When rodents come inside to seek comfort from the cold, some folks stock up on rodenticides—all of which can poison pets as well.
Some forms of rodenticide toxicity are more treatable than others, like those caused by warfarin-type anticoagulants. Internal bleeding may resolve with vitamin K treatment.
Other rodenticide toxicities are a different story. Bromethalin [bro-METH-ah-lin], a neurotoxin, can cause seizures, paralysis and death within hours to weeks after ingestion—and no antidote is available. Cholecalcipherol [coal-ah-call-CIFF-er-all] rodenticides cause calcium to build up in soft tissues, which can damage any part of the body. Supportive care is the only option. Worst of all, ingestion of zinc phosphate releases toxic gas in the stomach, which is rapidly fatal.
So, beware. You can prevent any of these scenarios by keeping rodenticides far away from pets.