For some reason, dogs love to eat and chew anything they see, including roach baits!
Hence, many pet owners worry about what could happen to their dogs if they have eaten combat roach baits. Will combat roach bait hurt your dog?
The dosage of toxic chemicals contained in combat roach bait is not enough to cause severe and lethal complications in dogs. If a dog has ingested roach bait, it may experience mild stomach irritation, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and drooling.
All of these symptoms are common bodily reactions when toxic compounds enter a dog’s digestive tract.
You should be more worried if your dog ate the packaging or plastic tube of roach baits as this can lead to bowel obstruction, a severe and dangerous health problem. Do you want to learn more? Keep on reading!
Is Combat Roach Bait Harmful to Dogs?
Although most roach bait products contain very low toxicity and are not lethal to dogs, they are still harmful and dangerous when ingested.
Most roach gels have safety margins for house pets and contain toxic chemicals that are potent enough to kill roaches but are still safe for dogs.
A few slices or pieces of combat roach bait will not be enough to poison and kill a dog or other pets. Your dog will need to munch out a tray of roach baits to suffer lethal complications.
Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, if a dog ate roach bait, it will still experience mild stomach irritation accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. Most of the time, this is something you should not worry about.
These natural bodily reactions should cease after a few hours. However, you should immediately take your dog to a veterinarian if symptoms persist after several hours or if its condition worsens over time.
It is actually more worrisome if your dog ate the plastic casing or the tube of the combat roach bait than when it has ingested roach poison. Hence, you should carefully check the packaging of the roach bait.
Foreign body obstruction or intestinal obstruction could occur if your dog has also eaten a piece of the packaging or swallowed plastic from the combat roach gel tube.
Dogs that have ingested pieces of plastic from the plastic casing of a roach station can suffer from foreign body obstruction or intestinal obstruction.
Also known as bowel and stomach obstruction, intestinal obstruction is a serious health problem that could be fatal if left untreated.
If the blockage in the stomach isn’t removed, the dog could die after 3 to 5 days due to various complications such as dehydration and infection.
What Happens If Your Dog Eats Combat Roach Bait?
Roach bait products contain sugar and preservatives, which attracts not only cockroaches but also our adorable pets! This is why dogs couldn’t resist the temptation of eating and snacking on roach baits.
Although roach bait poisoning might sound like a life-threatening medical condition, this isn’t something you would normally worry about, especially if immediate medical attention is given.
A dog that has ingested combat roach poison will mostly experience vomiting, diarrhea, stomach upset, drooling, pain in the oral cavity, lethargy, shivering, and uncoordinated gait.
These clinical signs and symptoms are normal bodily reactions when foreign toxic compounds or poison enter a dog’s body.
The signs and symptoms might not be fatal, but they could progress into more severe complications, which could risk your dog’s health.
You should urgently visit a veterinarian should your dog’s condition worsen.
How Long Would It Take for a Dog to Show Signs of Poisoning?
The manifestation of clinical signs of poisoning from roach trap may vary from dog to dog, depending on the amount of roach poison ingested.
Some toxic compounds from roach traps take effect after a few minutes, while others take up to 24 hours.
Nevertheless, initial bodily reactions such as sudden vomiting, stomach upset, nausea, drooling, and skin rashes usually begin to show 30 minutes to two hours after the dog swallowed the combat roach poison.
Other clinical symptoms of roach bait poisoning, such as lethargy, diarrhea, and shivering, may take longer to manifest.
What to Do If Your Dog Accidentally Eats Combat Roach Bait?
You must act quickly to avoid severe and further complications if your dog eats combat roach baits or other harmful products for pets, such as silica gel or birth control pills.
Although roach baits are not lethal to most pets, dogs that have ingested roach traps should be taken to the veterinarian immediately.
Urgency should be given, especially to dogs experiencing severe regurgitation, shivering, and seizures.
After careful examination, the veterinarian may induce vomiting for your pet to withdraw the remaining roach poison in its digestive tract. You should not force your dog to puke at home without veterinary advice.
If the vet advises you to make your dog throw up, you can give your dog a proper amount of hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the proper dosage for a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution is one teaspoon per five pounds of the dog’s body weight and three teaspoons for dogs weighing more than 45 pounds.
You can administer the hydrogen peroxide solution by squirting it into the side of your dog’s mouth using a syringe. Activated charcoal may also be used to cleanse the residue of the roach poison from the digestive tract.
To prevent dehydration, veterinarians may recommend giving intravenous fluids to dogs that are vomiting and experiencing diarrhea. Dogs who exhibit shivering and seizures are also given anticonvulsants and sedatives by the vet.
Contrary to popular belief, though, professional veterinarians do not advise giving raw eggs to dogs that have ingested roach traps. They argue that raw eggs do not have the binding components necessary to neutralize the poison.
Read more My Dog Ate Combat Roach Bait
Dogs having difficulty breathing might also need supplemental oxygen support and might be required to stay in the clinic in the meantime.
Meanwhile, if you see your dog pacing back and forth, pawing its mouth, having difficulties breathing, and whining, it might be choking on a piece of plastic from the bait’s plastic housing.
Here is what you need to do if your dog is choking due to the ingestion of plastic fragments, such as those in roach traps:
- Gently restrain your dog but do not put on a muzzle. Your dog might struggle and resist as it tries to remove the choke by itself, which could potentially harm itself and you.
- Gently open the mouth and scan for stuck objects at the back of the throat.
- If the object is visible, try removing or dislodging it with the help of another person. While the other person gently keeps the mouth open, you can try removing the stuck object using a pair of long tweezers or long-nose pliers. Do not insert your fingers or hand to avoid the risk of getting bitten.
- At any cost, avoid pushing the object as you may lodge it deeper.
- You can also perform the Heimlich maneuver to expel the object.
- If none of the above-mentioned options works, drive your dog to the nearest veterinary clinic as soon as possible.
If you suspect that your dog ate pieces of plastic from the combat roach bait station, you should still take it to the vet immediately.
The ingested pieces of plastic from a bait station are harmful and could cause foreign body obstruction.
The sharp pieces of plastic housing your dog ate could also cause internal lacerations in the throat lining and gastrointestinal tract.
The treatment for stomach blockage can be surgical or non-surgical, depending on the shape, size, and location of the plastic pieces in the digestive tract.
In some cases, veterinarians can remove the plastic fragments or pieces of the metal bait casing from the GI tract through endoscopy, which does not require surgery.
If for some reason you cannot go to the vet urgently, you can also give your dog plain pumpkin paste right after the ingestion.
This creates a substance that could potentially cushion the sharp plastics all the way through the intestinal tract.
Watch this video for some tips on what to do if your dog swallows something poisonous, such as roach bait:
How to Prevent Your Dog From Eating Combat Roach Bait
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. You should know how to carefully use bait traps, bait stations, and bait gels to keep your pets at home safe and prevent them from snacking on these insecticides.
Strategic placement is key to ensuring that your dog won’t be able to eat roach baits. Place the bait station or roach trap in areas your dog can’t reach.
Make sure that smarty dogs won’t also be able to drag out the roach baits in narrow spaces with their paws.
You can place roach baits on top of kitchen shelves, inside a closed cupboard, in the cabinet sink, and in other areas that are too high or too narrow for your pet to reach.
Adhesive roach traps are also a better choice than bait gels and bait stations as they don’t use any kind of toxic or poison. Natural insecticide alternatives are also highly toxic and potent to insects but safe for pets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Safer Alternatives for Chemical-Based Roach Baits?
Aside from using chemical-based roach baits, there are other safer and more effective ways of eliminating roaches and pests in your house that are not harmful to dogs.
A homemade roach killer might be a perfect choice if you do not want to risk your dog and other pets eating a chemical-based roach poison.
You would be surprised to know that your common household items can actually make good roach baits.
Here are some of the homemade roach killers that are not toxic to dogs and other pets:
- Baking Soda and Sugar: This tasteful treat is safe for pets but deadly for cockroaches. Mix an equal part of baking soda and table sugar and put it in a small container, plate, or lid of a jar. Then, place it in locations where your dog will not be able to reach it. It is recommended to use large metal plates to contain the baking soda and sugar solution if possible.
- Essential Oils as Deterrents: While the smell of essential oils is relaxing for many people, cockroaches do not feel the same way. Reportedly, the scent of many essential oils such as tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil, and peppermint oil effectively deters roaches.
- Garlic Spray: Like essential oils, garlic has a strong scent and smell that roaches dislike. You can create garlic spray at home by mixing garlic powder or paste with hot water.
If your home is heavily infested by roaches, you might also want to consider availing of the professional service of pest control companies.
What Do Roach Baits Usually Contain and Are They Harmful to Dogs?
The toxic active ingredients that combat roach bait usually contains are fipronil, hydramethylnon, indoxacarb, and boric acid. Some of these chemicals are also used in tick treatments.
These ingredients are highly toxic and deadly for insects. Unfortunately, they are also harmful to dogs, especially in large quantities.
The other components of roach baits are non-toxic ingredients such as sugar and preservatives, which are used to attract household pests.
Which Commercial Roach Baits Are Safe for Dogs and Other Pets?
Some commercially available pet-safe roach baits are Combat Max Roach Trap, Ecosmart Ant and Roach Killer, Raid, Ecologic, and All-N-One Bug Defense Natural Spray.
Most roach bait products contain natural oils and plant-based solutions that are not toxic to dogs and other pets. However, the above-mentioned are those with even safer ingredients.
Final Thoughts
Undeniably, roach baits do well in doing their job of keeping our homes pest-free. However, you should be careful in using them. If your pet or dog ate roach bait, its health might be jeopardized.
If you plan to use bait stations or roach traps, make sure to strategically place them in places where your dogs wouldn’t be able to reach them.
You can also use roach deterrents and killers that are not toxic to dogs, such as the alternatives mentioned in the previous section.
If your dog ate roach bait and exhibits severe symptoms, you must immediately call animal poison control or take it to the nearest veterinary clinic.
Have you ever been in a situation where your dog ate roach bait, or did you have other similar experiences? Tell us about it in the comment section!
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— Update: 24-03-2023 — cohaitungchi.com found an additional article My Dog Ate Combat Roach Bait from the website dogfoodsmart.com for the keyword what to do if my dog ate combat roach bait.
Roach bait is typically successful when it comes to exterminating its intended targets. But what about its non-intended targets… like your precious dog.
By now you may be asking, but what if my dog ate combat roach bait? That is a very good question.
If you own a dog, you know that most of the time they are sniffing around on the floor as they have a strong sense of smell. This is why roach bait seems to be so attracted to them.
Combat roach bait contains strong and harmful chemicals but is also mixed with enticing food that will make your dog want to eat it. This is not something new!
Dogs frequently eat roach bait that is lying around and most of them survive to tell the tale.
Roach bait like Maxforce, Raid, Hot Shot, or Fipronil is mixed with tasty ingredients like sugar and other appealing flavorings that cause your dog to consume it.
On the bright side, the roach bait itself is not particularly lethal to dogs. The products available on the market take pets like dogs into consideration.
Consequently, even though your dog may get poisoned from consuming large amounts of the bait, it is not always lethal.
The plastic casing that comes with the roach bait however is a different story. This can be very harmful to a dog so special care must be taken. If this happens your dog should be taken to seek medical assistance as soon as possible.
What Could Happen To My Dog If He Eats Combat Roach Bait?
As we’ve stated, the likelihood of your dog being poisoned by eating a bit of combat bait is very low.
If your dog eats the combat bait he will display symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, sudden vomiting and mild stomach irritation as these are the most common side effects.
One single combat bait is not enough to do damage to a dog of 10 pounds. The manufacturers of combat bait have given this assurance.
You will find this information on the packaging. A dog of 10 pounds will have to eat 50 trays of combat bait before they start experiencing serious effects.
But the amount in one tray is more than enough to get rid of a cockroach. This is good news for your dog, but it is still important that you try to prevent this from happening.
Sometimes your dog can be immune-compromised or have certain conditions that would make him susceptible to the poison.
Additionally, the poisons are not easily absorbed in a dog’s digestive tract. So approximately 95% of it will be excreted without harming them.
You can also look out for your dog being lethargic or urinating more than normal. Some dogs have seizures or trouble breathing.
What Could Happen To My Dog If He Eats The Roach Bait Plastic?
The plastic casing that houses the roach bait is actually more dangerous than the roach bait itself. Your dog will attempt to tear apart that plastic to access the roach bait that is flavored and designed to attract roaches.
He may accidentally ingest some of the plastic he has torn apart in his efforts to get to the roach bait.
These plastic pieces are a choking hazard because they are pointy and can do serious damage to internal organs especially the stomach and throat.
They can also get large along the digestive tract and choke your dog or cause an obstruction in the stomach.
Very small pieces may be passed in his stool but because dogs like to chew their food there may be large plastic pieces stuck inside him.
The plastic pieces that are ingested by your dog can also stop oxygen flow causing him to suffocate. He may stop breathing and even lose consciousness. This has very serious consequences here.
The choking can sometimes result in organ and brain damage or even death. Pieces of plastic that have made it to the esophagus and stomach may cause a condition called pyloric obstruction.
The plastic can cause your dog’s circulation to be cut off, leading to organ decay.
Take your dog to the vet as soon as you can if you have reason to believe that he has swallowed plastic see.
You could also look for symptoms such as loss of appetite, bloody stool, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, constipation, bloated stomach, and even heavy panting.
What Can I Do If My Dog Consumed Combat Roach Bait?
Because the combat roach bait is not poisonous enough to kill your dog, there is not much to do at this point.
You can induce vomiting if he has swallowed more than .45 oz per pound of his body weight. You still need to monitor his condition especially if he has other complications before he ate the roach bait.
On the other hand, if he has consumed the plastic the situation is more serious. It could be that he has only swallowed a small piece that he can pass in his stool but if he has swallowed larger and sharp pieces, then they could be lodged at any point in his gastrointestinal tract.
Any sort of stomach obstruction is quite serious so act fast to save his life. It is a better idea to take him to the veterinarian as soon as possible just to make sure that’s the situation is not serious. It is better to be safe than sorry.
What Should I Do If My Dog Is Choking?
There are certain steps that you must follow if you realize that your dog is suffocating due to the blockage. First, begin by attempting to remove the foreign objects as soon as possible.
This is assuming and that you can see them stuck in his throat, and you can pull them out with your fingers. Of course, this may not be always possible because your dog will undoubtedly struggle even though he is choking possibly to death.
If you are unable to see the foreign objects stuck inside him, then you should not attempt to shove your fingers down his throat as you may make the situation worse by pushing it down further.
The worst thing you can do is use another foreign object like scissors or a stick to pull the plastic out. You can injure his throat lining and cause serious damage.
The Heimlich maneuver may be more appropriate at this point to forcefully get him to cough up this plastic. If nothing else works then take him to the veterinarian as soon as possible for treatment.
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What Type Of Treatment Does The Vet Usually Give?
Whenever a dog has ingested roach poison of any kind you should allow him to visit the veterinarian just in case.
Even if he has shown no symptoms of being sick you should seek medical attention because there may be underlying issues that you are unaware of.
If you are unable to take him to the veterinarian you can call Poison Control who will give you instructions about how you can treat him until you can see a vet.
You should never induce vomiting or give your dog medications that humans take to get him well. Only make these moves when you have sought some kind of medical attention.
When you are able to see the veterinarian he will do his best to get rid of the poison by using activated charcoal and giving your dog some intravenous fluid.
He may have to eat a special type of food along with vitamins that are not harsh on his kidneys.
You may have to perform some X-Ray to see if there are container pieces stuck inside him and where they are located. In some cases, he may have to perform surgery to rectify anything wrong.
Are There Any Alternatives To Combat Roach Bait?
Many people view combat roach bait to be unnecessary since dogs with their acute hearing and reflexes can hunt down roaches.
If you have a severe roach infestation you should look toward a non-toxic method to get rid of them. Make sure that you fill cracks or openings that roaches pass through.
You should also caulk around the pipes, cupboards, windows, doors, and outlets. A non-toxic alternative to roach bait is a mixture of 1 part table sugar to 1 part baking soda.
Leave this in places where the roaches may frequent, and it has the potential to exterminate them. Remember to cover all vents and large openings with a metal mesh screen.
What Should I Do If My Dog, If My Dog Has Internal Blockage?
You must assess and monitor your dog if you think for some reason that he has an internal blockage from eating the plastic around combat roach baits.
You can assist him for a few hours or days depending on his state of health. But if things get to be too much he should be rushed to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
If he has not shown any symptoms of obstruction then there are a few things that you should do. You can feed him a mashed potato a few slices of bread or just plain pumpkin paste.
This will form of cushion around the plastic pieces allowing him to harmlessly pass it in his stool leaving his GI tract free of internal lacerations.
Forcing your dog to vomit without knowing where the pieces may be stuck by using peroxide could be dangerous or even fatal.
He may regurgitate sharp pieces of plastic they could get stuck in other vital areas that can do more damage. It could also seriously hurt his esophagus lining.
Give your dog bland meals over the course of the next few days that consist of 75% cooked white rice and 25% lean meat that is boiled.
This is one of the easiest diets to digest so that his bowel movements will progress faster thereby eliminating the pieces of plastic.
If you can monitor his stool for the pieces of plastic but if you notice any of the tell-tale signs of poison or blockage don’t try to handle it on your own seek medical help.
What Are The Ingredients Of Combat Roach Bait?
Your average combats roach bait will contain one of two poisons which are: Hydramethylnon 2% or Fipronil 0.05%.
The rest of the roach bait consists of non-toxic ingredients like flavorings, preservatives, and sugar. The toxic ingredients however are safe around dogs for the most part.
Fipronil 0.05% – this is also placed in tick and flea treatment for dogs which is a testament to its safety. It is harmful to insects because it’s overexcites the central nervous system by attacking the nerve cells.
It is more potent than hydramethylnon as it can kill roaches in about 6 to 24 hours. Even though it is lethal to insects it is less toxic to mammals such as cats and dogs who handle the poison quite well.
Studies have shown that it can cause your dog to have convulsions, tremors, seizures, muscle cramps, hyperactivity, and loss of balance.
Hydrametlhylnon 2% – This insecticide works a bit slower, as it can kill cockroaches in around 2 to 4 days after its consumption.
This is actually strategic as the cockroaches can survive and go back to their colony and transmit the poison to other roaches. Hydramethylnon stops energy production in insect cells which caused them to have a loss of appetite and lethargy.
It is also not very harmful to your dog when they have not consumed enough of it. Studies done on rats show that hydramethylnon can cause loss of balance, decrease in appetite and physical activity.
What Can You Do To Keep Your Do Safe?
There are a number of things you can do to make sure that your dog is safe from eating combat roach bait.
Make sure that the roach bait is placed in areas where your dog is unable to reach them even if he smells and goes after it.
Some dogs may use their paws to drag it out from hidden places. Ensure that you have your vet on speed dial along with hydrogen peroxide just in case you call your vet, and he has instructed you to induce vomiting.
Also, make sure that the package of the combat roach bait is available so that you can be aware of the name of the chemicals that he ingested.
Additionally, if you have leftover roach bait do not leave it in places where your dog can find it like on the floor where he can smell it.
Keep the trap stored away carefully in places where your dogs cannot reach. The most important thing to do here is cut off your dog’s access from reaching the roach baits in the first place. Prevention is better than cure.
Final words
If your dog ate combat roach bait, you don’t usually need to stress out about the poison. Combat roach bait is unlikely to harm your dog, but the plastic housing is a different story so make sure that he does not get this at all.
Both poisons used are for the most part not harmful, especially when ingested in small amounts.
When your dog is choking from anything and for any reason, it is always a cause for concern and a reason to reach out to your veterinarian.
