First Aid First Aid for Rat Poisoning By Rod Brouhard, EMT-P facebook twitter linkedin Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients. Learn about our editorial process Rod Brouhard, EMT-P Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Michael Menna, DO on November 15, 2019 Michael Menna, DO, is a board-certified, active attending emergency medicine physician at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York. Learn about our Medical Review Board Michael Menna, DO Updated on November 25, 2019 Print Nature Picture Library / Getty Images More in First Aid Allergies & Anaphylaxis Bites & Stings Breathing Emergencies Broken Bones Bruises, Cuts & Punctures Heat & Cold Exposure Infections Rash Emergency Preparedness Calling for Help View All The most common types of rat poison use a common blood thinner to cause internal bleeding in rodents. Touching rat poison is as safe as handling blood thinning medication and is generally not harmful. Ingesting rat poison, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous. Types of Rat Poison Most rat poison uses a common blood thinner used by a heart attack and stroke patients called warfarin. Another type of rat poison uses thallium sulfate as the active ingredient. In addition, there are second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides that are far more toxic. These include bromadiolone, brodifacoum, and difenacoum. They may produce symptoms at far lower doses than the first-generation rodenticides. Some of the symptoms are similar, and because symptoms may take hours or days to appear, there may not be any way to see which type of poison was ingested unless it is discovered at the time of ingestion. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pesticide poisoning is the 10th leading cause of poisoning in the United States, accounting for roughly 40,000 emergency room visits each year. Symptoms The first risk of rat poison comes from the presence of it. If a person had the potential for ingesting rat poison—you discover that a container of rat poison spilled in the cabinet and potentially contaminated people's food, for example—that would be a reason to consider the possibility. People who exhibit more than one symptom from this list may have ingested one or both types of rat poison, including: Nosebleeds not caused by trauma to the noseBleeding gums not caused by trauma to the mouthBlood in the urine (hematuria)Bloody diarrhea (hematochezia)Shortness of breath (dyspnea)Extreme fatigue, a late and very dangerous sign of poisoning If left untreated, rodenticide poisoning can lead to seizures, respiratory distress, heart attack, internal bleeding, liver failure, shock, coma, and sudden death. Of course, these symptoms may be caused by other conditions as well as rat poisoning. Do not try to diagnose the individual's condition; always follow conventional suggestions about when to call 911. It is especially important to consider poisoning anytime that more than one person in the home suddenly exhibits the same signs and symptoms. When to Call 911 If rat poisoning has occurred or is strongly suspected, call 911 or Poison Control at 800-222-1222. While activated charcoal or syrup of ipecac can be purchased over-the-counter as an interim remedy, never do so unless directed by Poison Control. Prevention As of 2011, rodenticide bait must be sold in the form of blocks rather than pellets or loose bait and it has to be contained inside a tamper-proof bait station. If you have any of the older forms of rat poison around the house, consider disposing of it and getting the safer bait. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. King N, Tran MH. Long-acting anticoagulant rodenticide (superwarfarin) poisoning: a review of its historical development, epidemiology, and clinical management. Transfus Med Rev. 2015;29(4):250-8. doi:/10.1016/j.tmrv.2015.06.002 Roberts JR, Reigart JR. Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings. Sixth Edition. The United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pesticide exposures. Updated April 12, 2019.