

It was lovely - an old school house, converted. The owner met us and our two dogs on the first day, made sure all was OK (blocked gaps in fences etc).

But they left RAT BAIT under the bed in the house!! Our teensy puppy (12 weeks old silky terrier X) got under there, of course and ate some.

We thought she was playing with a cereal box we'd left for her to play with - it was a yellow coloured box of "2nd generation" rat bait . ... This means it lasts about 4 weeks in her system, according to the vet. So she needs 4 weeks of Vitamin K treatment because the bait prevents her liver recycling the Vit K and she could bleed internally/die.

How horrible. Our older dog (Westie X) started acting oddly, and the Vet said she also needs treatment in case she ate some too... So, two dogs on 4 weeks of 2 x daily Vitamin K tablets

The B&B owner is being HORRIBLE about it - told me first that her vet doubted that 4 weeks treatment was needed (said only 5 days). Clearly wasn't told the chemical name on the box - I looked it up, and the after hours country vet's advice (which I confirmed the next day with our regular vet) was correct....

Now the B&B owner says she won't pay vet bills unless we prove 100% that the bait was eaten. Does she want us to wait until the poor soul starts bleeding internally and needs hospitalisation? How crazy is this? :laugh:

I found this forum because I googled "rat bait dogs". My 5 month old pup (Kelpie X Bull Mastif) ate 3 trays worth (a lot!) of 2nd generation rat bait 2 1/2 weeks ago from the farm next door. It was 24 hours before I knew he had eaten the bait, which I knew because his scat was bright green. I took him to the vet and they put him on a course of Vitamin K. It was only because I could confirm he had eaten the rat bait that the vet didn't need to do a blood clot test. In any case, even if you suspect rat bait poisoning it's better to be safe than sorry as Vitamin K is completely non-toxic to healthy dogs. A few days ago the vet upped his dosage to 2 tablets twice a day just to be safe...and gave him a booster injection.

Initially, when this happened I was pretty mad that the rat bait wasn't better hidden away to stop dogs getting at it. In my case all the responsibility ultimately falls on my shoulders for not keeping the dog better contained. The owners of the farm can always just say "he shouldn't have been there". I would like to be able to send the vet bills (currently over $350) to the farm owners but it's really my responsibility. It was certainly an expensive lesson to learn!!

In the case of "mirajam", the circumstances are entirely different. If I was the B&B I would very quickly pay your vet bills so that you aren't forced to "name and shame" their so called "pet friendly" establishment. I hope your pup is fine and stays out of trouble. The way the vet was talking; it's highly unlikely that a dog will die from eating rat bait if they are given treatment before they have a bleed-out.

I really wish the company that makes rat baits would also sell little enclosures that are "dog proof" but obviously not "rat proof". Dog poisoning by rat bait could so easily be eliminated if people just used some common sense when they were baiting. Just sticking it in an upside down wire cage or plastic crate or something would certainly help us dog owners avoid ludicrous pet bills! Hmmmmm, I wonder if the same people who make rat bait also make vitamin K1. I'm so cynical.

Edited by johnnybegood
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I'd worry about any place that needed to put rat bait under the BED :) was it a barn or a house!?!?!

How disgusting if dogs are allowed INSIDE they should warn you. Kymbo is correct you cannot have poisons lying around unmarked or within reach of children/animals on a commercial premesis. Maybe a phone call to WorkSafe as well might give them a boot up the bum. They were horribly negligent as most baits are animal attracting and rodents carry it to all corners of the premesis so you cannot even claim you have the poison 'contained'.

Shame on them I hope they pay your bills and apologise.

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OMG i do hope your dogs make a full recovery and have no lasting issues from this. At the very least they should be refunding the cost of your stay, i cant believe that they are being like that.

What a stupid place to leave the bait anyways, under a bed, geez :)

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... I found this forum because I googled "rat bait dogs". My 5 month old pup (Kelpie X Bull Mastif) ate 3 trays worth (a lot!) of 2nd generation rat bait 2 1/2 weeks ago from the farm next door. It was 24 hours before I knew he had eaten the bait, which I knew because his scat was bright green. I took him to the vet and they put him on a course of Vitamin K. It was only because I could confirm he had eaten the rat bait that the vet didn't need to do a blood clot test. In any case, even if you suspect rat bait poisoning it's better to be safe than sorry as Vitamin K is completely non-toxic to healthy dogs. A few days ago the vet upped his dosage to 2 tablets twice a day just to be safe...and gave him a booster injection.

..

Hi Johnnybegood - so very sorry to hear about your dog. It's a dreadful experience.

We are still watching our two dogs closely and they need blood tests in a fortnight to see whether the bait is still in their system..

The first vet we spoke to said we should watch the pup's and other dog's poo, but also warned us that the green dye doesn't always show up (I guess it depends on the proportion of bait ingested in relation to other diet etc)..

In our case the dogs had TWO NIGHTS opportunity to eat the rat bait and we missed the opportunity to collect fecal specimens because we didn't know to look until we found the 3/4 empty box (15 grams of bait at 50mg/kg of poison).

The literature says that multiple dosing over several days is more dangerous than a single 'dose"- that may be why your vet has upped the dose...

I'm waiting to put all the bills together and have a lawyer write a letter of demand. If we have to go to VCAT (small claim) we will ask for a full refund of the accom fee as well for lost enjoyment and legal expenses..

I can't understand why rat bait is not sold with instructions about placement - I'm told the professional pest companies put it into wire cages that rats can access but not dogs/cats.. and even then they put it into roof spaces/ wall spaces where it can't be reached.

It's a frightening chemical /terrible death - I wonder if the the animal rights people have protested its use?

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oh boy

that is vile

what a horrible turn of events!! hope that your dogs will be fine - thats the main thing

but still the money and trauma side of it

id ring a solicitor - you might be able to glean something from just a phone call which would lend weight to further discussions with your BB person

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how awful :rofl: really hope your pups are ok

imagine if a child had crawled under there and got to the ratbait, im sure they would give a damn then! definitely pursue the issue, it is their own negligence that caused this to happen.

good luck!

I was thinking the same thing, what if a small child had ingested it......gross negligence and breaking all health and safety rules for running accommodation, they could quite easily lose their license

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  • 2 weeks later...

Fingers crossed - the 4 week course of Vit K ends today .

Now I have to wait 3-4 days then do blood tests to see if their liver has excreted the poison... otherwise it's more treatment..

If their blood clotting is still affected, this is when we'll find out... :eek:

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I had something similar happen although it was in a rental property.

There was a rodent problem from the previous occupants.

The real estate sent someone out to "pest control" the house this meant all "vermin" roaches,rats etc .. I spoke to the pest control officer and let him know that my dogs are kept both inside and out and that he would have to ensure that NO baits were left on low levels.

I had to leave the house so I wasnt able to watch where he put them,but he assured me all was OK.

Needless to say,the next day I see my two dogs chowing down on a rat bait.

He had left a bait sitting behind my toilet..easily acessable to my dogs and small children.

When I called him to let him know,he said "Oh I didnt think they could get it there"..

I then went around the house to check where else he had left them,they were scattered all through the bottom shelves under my sink etc...

So frustrating.. poor dogs having those shots and watching them vomit etc..they both survived.. I never followed up on it,I really should have,it may have made him think twice before being so reckless in another house.

ETA wishing ur dogs a very speedy recovery!

Edited by Lewis & Lyn
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I hope your dogs testing comes back with good results.

any joy with compensation for their vet bills ect. from the B&B ?

fifi

Hi Fifi

I have decided to wait and send all the bills with a lawyer's letter once I know the outcome... Little Lucy has a suspicious cough that developed about 5 days after eating the stuff.. the bigger dog is fine.

Thankfully they were both wonderful taking their tablets - I turned it into a 'training game' - they sat, waited and then got the tablet as a reward - worked every time :hug:

Edited by mirajam
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I work in an emergency vet hospital and the staff there are trying to get the labels on rat bait and snail pellets changed to reflect the actual danger they pose to pets. Ring the company that makes the bait and TELL THEM that your pets had to be hospitalised and treated because they ingested the poison. If everyone that had to deal with this let the company know they may change their labelling. I will try to find out the details of who to call when Igo into work next. You could also ring the Poisons Info line and tell them.

If you are on facebook, a friend has started a group called 'snail pellets are fatal to pets' which also covers rodenticides. Join and send the link to your fellow facebookers to get the word out.

Even if the packaging says it is safe for pets IT ISN"T!!!

Hope your dogs are ok :hug:

Edited by kendall
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:)

Both dogs' clotting times were tested last night and they are within normal limits - they don't need any more Vit K.

Phew. It's been a stressful month, after what was going to be a nice weekend away with the dogs...

Now I will collect / send the bills to the B&B owners and ask them to pay up!

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