As the weather turns colder mice and rats seek shelter in warm locations. In other words, they relocate to your house! Unfortunately, the start of autumn also means the start of mouse and rat poisoning, putting your dog and cat at risk.
Catching a mouse or a rat may be a natural pastime activity for cats and in most cases dogs, but eating rodents can have undesirable consequences.Dangers include infection of intestinal worms and toxoplasmosis as well as the possibility of suffering from secondary rat bait poisoning.
The dangers of ingesting rodents
Toxoplasmosis
Cats and dogs can become infected with the protozoan organism toxoplasma by eating rodents or rabbits that have the toxoplasmosis cysts developing in their muscles. Toxoplasma may make dogs quite ill and can cause various symptoms ranging from diarrhea, pneumonia, liver disease, or diseases of the nervous system. In cats, the parasite lives in the intestinal cells, usually causing little harm. The adult parasite produces cysts that are passed out in the feces of cats. It is these cysts that can cause harm if ingested by dogs, humans or cats with a weakened immune system.
Intestinal worms
Cats and dogs can become infected with roundworm by eating mice or rats infected with roundworm larvae. Roundworm can infect cats and dogs when they eat rodents infected with roundworm larvae. These worms feed upon the contents of the intestines and therefore compete for nutrients a dog or cat would normally ingest. Roundworms are approximately 8-12cm long and are spaghetti-like in appearance.
Secondary poisoning
A small risk of secondary poisoning exists if a rodent has ingested rat bait and a pet then eats the rodent. The level of toxicity your pet will experience depends on the timing, amount and type of poison the rodent has consumed and the number of rodents your pet eats. For example, if a Jack Russell Terrier consume one to two rats, this may cause symptoms. Cats, however, may need to consume many more rodents to be affected.
What you can do to protect your pet and family
Obviously cats are natural hunters. If your cat is an outdoor cat consider installing a enclosure. This will not stop rodents entering the enclosure, but it will prevent normal hunting activities.
Finally, to help protect you and your family, worm your pet on a regular basis. In most cases, treatment in adult pets should be done once every three months and more often for younger pets.
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