New rodenticide without antidote alarms pet toxicology experts
Fluffy got into the rat poison in the garage? Get the Vitamin K!
Not so fast, warns Ahna Brutlag, DVM, MS, a diplomate of the
American Board of Toxicology and assistant director of
veterinary services for Pet Poison Helpline. The ingested
substance may be bromethalin, the new toxin of choice for
rodenticide manufacturers. There is no test save necropsy to
detect its presence--and no antidote. Why are manufacturers
switching to bromethalin? Because in 2008 the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) issued a decision prohibiting the use of
second-generation or long-acting anticoagulants in residential
settings. Manufacturers became compliant with these new
regulations in 2011, with many using bromethalin instead of
anticoagulants in their products. Brutlag says the EPA’s changes
--designed to make rodenticide safer for children, pets and
wildlife--may actually make diagnosing and treating rodenticide
poisoning more difficult, thereby increasing t