There are many different rat poisons currently out on the market. One of the most common and well known types of rat and mouse poisons contain Warfarin, an anticoagulant.
Warfarin was first developed in the 1940’s as a pesticide against rats and mice. During the 50’s, Warfarin was found to be effective and relatively safe when prescribed for numerous medical conditions. Warfarin is still used today, both as a rodenticide, as well as for medicinal purposes. It is currently the most widely prescribed oral anticoagulant drug in North America.
Warfarin has been successfully used for decades to treat patients for prevention of stroke, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolisms. Warfarin is also prescribed for conditions that have a high risk of developing blood clots such as heart arrhythmia, heart attacks, prosthetic heart valves, body trauma victims, major surgeries, and more.
How do rats die from ingesting Warfarin? As I mentioned above, Warfarin is an anticoagulant, which means that it keeps the blood from clotting. The Warfarin causes internal bleeding within the rat, eventually killing it from major hemorrhaging.