# Puppy Ate A Rat! HELP!!!!!!



## GoingNuts (Sep 3, 2007)

Hello. I have a 12 week old beagle pup. He was outside sniffing the yard at my parents' house and apparently, found a rat my parents' cat had killed. Yuck. I didn't realize he had it in his mouth when I let him back inside, but my mother noticed right away, so I took him back outside and tried to wrestle the (dead) rat out of his mouth. Needless to say, it was very difficult and gross. I ended up pulling the head out first, then a chunk of what looked like a stomach, and so on. I literally had to rip it apart since pup wouldn't let go of it (he pierced my skin with his teeth as I tried to get it out - nasty, I know, but it's cleaned out thoroughly and my I had a tetanus shot a while back).
He had some nasty diarrhea shortly after, and I'm concerned about his health now. Should I take him to the vet? He didn't seem to want to eat very much since it happened, but I could just be imagining it....
ANY ADVICE? Rats are SOOOO gross, and I know they carry a number of diseases. He's just a little pup, but he's current on the shots he HAS had...


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## poohlp (Jul 10, 2007)

You just can't get a break with that puppy. 

I'd call the vet and tell them what happened. They'll be able to tell you if you need to bring him in. Most important would be if the puppy is up to date on shots I would think. But aside from that, dogs are naturally scavengers, so for my part, I probably wouldn't worry too much, so long as the vet says it is ok and the puppy doesn't seem abnormally sick. 

If you're planning on keeping him though, and I know you were thinking about getting rid of him, you should teach him "leave it." Check the training forums for tips on how to do that. Dogs are experts at finding nasty, unsuitable stuff to chew/eat. This will help to ensure that when that happens, you don't haqve to wrestle the pup to make him get rid of it.


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## the-tenth (Jun 29, 2007)

GoingNuts said:


> Hello. I have a 12 week old beagle pup. He was outside sniffing the yard at my parents' house and apparently, found a rat my parents' cat had killed. Yuck. I didn't realize he had it in his mouth when I let him back inside, but my mother noticed right away, so I took him back outside and tried to wrestle the (dead) rat out of his mouth. Needless to say, it was very difficult and gross. I ended up pulling the head out first, then a chunk of what looked like a stomach, and so on. I literally had to rip it apart since pup wouldn't let go of it (he pierced my skin with his teeth as I tried to get it out - nasty, I know, but it's cleaned out thoroughly and my I had a tetanus shot a while back).
> He had some nasty diarrhea shortly after, and I'm concerned about his health now. Should I take him to the vet? He didn't seem to want to eat very much since it happened, but I could just be imagining it....
> ANY ADVICE? Rats are SOOOO gross, and I know they carry a number of diseases. He's just a little pup, but he's current on the shots he HAS had...


Definately at the very least call the vet. Not only do you have to worry about natural diseases that rats carry, but lots of people leave posion out for rats.


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## Lightwingcreations (May 7, 2007)

I agree with Tenth, I would be fearful of rat poison. It's nothing to mess around with, very likely fatal if ingested and not treated. Talk to your vet and see what they say.


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## meeegun (May 8, 2007)

i have a beagle also, so i know how they can find the strangest things. if you ever have a situation where you want to get something out of his mouth, instead of trying to pull it out, offer him something else instead. does he have a toy he loves? how about a favorite food? offer him that and see if you can get him to drop whatever hes got. that way, you won't get bitten! as for the rat, i would contact the vet, especially if he is reluctant to eat. i have a cat who was poisoned (before i got him from the SPCA) and he lost a tremendous amount of weight from being poisoned in only 8 days. he lost a full pound, which is a lot because he only weighed 3 to begin with! anyways, i would be concerned about poisoning if it were my puppy as well.


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## chaikoymorgana (Oct 8, 2007)

Puppies r soo mischievous!! But these kind of pranks are dangerous, i would go to the vet inmediately.


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## 007Dogs (Aug 22, 2007)

The biggest concern would be if this particular rat had injested rat poison. My dogs start training on killing mice at 6 weeks of age. But they are taught to drop it after the kill.


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## yodarunner (Sep 12, 2007)

Definitely see what your vet says, keep a close eye on his throwing up, keep track. Is he on monthly worming medication? Rats do carry a lot of nastiness. Also, I definitely agree with teaching "leave it" The first few times to get them to open their mouth, you may want to try squeezing both sides of the the back of their jaws. You shouldn't have to squeeze hard, but it lets them know what you mean.


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## bluesbarby (Apr 10, 2007)

Definitely teach your puppy the "drop it" command. I was so glad I did when Riley brought me his first rat. I've been given two gifts in the last 2 weeks. He now presents them to me(still alive) - totally gross.


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