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My dog ate rat poison. When should I give Vitamin K1 and how much?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | Male | neutered | 80 lbs

My dog weighs 80lbs or 37kg. He ate a rat poison and I took him to a vet but they said wait to give him the antidote. I wanna be safe. How much dosage of k1 (yes I checked the poison he ate from the sign at the park he ate the poison) how many mg of k1. Some say 25 mg a day. Split 2-3 times a day. Some say 1-3 mg a pound with is 80 mg to 240 mg a day. How much do I give him for 30 days?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 19th, 2018

If your dog ate anti-coagulant rat poison, it makes no sense to wait to give him the Vit. K1. Vit. K1 will only work if your dog ate rat poison that is an anticoagulant. You should contact your vet's office for a recommendation as we are not in a position legally to give out dosages. In order to do legally so we would have to have a patient-veterinarian-owner relationship with you. Your veterinarian also knows your dog and the potential risks for your dog receiving this medication. If your dog ate Bromethalin rat poison, Vit K1 will not work. It makes the brain swell and is moderately to severely toxic. There is no antidote, only supportive care, such as inducing emesis (vomiting, to remove as much poison as possible), charcoal (to hopefully neutralize some of the poison, iv fluids and medication to reduce the cerebral edema (brain swelling). As with many poisons, the dose is important. You will need to monitor your dog for a few days for incoordination (ataxia), tremors, seizures, and paralysis. If your dog is not showing any of those signs 24 hrs after ingestion, there is a good chance that he will not have eaten a detrimental amount and therefore may not need treatment.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 18th, 2020

    Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Bailey has just eaten the rat poison (within the last 2hrs) she should be made vomit. If it was over 2-3hrs ago, she should have a blood test to check her clotting factors in 2 days time. If the clotting factors are up on Monday, Bailey should be put on Vitamin K treatment for about 3 weeks. Please, get in touch with your local vets as soon as possible and get her seen right away to make her vomit, or book an appointment for a blood test for Monday. There is no need to start Vitamin K treatment as yet.

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    Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 9th, 2017

    Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The prognosis for anti-coagulant rat poison ingestion, when caught early as in Buttons' case, is good due to the fact there is an antidote. As I mentioned in my previous answer I always monitor the clotting times 3-5 days after poison ingestion and 3-5 days after completion of the 30 days of Vitamin K to be sure. I have not had any patients in 12 years, not do okay when treated with Vitamin K early before symptoms of bleeding. I hope this helps

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 17th, 2017

    Hello, sorry to hear about Gaboo. It depends on what his values for clotting where and how soon after the ingestion occurred that a veterinarian saw him. If those were normal and he was made to vomit the rat poison then monitoring his clotting times while getting vitamin K should be sufficient. Gaboo should be kept away from any hard impact activity that could predispose him to falling or bumping into things that may cause bleeding. Otherwise, he may need to have his clotting times checked in a month or so to ensure they are adequate. If you note any bruising or spontaneous bleeding then Gaboo should be evaluated by your veterinarian immediately. At that time they may recommend further treatment such as a transfusion with plasma. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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