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1379517 
Technical Report 
Clinical toxicities of pet and caged rodents and rabbits 
Kruckenberg, SM; Cook, JE; Feldman, BF 
1975 
PESTAB/76/0689 
Clin 
4 
675-684; 1975 
English 
1237959 
PESTAB. This article presents experiences with unintentional poisoning in rodents and lagomorphs. Greens contaminated with pesticide or insecticide mixtures are a common source of poisoning. The most common types of poisoning seen are caused by organophosphates and carbamates. These are cholinesterase inhibitors, and typical signs can be observed. Chlorinated hydrocarbon poisoning from contaminated greens is not seen very frequently because of the curtailment of the use of these chemicals in the food produced for human or animal consumption. One common problem is the ingestion of baits containing anticoagulants such as warfarin. The ingestion occurs when the pet is released to play in an area where there are baits for wild rodents. This is especially true in basements and other areas that may have mice and rats invading. Treatment with vitamin K1 should be administered prophylactically. A clotting time may be of value in assessing the success of this treatment. If the drug is given before the onset of bleeding, the animal may survive. Arsenic has been used as an insecticide and rodent bait for some time and occasionally a pet rodent or rabbit may ingest arsenic and die. However, this is no longer common in pets.