possible rat poisoning in a dog

Question
My two 4 yr old mixed lab/retriever dogs were playing with a rat that I know had been poisoned with d-con. They did not eat the rat but the rat had a tear in it's stomach from them playing tug with it. The male dog vomited 3 times this morning, but not much each time, it was yellow in color and had grass in it. The female seems fine. Would just a little blood from the rat poison my dog? How do I check to see if he has a fever? I am unable to take him to the vet at this time, what should I do?

Answer
Dee -

Ingestion of a rat that was poisoned by D-Con can potentially cause poisoning in a dog.  The amount of poison ingested would be dependent upon the amount the rat ingested.  You should have your pets tested for rat poison as soon as possible.  Often, pets do not show the effects of rat poison ingestion until it is too late as it may take days for the poison to act upon the dog.  Luckily, you have reason to believe that they may have ingested a  poison and can be treated before they begin to show signs of illness.

Do not allow them to run or play as they may bleed internally if they did ingest a lethal amount of rat poison.  Have them examined by a veterinarian soon.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM