Hi Gill. As you already know, the vitamin K will be effective as long as it is given for long enough, and it was an anticoagulant rodenticide, which it sounds like it was. Ooty, I understand that vitamin K is best given with a fatty meal, but it might be best to avoid products containing lactose.

Hi there my 2 lab babies one 5 yrs one 11mths ate rat bait that the younger one had managed to get to out of the shed by elevating herself on machinery and knocking a bucket down and dragging a plastic bag outside I couldn’t believe what I found her eatin and dont know how long they had the bait. An hr trip to vet the younger one vomited up copious amounts but the older one not alot I am worried he didn’t get it all up but your comments are giving me hope that the vit k may work I pray it does (we didn’t get charcol). I was told to feed them plenty of eggs and milk for vit k benefits by the vet assistant is this correct I am a bit worried about the milk because I have always read its a not good for dogs I’m desperate to do the right thing. I pray for all your poor dogs and wish you all the best thankyou

Hi Laura. There is a high chance that he has taken sufficient poison to cause internal bleeding in the next 1 to 2 days. Please follow your vet’s advice, but if a blood test is not possible in the correct time frame, then preventative use of the antidote would be necessary.

Hi Monique. As long as other parameters are improving them it could just reflect the metabolism of blood that was lost internally. The best thing to do is keep in close touch with your regular vets.

Hi Christine. Vomiting is not a side-effect I’ve ever seen from vitamin K or rat poison, so it will be worth getting back in touch with your own vets for help. It certainly could prevent absorption of the vitamin K if not corrected.

Hi Rachel. As long as the antidote is used for more than the amount of time at the poison is in the system, there should be no problems. In this case, three weeks seems like a pretty good bet, and I wouldn’t be too concerned as long as you stay in touch with your vet. In our clinic, we often send blood away two or three days after the end of treatment, just to check the PT/APTT as it can be done at external laboratories as well.