In this article
The winter cupboard can become a muddle of half-used bottles, a bag of grit and something left over from a mouse problem. Your dog does not read the labels. The useful job for you is to know what is there, put it somewhere inaccessible and have a clear response if something goes missing.
Call your vet immediately for suspected antifreeze exposure or rat bait ingestion, even without symptoms. Waiting for illness can delay help1, 2.
This guide separates the three hazards, then turns the advice into a manageable home routine. If an exposure may have happened today, make that call first; the cupboard audit can wait.
Antifreeze: a spill matters as much as a bottle
Ethylene glycol is found in many antifreeze products and can also occur in some screen washes and other vehicle fluids. A dog may drink a spill or swallow it while licking contaminated paws. Kidney damage can be permanent. An apparently small puddle is not something to estimate a safe helping from1.
PDSA lists early wobbliness, weakness, vomiting, low energy and increased drinking or weeing among possible signs. Some early signs can improve before the dog deteriorates. That apparent recovery is not reliable reassurance. Product identification and rapid professional advice matter more than finding a matching symptom list1.
Animal Trust's veterinary guidance explains that the body breaks ethylene glycol down into substances that cause severe kidney damage. Early treatment aims to interrupt this process; treatment becomes much harder once kidney failure has developed. Tests may include blood and urine samples, but the vet may need to act on a credible exposure history before results are available5.
Tell the practice what product was involved, when access might have happened and what you actually saw. If you did not see any liquid swallowed, say so. “The bottle was on its side and his paws were wet” is more helpful than either assuming nothing happened or guessing how much he drank.
Rat bait: the ingredient changes the problem
Rat and mouse poisons do not all work the same way. Anticoagulants interfere with clotting and can cause internal bleeding; other ingredients affect the kidneys or nervous system. Signs may be delayed, and bleeding can be hidden inside the body. The absence of visible blood does not rule out a problem2.
The Health and Safety Executive describes a range of authorised rodenticide forms, including blocks, grains, pastes and gels. Their appearance and smell can expose pets and other animals to risk. HSE advises considering other control methods, such as hygiene measures and physical barriers, before reaching for anticoagulant products6.
Ask a pest controller to talk through the dog’s access before any treatment starts. “He never goes in that corner” is a weak plan if a door can be left open. Draw attention to shared garages, visiting dogs and any place your dog can enter when someone is carrying shopping or tools. Make the plan fit an ordinary busy day.
This is a familiar problem for poison specialists. VPIS's summary of its 2025 report lists anticoagulant rodenticides among its most common enquiry agents. Across its services it received 32,000 enquiries that year, with dogs accounting for 79.9%. Those are enquiry figures, not a count of confirmed poisonings or an estimate of every dog's risk7.
Road salt: clean the paws before the licking starts
Grit and salt can become caught between the pads, irritate the skin and upset the stomach when licked or eaten. PDSA recommends checking paws on returning home and washing with plain water where needed. Be gentle with handling and reward your dog; a paw check need not become a nightly wrestling match8.
The RSPCA advises wiping down the paws and tummy after outdoor walks. Ingestion of rock salt can cause thirst, vomiting and lethargy, with more serious effects in severe cases. If you suspect your dog has eaten it, seek veterinary advice immediately. A routine wipe is prevention, not treatment for something already swallowed3.
Give the routine a home: a washable mat, a towel and somewhere you can comfortably reach the dog's feet. Have the equipment ready before you put on the lead. Then the last part of the walk is already planned, without searching for a towel while your dog settles down to clean their own paws.
PDSA's de-icing advice also suggests avoiding gritted areas where possible and checking for sores, cuts or irritation. Wash unknown material off feet or fur promptly and contact your vet about concerns. For car windscreens, an ice scraper or cover can reduce the need for chemical de-icers in the first place8.
Make the call useful, not perfect
The practice is trying to establish the substance, timing and possible amount. For bait, PDSA advises bringing the packet and any remaining poison in a secure container. Its colour or shape cannot identify the active ingredient. Say whether a quantity is measured, estimated or unknown2.
You can prepare a simple account without delaying the call: “This is my dog, this is the product, this is when access happened and this is what I can see.” If another person is with you, ask them to find the packaging while you speak. Keep uncertain details uncertain; the vet can ask the next question.
VPIS warns that salt water and hydrogen peroxide used to induce vomiting can cause further poisoning, sometimes fatally. Making an animal sick should be a veterinary decision in a setting where complications can be monitored. Taking action is understandable, but an improvised kitchen remedy can create another emergency4.
The vet may recommend hospital monitoring, an antidote where appropriate or supportive treatment after antifreeze exposure. Animal Trust emphasises that the timing and the dog's condition affect those choices. There is no universal home remedy that covers these products, and no symptom-free waiting period that substitutes for assessment5.
A household check that earns its shelf space
Before the next cold spell
- Store antifreeze and other vehicle fluids in labelled, sealed containers, away from your dog1.
- Arrange rodent control with pet access in mind, including non-chemical measures6.
- Put a towel and paw-cleaning supplies by the door8.
- Make sure everyone caring for your dog knows where the product labels and vet details are.
HSE explains that rodenticide authorisation can include restrictions on where a product is used, its concentration and pack size. An authorised product is still a product with potential risks to animals outside the intended target. Read its instructions and discuss a suitable approach with the person managing the rodent problem6.
Treat the check as a shared household task. One person may top up the car, another deal with the shed and a third walk the dog. A brief conversation connects those jobs: what is being used, where it is kept and what has changed. It is much easier to have that conversation over a cup of tea than beside a chewed packet.
Finish by putting the equipment where the routine happens. Then you can get back to choosing a winter walk and finding the gloves you were sure you left by the door.
Sources and further reading8 sources
The small numbers in the article link to the source behind each fact. Sources open on their own websites.