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My dog ate a dead rat. What should I do if it happened a while ago?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 10 months and 2 days old | 62 lbs

My dog ate a rat and I’m unsure when he did it I found it in my yard last night it’s looks like it’s been dead for a while what should I do

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 3rd, 2018

There are two things you can do: 1) nothing, just watch your dog for diarrhea and/or vomiting or paleness. If yoru dog vomits/gets diarrhea do the following: I would fast Bandit for 12 hours and then put her on bland food for two days, such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken meat, fed in small quantities over several feeds and then transition back to her regular food slowly over a few days. Should he get lethargic, and/or pale (check his gums), he needs to be seen by a vet as the rat may have died of rodenticide. OR 2) if your dog ate the rat within the past 90 minutes, take him to a vet to have him regurgitate the rat with a medication called apomorphine.

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