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Elements Used in Rat Poison

Rat poison, officially called rodenticide, is used in urban, suburban and rural areas to control the rat and rodent population. It can also be used to kill chipmunks, moles, jackrabbits and muskrats. While rat poison is a very potent chemical substance, it is available for purchase in a variety of hardware and grocery stores.

  1. The Facts

    • Rat poison comes in several varieties. The traditional kind is called anticoagulant rodenticide, according to Marvistapet. This one is recommended for household use because an antidote exists and is often carried by veterinary clinics. Other types of rodenticides are more toxic and, as a result, more dangerous to household pets and children who may come in contact with it.

    History

    • Anticoagulant rat poison was first discovered in the 1940s, according to the UC Davis Department of Animal Science. These first-generation rodenticides included pindone, diphacinone, warfarin and clorophacinone and required multiple ingestion over a period of a few days. If a population of rodents is exposed to rat poison over a longer period of time, it is likely that it develops a resistance to the compound.

    Elements

    • Rat poisons have a variety of active ingredients. These include brodificoum, diphacinone, warfarin, bromadiolone and others. Most rodenticides are dyed green, may appear in the form of pellets or blocks and may also resemble dog or cat food.

    Features

    • Rats and rodents poisoned by anticoagulant rodenticide die primarily as a result of internal bleeding, damaged capillaries and the loss of the blood's ability to clot. The process of death takes a few days and, prior to death, the animal begins to experience weakness associated with blood loss. While this slower process of death is hard on the rodent, anticoagulants are still recommended because they allow time for the doctor to administer an antidote (vitamin K1) to save animals who were not the intended target of the rat poison.

    Types

    • Warfarin was the most popular first- generation anticoagulant at the time. Others include pindone (less effective than warfarin for rodents but more effective for insects and mold) and chlorophacinone and diphacinone. Both chlorophacinone and diphacinone are more toxic than the earlier anticoagulants and are capable of killing rats in a single feeding. Second-generation anticoagulants include brodifacoum (the most popular and toxic rodenticide used today) and bromadionlone (less toxic). Second-generation anticoagulants should be used when the rodent population has grown resistant to the first-generation rodenticides.

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