Woman details 'distressing' moment as family doodle fights for life after eating rat bait
NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA: A woman entails the stressful situation after her family's favorite dog ate a rat bait on walk and was left battling for its life. Georgina Young from New South Wales wants the community to be informed of the risks associated with rat baiting after going through it herself.
Young's dog, Coco, ate something while walking along the nature strip on Eve Street one night last week when she brought the doodle outside to use the restroom in Erskineville. “It was dark and it happened so quickly, I wasn’t able to see what it was,” she said.
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'They basically couldn’t guarantee anything'
Young didn't consider it at the moment, but she put the pieces together once Coco began acting strangely a few days later. “She just took herself off to bed and started crying out in a way with pain that she was never done before,” Young said to 7News.
She took her to the veterinarian in a hurry, who advised her to transport Coco to an urgent care facility after rapidly determining that the 11-year-old dog was in shock. Young was informed that Coco had been poisoned and was bleeding internally. “It was distressing because I wasn’t sure what was happening,” she said. “They basically couldn’t guarantee anything. They just said, ‘she’s very, very ill and the next few hours are very important’. “She’s very active and she’s a family member - it was terrifying. “I think the most distressing thing was just looking into her eyes and she was just so helpless and really wanted me to do something ... it’s just so sad.”
Before she was eventually able to return home on April 2, Coco had to spend three nights in the intensive care unit and had to get numerous blood and plasma transfusions. “She’s still very quiet, she’s not eating or drinking a lot but we’re just hoping she’s OK,” Young said.
Young had only recently terminated her pet insurance because of rising living costs. She spent $13,500 on this upsetting journey, and Coco will require care for another six weeks. She wants other people to be aware of the risks associated with rat baiting and give more thought to where they place the poison.
Rat baits can be harmful to other animals as well
Rat baits are harmful and might be fatal to both animals and people who eat them, according to the RSPCA of Australia. The baits are typically flavored to attract pests, but this might also tempt other animals to consume them, which could kill them. Three to seven days after eating the poison, pets who eat rat baits may not exhibit any symptoms, including weakness, wobbliness, lethargy, loss of appetite, coughing, wheezing, and difficulty in breathing.