After your heart has sunk. And you have reached into his reluctant mouth and carefully lifted the offending little brick of poison over his teeth and out of his mouth. 
We were visiting a friend and it was one of those moments when you are chatting and not watching the dogs as closely as you should. Before I realised he had gone, Blue appeared back at my feet with a small block of blue rat poison about the size of an old fashioned matchbox. In his mouth. He wasn’t happy about giving it up either.
We drove immediately to the closest vet and though he was not in, (when are they) His assistant said “He has to puke”. She is not one to mince words. She gave me a bottle of hydrogen peroxide with instructions to feed him something he will eat straight away (not dry food), then squirt an ounce of the hydrogen peroxide into his mouth. Well, I fed him bread and an egg, which he gobbled up then I opened his mouth and squirted the nasty stuff in. After a minute of waiting under the tree, watching me watch him, he vomited, copiously, more than once but I was grateful to find no blue poison in the contents of his stomach at all. Though how that little dog could keep so much food in his belly, I have no idea.
He was feeling quite poorly after that mean vomit trick and had to have a wee lie down in his favourite sunday-on-tuesday hammock. Poor Blue the Savage. That was a close call, if he’d had a few seconds more, to actually lie down and start to chew on the stuff, this would have been a different post. TonTon’s father died after eating rat poison, it is the scourge of many a farm dog but Blue shows no signs of actually ingesting the poison.
So how about we have a bit of fun to celebrate. I have set up a piglet poll. Can you guess how many piglets our beautiful Charlotte will have. 
She heard there was going to be a photo opportunity and put on her make up! Once we get closer to her date she may have to stop playing in the mud though. Vote if you have a moment. She is due on June 17, and this is her first litter. And as Marie said, she is a big girl. Naturally I am hoping for a smallish number.
And now for someone a little more graceful.
The Duke of Kupa dressed to the nines. And look below, Tui is laying another egg.
Sssh, no loud noises, back away very slowly. Do not disturb the sitting hen.
your tip toeing friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
107 responses to “What to do when your puppy brings you rat poison”
I’m so happy Blue is OK.
I’ve owned a couple of dogs in my life and know very well how they will pick up absolutely anything.
Am hoping that Charlotte has only 6 to 7, which is my vote. We thought Our Roxie would have way more than she did, perhaps 11 or 12, but thank goodness only 6 popped out! All healthy and she birthed during the night and needed no help from us! So easy!!! I’m keeping my fingers crossed it goes just as easy for Charlotte and you on the farmy! xo
I worried for a second there that I would be reading a tragedy today. And then…all is well and I see that cutest of images of blue napping. Just a darling photo and especially so after the near tragedy.
It’s a wonder kids and puppies ever survive to adulthood as many awful things as they put in their mouths….My Late, Lamented Husky ate an ant bait – just chewed it to bits. She survived – it was arsenic based, but really old…all we found in her stomach were bits of black plastic.
Not the last stupid thing she ever ate, either…
Have a good, less-exciting day, Sweetie!
I had a son like that, I always said if he and I survived through to his adulthood I would be amazed.. he got so familiar with A&E that when he was twelve he cracked his arm, he knew it was a greenstick fracture (he’d had a few by then) so he got a teacher to drop him to the hospital and the hospital staff called me from there. By the time i found him he was having a cast put on!! c
Ugh, I am all too familiar with making dogs puke. Recently my husky not only ate 10 cookies (filled with chocolate and macedemia nuts of course! Both toxic.) but also 1/3rd of an avocado! (Also toxic.) We always keep a bottle of peroxide on hand and an oral syringe.
Dear Blue was a good boy in bringing his find directly to you and not hiding to gobble it up! You have trained him well!! I do wish people would just get cats from the shelter to keep rat population down instead of resorting to horrible poison!
I have gone 14+ for the little piggies so I can come help LOL
wow that was a close call! good thing you saw it and acted so quickly! he is too adorable in that hammock. hey, you might be a pig farmer very soon!
So pleased to hear that Blue is ok – and nice to see him recouperating in the hammock! It’s a shame he won’t associate being sick with picking up the poison, that might have put him off doing it again.
So happy that sweet Blue is all right! What a scare that must have been! Love the contrast between Charlotte in makeup and Kupa, preening. But I guess your farmy life is like that, isn’t it–full of contrasts? As for the litter–for your sake, Celi, I’ll vote for 6 or 7! Have a great day with only good surprises!
I voted 14 because I want to come help! I’ll be useless, of course, but I’ll bring the short 20-year-old, who wants to be a sustainable farmer when she grows up. 😉
What a good job you recognised the poison. I take the equivalent of rat poison every day plus two other meds with the same function: I nearly bled to death over the last three days. But stopped this morning and am all weak and wambly like a newborn animal. Jock was a hero, sitting up all night to change dressings.
I voted 8 piglets, because I’m willing to bet she has 4 teats each side. Kupa’s tail in that picture would make a fabulous evening cloak to wear to an Oscar ceremony! (Kidding)
I have had dealings with that people rat poison before and its terrible repercussions, find something else, it is dangerous and massively over used.. Oh and I went out and counted the teats, this is how much of a novice I am and she has 5 a side.. 10 in all.. c
It is a substitute for warfarin that I take: fluodinione (sp?) . Without it I wouldn’t be alive now. It’s the other stuff they give me that’s done the damage, but we’re getting sorted now, fingers and everything else crossed.
I am glad it is not warfarin, that stuff terrifies me! hope all goes well from now on, what a fright! c
Gosh, Celi! (I’d use stronger language but I know children read your blog.) I read this post’s title and my heart sank. What a relief to read that Blue’s fine! I know personally of what rat poison can do to a dog. Now, thanks to Max, I also know about hydrogen peroxide and keep a bottle of it in the medicine cabinet. Whew!
That is an awesome pic of Kupa and the perfect way to cleanse our minds of rat poison. 🙂
I hope today is less stressful for everyone on the farmy. Good morning, Celi.
You know what, knowing Max, i almost called you before the vet, I knew you would know what to do! c
You scared me with that title! and the first paragraph and…with the almost “dead” hammock picture. I am so glad he’s going to be okay. So so relieved. Charlotte looks phenomenally in need of some counseling: Please tell her that when she puts eyeliner all around her eyes, they just end up looking smaller. : )
I am glad Blue is fine and wanted to show off his treasure first. My but The Dukr is looking chic. I cautiously voted for 8 or 9 being Charlottes first, but not knowing a thing about such matters – guessed.
Rat Poison! I held my breath – click click – the story. Relief. Living on a big dairy farm I knew the ramifications. Charlotte has never looked lovelier. She glows with approaching motherhood. V.