Unfortunately, it happens again and again that dogs eat poisonous things when they go for a walk. This does not always happen by accident, sometimes they are also deliberately interpreted. In the following, we explain what poison baits are, how you can protect your dog from them, and what the poison bait alarm is.
What are poison baits?
When there is a risk of poisoning outside, a distinction should be made: Poisonous baits are things that are deliberately laid out, e.g. B. poisoned pieces of sausage or food with needles, fish hooks or nails. There are also poison baits that are actually e.g. B. for rats. are intended. They can also be dangerous to other pets, such as dogs and cats. If these have been professionally applied, they are labeled as rat poison and placed in bait boxes that are inaccessible to dogs and cats.
Animals (mice, rats, birds) killed by poison are also sometimes dangerous for the dog, but of course no poison baits. Pesticides, poisonous plants and waste of known and unknown origin can also be poisonous for the dog. (Think of cigarette butts, leftovers, etc.)
Poison bait alert: Where can poison baits be found and what do they look like?
Unfortunately, these questions cannot be answered in general terms. Theoretically, poison baits can be found everywhere outside and even slip over your garden fence unnoticed. However, roadsides and bushes as well as parks are classic. If there are already different colored dots on the bait chunks, the poison bait alarm bells should be ringing for you. But also harmless-looking dog toys or similar. can be prepared.
How do I protect my dog from poisoned baits?
Most importantly, your dog simply doesn’t eat anything outside. To do this, he must be available at all times and should immediately implement clear prohibition signals such as “Off”, “No” or “Ugh” and let go of the part found. Some trainers also use a “Cry Alert” for special situations. This then signals danger to the dog instead of a ban and also ensures that it stops eating immediately and e.g. B. sits down. This is easy to train and saves lives in an emergency.
You also need to keep a constant eye on your dog to see what he’s doing. Since this is part of the supervisory obligation anyway, this should be a matter of course. However, many dog owners also know that their four-legged friend spontaneously “disappears” in the bushes…
If other dog owners raise the alarm about poisoned baits or you have read about them, you should be particularly careful – for a limited time. This includes closely observing the dog, keeping it strictly on a leash and, if necessary, avoiding a certain stretch of the dog until the all-clear has been given. Unfortunately, the poison bait problem occurs again and again in some regions because the culprit can rarely be found.
Poison Bait Alert: Where can I find alerts?
Keep in touch with other dog owners, analogue and digital. There are many sites warning of potential poison bait problems. One of them is the poison bait radar. Finds by veterinarians are also confirmed here. Because the poison bait alarm does not always turn out to be correct. If you found poisoned bait or if your dog was possibly even ill, you can also enter this here.
Rumors about people who clearly have something against dogs also quickly make the rounds among dog owners. Keep your eyes and ears open for someone sounding the poison bait alarm. Local newspapers also report poisoned bait finds.
Poison Bait Alert App
The poison bait radar page is also available as a smartphone app. With this poison bait alarm app, you can directly call up relevant warnings for your area and also sound the poison bait alarm yourself if you have found suspicious objects on your walk.
My dog just eats everything! – How should I protect him in case of poison bait alarm?
Puppies and young dogs in particular can have phases in which they simply put everything in their mouths. It is then hardly possible to control what is spat out of it. This behavior must be trained out!
In rare cases, picking up foreign objects could also be an indication of malnutrition or malnutrition. Please ask your veterinarian about this.
If your four-legged friend is in such a phase and you cannot control what he is taking in outside, you should use a muzzle if necessary. This is of course just a precautionary measure and should not be made permanent!
Training tips – not only helpful when the poison bait alarm is triggered
Various exercises and signals are useful and helpful – not only when the poison bait alarm is triggered.
- Attention: Train your four-legged friend to pay attention to you on command and always listen to you. This makes retrieval easier.
- Callback: For emergencies, the callback (not the same as the normal “Come here”) should be well practiced.
- Exchanging prey: You train with harmless things that your dog gives away found objects and exchanges them for a treat.
The goals of education should be:
- the dog always listens to you.
- he immediately dismisses any finds.
- he can be called back at any time.
- Start these exercises as a puppy and stay on the ball! They must be repeated regularly so that they “sit”.
If in doubt, save your dog’s life with the poison bait alarm!
What symptoms of poisoning can occur?
Unfortunately, symptoms of poisoning are very diverse. The most common are vomiting, diarrhea, and tremors or salivation. But other signs of illness are also possible. Read more about poisoning in dogs here.
Important: If the dog has eaten something potentially poisonous, go to the vet as soon as possible! Even if there are no symptoms yet, prompt treatment can be life-saving. And it’s better to do this once too soon or too often, even though your darling has ingested something harmless. We don’t always know exactly what our four-legged friends are eating and a preventive visit to the vet is definitely better than reacting too late.
If your dog vomits, bag up some of it and take it with you to the vet. Also, if he ate something and you don’t know what it is, bring the leftovers with you. These things can provide valuable clues as to whether your darling has actually eaten something poisonous.
If your dog has ingested something that was not intended for him, it may be useful to use medication to induce vomiting. However, this is only possible in a short time window after the admission, just like the discharge via other ways. Therefore, if in doubt, go to the vet quickly!
If you know of any poison bait alarms in your area, please let the vet know when you bring your dog.
Tip: Save the number of an emergency vet in your cell phone! So you have them quickly to hand and don’t have to research which practice offers emergency services at all. This is particularly important at night and on weekends.
Poison Bait Alert: Conclusion
Unfortunately, there is no absolute protection against poisoned dog baits. However, a certain amount of training will protect your darling from eating all sorts of things on walks. Keep in touch with other dog owners and find out from the media about possible poison bait alarms in your region.
