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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Puppy exposed to rat, I’m distraught

59 replies

helpplease123456 · 03/01/2023 16:22

10 week old puppy, had first vaccination and been toilet training in back garden fabulously. Today whilst sniffing for a poo spot, a huge nasty rat ran out of a bush and disappeared under the gate. I am absolutely distraught and am terrified pup will get ill from rat urine.

Phoned vets who said no garden until after second vax because of the possibility of rat wee. We live in a town centre terrace and I feel like such an absolute moron thinking it was okay to take him in that garden after just the first jab. The advice about puppies being fine in the garden is clearly written for people with nice secure suburban gardens. Mine is a town centre and probably has fucking all sorts in it weeing at night, foxes etc. I’m thick.

I had severe PND with my DD (now 13) and the paranoia and guilt and this feels just like that. Have been absolutely fine with pup so far, absolutely loving it but I have a rat phobia so this experience has sent me quite irrational, I’ve been crying. Can somebody provide reassurance that pup will be alright? Any similar experiences of exposure where dog has been fine?

OP posts:
stockpilingallthecheese · 03/01/2023 17:02

Nothing to worry about OP, relax and enjoy your gorgeous little puppy 😊

FurAndFeathers · 03/01/2023 17:05

Tessasanderson · 03/01/2023 16:39

OK its a pup having its jabs so being safe is a good way to be if you want to wait until his second jab. But he is going to eat/digest, amongst other things in his life time

Dog Shit
Bird Shit
Rat shit
Swan shit (My dogs love it)
Sheep shit
Dog piss on every lamp post

Thats just off the top of my head. There will be rats, foxes, hedgehogs, cats, even human whatevers he may digest.

My dog is currently recovering for 6 days solid squirts and he only has himself to blame, the dirty little boy.

The specific rat urine risk is leptospirosis. It’s not the same as the other things you’ve listed

however it has to be ingested.

@helpplease123456 I’m sure your pup will be fine. He’ll already have some lepto protection from his mum and his first jabs, and he hasn’t ingested anything! Try not to worry

SirChenjins · 03/01/2023 17:06

Crikey, I never even thought of this - our pup was out in the garden at the same stage and we had a rat that had taken up residence. He must have been exposed to its wee (and the wee of various other creatures, given where we live). I’m sure your pup will be fine - he might have sniffed the wee but I’m sure he didn’t lick or drink it in such quantities as to do him harm - try not to worry 😊

Floralnomad · 03/01/2023 17:16

They need to go in the garden , I’m fairly sure that you would have more issues from delaying outside toileting until after the second vaccine than the risk from a rat in the garden . If it would make you less concerned @helpplease123456 take pup out on his lead so you can control what he touches .

TerrierOrTerror · 03/01/2023 17:54

Ours was out in our London garden even before her first vaccination (not given by the breeder at our request). She's now two and perfectly fine. Our vet actually said we could walk her five days after her first jab, just avoid puddles/wet areas.

WoofWoofMooWoof · 03/01/2023 18:04

I have 5 rats. I have loads of friends who have rats, some have rats and dogs. I kiss and cuddle my ratties (they're little pocket puppies really) and no harm has ever come to me or my kiddos or anyone else I know of. Of course wildies carry diseases, but their urine isn't going to do your pup any harm. You probably have loads of them run across your garden at night. Not trying to scare you here, as you have a phobia, but rats really are not scary villians - they're just trying to find food and survive like every other living being on the planet.

WellyBootsandPuddleSuits · 03/01/2023 20:03

I completely understand how you feel - I posted yesterday about my 13 week old puppy, and I’m feeling like I’m back in the throws of PND. It has really helped hearing from other people, and speaking to people I trusted around the time I was in the haze of life with a newborn.

I can’t help with the rat stuff (for what it’s worth my pup has had free reign of the garden since day 1), although I’m sure your puppy will be fine, but I keep telling myself that I got through PND, and I’ll get through this. You will too. Just take it a day at a time

WetBandits · 03/01/2023 20:12

My dog was literally born in a rubbish tip and survived his first few months eating whatever he found there.

Your puppy will survive having temporarily been in the same garden as a rat.

TheOnlyKoiInAPondOfGoldfish · 03/01/2023 20:16

your vet is being ridiculous tbh. My pups have all been brought up in country gardens with chickens - and so yes, rats. It's not a huge issue. You cannot eliminate all risk from life, but this is really a very small one.

Original poster
helpplease123456 · 03/01/2023 20:18

@WellyBootsandPuddleSuits

It deffo is a similar feeling to PND. I think being responsible for a vulnerable little thing all over again, even if it is a puppy rather than a baby, must awaken the PND behaviours and thoughts in some people.

OP posts:
peplepue · 03/01/2023 20:29

We let our dog out in our town garden from 8 weeks, pretty sure there are rats. She's been fine

WellyBootsandPuddleSuits · 03/01/2023 20:34

@helpplease123456 100% - while I’m not saying a puppy and a newborn are the same, there are similarities. As much as you prepare, you bring home this little helpless thing and they haven’t read the same books as you! One of the things that is helping me, is reminding myself that I’ve been through the puppy stage before (it was never this hard!!) and survived the baby stage twice, and it does get better. I’m counting down til we hit 6 months - if I can get to that, I know I can get through the rest.

SirVixofVixHall · 03/01/2023 20:36

picklemewalnuts · 03/01/2023 16:32

My nice suburban garden has rats in it. I don't think anywhere can be considered rat free, in all honesty.

Nowhere is rat free, they are everywhere. I live rurally and I always have some in my garden . I have a field and they are there too.
So don’t worry about your puppy. Canine viral diseases like Parvovirus are more of a risk to puppies than a glimpse of a rat. Almost all puppies are trained in gardens, and all gardens will have rats at some point.

rebecca100 · 03/01/2023 20:40

@WoofWoofMooWoof so pleased to see an advocate for rats here, proud owner of pet rats, one of the most amazing pets to have. Incredible animals 💕

FurAndFeathers · 03/01/2023 20:40

WoofWoofMooWoof · 03/01/2023 18:04

I have 5 rats. I have loads of friends who have rats, some have rats and dogs. I kiss and cuddle my ratties (they're little pocket puppies really) and no harm has ever come to me or my kiddos or anyone else I know of. Of course wildies carry diseases, but their urine isn't going to do your pup any harm. You probably have loads of them run across your garden at night. Not trying to scare you here, as you have a phobia, but rats really are not scary villians - they're just trying to find food and survive like every other living being on the planet.

Wild eats carry leptospirosis. Pet eats don’t.

the risks are not comparable

FurAndFeathers · 03/01/2023 20:42

rats not eats obvs

Stopclutchingpearls · 03/01/2023 20:46

I know this is gonna sound harsh but it’s a dog not a baby the vaccinations aren’t gonna help with rat wee any way. The only thing I would have been bothered if rat had bitten dog as they can be nasty. Anyway wait to they get older if it’s a terrier he prob will try and kill rats they are fantastic rat killers far better than cats.
poin

Stopclutchingpearls · 03/01/2023 20:49

Point is sorry I pressed post by mistake lol.
that they will prob eat snails etc which you can get lung worm from that’s the thing dogs do these things.
I have two dogs one is now 13 and one is now 11 and had them from pups never really been Ill at all . One got into choc a few times opened a present that I didn’t realise someone had bought me crocs ate the whole box and she was fine not I’ll at all.
yes you will worry but they are pretty tough and my two love chasing squirrels rats etc as I say they will kill them.
don’t worry and don’t stress as they maybe cute but they are dogs

FurAndFeathers · 03/01/2023 20:52

Stopclutchingpearls · 03/01/2023 20:46

I know this is gonna sound harsh but it’s a dog not a baby the vaccinations aren’t gonna help with rat wee any way. The only thing I would have been bothered if rat had bitten dog as they can be nasty. Anyway wait to they get older if it’s a terrier he prob will try and kill rats they are fantastic rat killers far better than cats.
poin

what about the leptospirosis vaccine would not help to prevent leptospirosis, an infection transmitted via rat urine? Confused

WoofWoofMooWoof · 03/01/2023 20:53

They are amazing little things. I wuv them lol 😁

Stopclutchingpearls · 03/01/2023 20:53

Oh you schooled me then I thought it was parvo etc oh well but pup will be fine

ButterBastardBeans · 03/01/2023 20:53

The pup will be choc full of maternal antibodies from the colostrum. Better than any veterinary vaccination. Try to stop worrying so much OP.

WoofWoofMooWoof · 03/01/2023 20:53

rebecca100 · 03/01/2023 20:40

@WoofWoofMooWoof so pleased to see an advocate for rats here, proud owner of pet rats, one of the most amazing pets to have. Incredible animals 💕

Oops sorry, I forgot to quote lol. They are amazing little things. I wuv them lol 😁

AuntieStella · 03/01/2023 20:54

I thought you were worried about the risk of lepto, before your puppy is fully vaccinated.

And yes, you avoid that by keeping them indoors and not letting them into areas where rats live when it's wet (it's contact with urine you need to avoid). Brief contact with the ground in an area where there's been a passing rat is really unlikely to be an infection risk. Playing in pissy puddles in rat-infested areas would be more likely to be risky

Most dogs will chase and kill rats - it was the day job of my pet's ancestors. Once your puppy has gad the proper course of lepto, you might find she does you a favour and sees off the rats all by herself

FurAndFeathers · 03/01/2023 20:55

AuntieStella · 03/01/2023 20:54

I thought you were worried about the risk of lepto, before your puppy is fully vaccinated.

And yes, you avoid that by keeping them indoors and not letting them into areas where rats live when it's wet (it's contact with urine you need to avoid). Brief contact with the ground in an area where there's been a passing rat is really unlikely to be an infection risk. Playing in pissy puddles in rat-infested areas would be more likely to be risky

Most dogs will chase and kill rats - it was the day job of my pet's ancestors. Once your puppy has gad the proper course of lepto, you might find she does you a favour and sees off the rats all by herself

This ^^