Dr Debbie Delahunty at Horsham Veterinary Hospital said winter tends to bring in cases of pets getting sick from eating mouse and rat bait. The most dangerous being the ones that are anti-coagulant poisons.

"They stop the ability to clot blood," she said.

"If a dog or cat eats the poison they can start to hemorrhage internally."

She said pets will commonly get bleeding in the chest cavity or abdomen but had seen animals come in with nose bleeds, muscle pain from muscle hemorrhaging, or blood in the urine.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"The most consistent symptom is that they are quite lethargic and quiet because they're bleeding," Dr Delahunty said.

"Often laboured breathing because they are bleeding into the chest cavity and their gum colour is quite pale. Instead of a nice bright pink on their gums, it becomes a pale pink colour or even white if they are badly affected."

Dr Delahunty said she treats more dogs than cats.

"The dogs do find the poison palatable, so they will directly eat the poison," she said.

"But they can get poison from eating mice or rats that have ingested the poison and the dogs will get it secondarily."

The treatment for the anti-coagulant poison is vitamin K but due to an inundation of mice in NSW and a ripple effect on animals, stocks are quite low.

Dr Delahunty said the hospital had some on their shelves but was unsure if they could get more stock when they run out.

"The number of cases in NSW have sky-rocketed and it's getting hard to get supplies of the vitamin K," she said.

"We're not too sure how we'll able to get more or when new supply will come online."

READ MORE:

She said the best way to avoid dogs getting sick from the poison is to avoid using the poison.

"It's hard to stop your dog from eating mice if they are hunters," Dr Delahunty said.

"If you see your dog ingest the poison, bring them into the vet straight away so we can induce vomiting.

"Ring and let us know what the dog has eaten so we know what type of poison it is. Most are anti-coagulant form but there are some that are different and need different advice.

"If your dog is showing any symptoms of being unwell get them seen and treated quickly. With early treatment, there is a good prognosis for recovery, but if you wait too long to bring your dog into the vet it can lead to a more serious condition."

Dr Delahunty said she understands people use poison to protect their crops and homes but to be vigilant.

"Be vigilant that the dogs are not able to get to where the poison is stored because they can be surprisingly resourceful at getting access," she said.

"Sometimes the blocks are put out and tucked away and hidden and the dogs can't get to them but the rats and mice might move them or drop them to the ground. Then the dogs can reach the poison.

"If they know their dog is known for hunting and eating mice, restrict access to where the dog hunts for mice."

Dr Delahunty said to ring a vet for advice if you have concerns about your pet.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: