There's been a spike in dogs poisoned by rodent bait among presentations to a western vet clinic, prompting a warning for pet owners to recognise the symptoms as an emergency.
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Duncan McGinness Veterinary Surgeon said in a post to social media it had "experienced high numbers of pets" that had been poisoned by mouse or rat bait recently.
Duncan McGinness Veterinary Surgeon client coordinator Sarah Trebley said they had been seeing one to two cases a day in the past couple of weeks.
While other pets could be affected, there had only been dogs brought in for treatment during the period, she said.
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Pets could be treated and recover, depending on the severity of the signs, she said.
It comes after reports since the spring of higher numbers of mice in the region, with retailers reporting strong demand for control products.
The vet practice advises people to "never say never" when it comes to pets gaining access to rodent poison.
"If you suspect your pet has eaten bait please contact the clinic as soon as possible," it said in a post to Facebook.
"No adverse signs appear until three days after the bait has been eaten.
"This is the time it takes for the clotting factors that have already been produced prior to eating the rat bait, to run out. After three days, bleeding into the bladder, lungs, abdomen and possibly from the nose begins.
"If you see any external bleeding that won't stop, pale gums, lethargy with breathing difficulty, nose bleeds or if urine or faeces becomes really dark, contact the surgery as soon as possible - this is an emergency."
Ms Trebley urged pet owners to contact a vet as soon as known exposure to baits had happened, or if unknown access had occurred, as soon as any of the symptoms were noticed.