We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Dog just killed rat - any health implications for dog?

My dog Jack has just killed a rat. There were two puncture holes in the rat and it's blood was all over the pavement. So obviously the blood has also been in Jack's mouth.

Will this harm my dog in any way? he's fully up to date with all vaccinations.
«1

Comments

  • antw23uk
    antw23uk Posts: 510 Forumite
    I wouldnt be too worried if its a one off. Check him over for any bite marks around his mouth from the rat because thay might cause an issue so keep an eye on him.

    If its a regular thing and he is eating them then you would need to relook at your worming programme to include tape worm (I think of the top of my head)
    Ant. :cool:
  • Mojisola
    Mojisola Posts: 35,571 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Rats carry Weil's disease which might be a problem.
  • zaksmum
    zaksmum Posts: 5,529 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Mojisola wrote: »
    Rats carry Weil's disease which might be a problem.

    He's vaccinated against that so should be ok. It's just if he's ingested any of the rat's blood...the rat didn't appear to be poisoned or anything because it ran really fast.
  • ~Chameleon~
    ~Chameleon~ Posts: 11,956 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Mojisola wrote: »
    Rats carry Weil's disease which might be a problem.

    Dogs are regularly vaccinated against leptospirosis :)
    “You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”
  • antw23uk
    antw23uk Posts: 510 Forumite
    Mojisola wrote: »
    Rats carry Weil's disease which might be a problem.

    Gosh now that is very VERY unlikely!
    Ant. :cool:
  • Mojisola
    Mojisola Posts: 35,571 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    antw23uk wrote: »
    Gosh now that is very VERY unlikely!

    That's good to know.
  • zaksmum
    zaksmum Posts: 5,529 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    antw23uk wrote: »
    Gosh now that is very VERY unlikely!

    Why's it unlikely? Do you mean it's uncommon for rats to carry this disease?

    The rat had run amongst a group of children who were eating butties so I hated the idea of them seeing my dog kill it. But they were quite excited by it all and cheering Jack on...!:eek:

    Better that it was killed than have it bite one of the kids though:(
  • antw23uk
    antw23uk Posts: 510 Forumite
    Well firstly he is vaccinated which would minimise the risk of him catching anything and if it was a quick kill and he didnt get bitten by the rat this would reduce the risk even more.

    Rats are part and parcel of our society but if you mentio that kids were around its unlikely to be a place where disease is rif in rodents. As I say i wouldnt worry unless he goes quiet, off his food and/ or begins to vomit.
    Ant. :cool:
  • zaksmum
    zaksmum Posts: 5,529 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    antw23uk wrote: »
    Well firstly he is vaccinated which would minimise the risk of him catching anything and if it was a quick kill and he didnt get bitten by the rat this would reduce the risk even more.

    Rats are part and parcel of our society but if you mentio that kids were around its unlikely to be a place where disease is rif in rodents. As I say i wouldnt worry unless he goes quiet, off his food and/ or begins to vomit.

    Thanks ant. Feel a bit less anxious now - hopefully he will be ok but just in case I will be keeping a close eye on him.
  • krlyr
    krlyr Posts: 5,993 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    zaksmum wrote: »
    Why's it unlikely? Do you mean it's uncommon for rats to carry this disease?

    The rat had run amongst a group of children who were eating butties so I hated the idea of them seeing my dog kill it. But they were quite excited by it all and cheering Jack on...!:eek:

    Better that it was killed than have it bite one of the kids though:(

    A rat is very unlikely to approach a human to bite it. Even the myth of rats "going for the throat" is because a cornered rat would most likely try to jump over the person's shoulder to flee. They're not an animal that will attack out of nowhere - they may defend themselves if cornered but otherwise they're most likely to run away if they have the chance. Growing up on a farm, I had plenty of run ins with wild rats as a child, and I lived to tell the tale ;)
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 245.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 600.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.5K Life & Family
  • 259K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.