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Beware of Bromethalin
Pet safety tips, Heartworm Awareness Month, PLUS our annual vaccine clinic
Dallas Duncan
March 31, 2026
Trigger warning: Pet rodent owners, proceed with caution!
Last week I got one of the phone calls I hate. Six-month-old puppy, rat bait ingestion. Okay, but … WHAT did it eat? Because it matters, more than most people ever realize.
Most traditional rat baits have an active ingredient that antagonizes vitamin K, resulting in lack of appropriate blood clotting, thus changing the dynamics of the blood as it moves through the body. This causes diffuse bleeding within the body, and when left untreated, can slowly kill our furry family members due to secondary complications. The good news? These kind of toxicities can be treated relatively simply when caught early enough.
The issue arises when the active ingredient is bromethalin. Bromethalin is a highly potent neurotoxin which both starves the brain of its energy source and causes it to swell — and there is NO treatment. Bromethalin is a very common active ingredient and is easily found on most store shelves. Even with acute decontamination (vomiting immediately after ingestion, multiple rounds of oral-activated charcoal to decrease absorption), symptoms can still present within hours to days. Up to a week later, symptoms can develop in a seemingly perfectly healthy animal, and rapidly progress to death within hours.
The worst part: responses to bromethalin are difficult to predict, causing there to truly be no “safe” level, even when consulting poison control. Fatal toxicities are widely seen at even 1/10 of the LD50 (the lethal dose which results in death to 50 percent of animals). This means that even with low-level exposure, this toxin can essentially be a silently ticking, fatal time bomb for up to a week post-consumption.
You can have a normal happy puppy on day six. Day seven: mild hind end weakness progressing to screaming, seizing, and death within a few hours.
The next time you find yourself reaching for rat bait, make sure you know what the active ingredient is, or seek out other options!
April is National Heartworm Awareness Month!
Heartworms can be fatal, treatment is pricey, and prevention is key to stopping the heartworm life cycle before it’s too late for your pet. This month, purchase 12 months’ worth of heartworm prevention in person at Comer Vet and receive your choice of a
FREE heartworm test
OR 10 percent off bloodwork!
And yes, y’all, ProHeart injections for dogs age 1 year or older DO qualify for this special.
To take advantage of these savings, simply stop by the clinic by April 30 and buy your pet’s 12 months of heartworm preventatives. Please note if a renewed prescription is required or you’re not yet a Comer Vet pet parent, your pet may need to schedule an annual wellness exam in order to qualify for this promo!
Want to learn more about heartworms and why prevention is so important? Check out this post on the Comer Vet blog!
Check out these ongoing savings!
 | Save the Date for Comer Vet’s Annual Vaccine Clinic!Saturday, April 18 from 9 a.m. to noon Benefitting Madison County 4-H This annual drop-in day is a great opportunity to get your pets’ annual vaccines AND support our local youth programs! No appointments necessary; simply pull into the Comer Vet parking lot from the main entrance off Highway 72 and a member of our staff will direct you from there. Not sure what vaccines your pet is due for? Give us a call at 706 783 5111 to check! |
2026 Vaccine Clinic Price List:
One-year rabies: 25
Three-year rabies: 42
DHPP: 33
DHPP-L: 38
FVRCP/FeLV: 39
Comer Vet After Hours
Thank y’all to everyone who visited the Comer Vet table during the Athens Rock Lobsters’ Pucks & Paws game on March 29! We gave away 300 commemorative poop bag dispensers and dog treats to the cutest hockey fans. It was so much fun seeing pet parents and patients, and making plenty of new connections. Plus the Rock Lobsters took home the W!
Meet the Staff: Kelsi, certified vet assistant
 | If you were to ask anyone on staff who’s most likely to try convincing Dr. Strickland to let us decorate for “Christmas in July”, there’s a high chance it would be Kelsi! Her favorite memories at Comer Vet usually revolve around decorating for the holidays. She is a leader for our support staff and is praised by Dr. Strickland for consistently going above and beyond to make sure pet parents and patients have the best care possible at Comer Vet. After a hard day working, Kelsi likes to decompress by spending time with some of her pets, including two golden retrievers and a bearded dragon. |
This month on the Comer Vet Blog …
