What is vitamin k?
Vitamin K is essential in order for our blood to be able to form clots and stop us from bleeding. Small amounts of vitamin k are produced by our bodies. Vitamin K can be prescribed by doctors, but can also be found in foods such as broccoli, lettuce, kale, spinach, and other greens.
Many forms of rat and mouse poisons contain warfarin. Warfarin is considered an anticoagulant, causing a vitamin k deficiency.
Why is this important?
If a child or a non-target animal ingests rat poison / warfarin, doctors or vets can administer vitamin k to reverse the effects of the warfarin.
In addition to the above-listed foods, vitamin K is also found in dog food.
Scenario:
I heard a story several years back about a large grocery store chain that was having a huge problem with rats. The problem was not in one of their stores, but rather one of their distribution warehouses. The company brought in a professional pest control company to deal with the problem. The pest control company started an aggressive baiting program. After some time, they didn’t seem to be making any progress. After much time and frustration, it was discovered that one of the products stored in the warehouse was bagged dog food. After further inspection, it was determined that lots of the bags were damaged by rodents, which were eating the food. The rats were eating the warfarin poison but were also eating the dog food, which contained k12. The k12 was counter acting any of the intended effects of the warfarin based poison. After making this discovery, the pest control company was able to take a different, much more effective approach.
Apply the above scenario to your own situation / home. Do you have a rodent problem? Have you been putting out rat poison? Do you have accessible dog food lying around? If the rats are being poisoned but are then eating the available dog food, you may be wasting your time.