Do Rats Feel Pain After Intaking Rat Poison?
WouterIf you’ve ever wondered whether rats feel pain after ingesting rat poison, you’re not alone. Rat poison causes severe pain in rodents, but the suffering is not immediate. Often, rats simply run away to another area or become scavenged by another animal. Sometimes, they pass on the poison to the scavenger. This process leads to prolonged suffering for the rodent and often exposes it to other species.
Scientific research has proven that rats do experience pain, and rats that are poisoned will suffer for a few days before dying. Although they may not feel pain at all, they will be unable to move or drink, and will eventually die. Although this is a terrible way to kill a rat, many people are still okay with the practice of killing rats. Some people view rats as being in another class of animals and don’t understand how intelligent they are or how they live in communities.
When rats are injected with rat poison, their bodies will undergo hemorrhaging and internal bleeding, which are extremely uncomfortable. In addition, these poisons don’t work instantly and may take days to kill a rodent. In the meantime, the rodents will experience progressively higher levels of pain and will be completely drained of energy.
If you believe a rat has accidentally ingested rat poison, call Poison Control immediately. First aid measures include drinking a glass of water, but do not try to vomit. You should also remove all clothing and wash your skin thoroughly. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to be hospitalized for observation.
