Antidoting Effect of Vitamin K1 Supplementation on Difethialone Poisoned House Rat, Rattus rattus Linneaus

Abstract

With the advent of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides rodent management technology has substantially improved, since they provide sustainable control of rodents and are relatively safe to non-targets than the acute rodenticides. Due to their anticoagulant nature vitamin K1 regarded as an effective antidote for such rodenticides, Two dosages (1 and 2 mg/kg) of vitamin K1 supplementation for 5 and 15 days were given to house rat R. rattus fed on difethialone bait (0.0025%) for one day for studying the effect of antidoting on poisoned rats. The results indicated that the lower dosage could not reverse the anticoagulation process, however the period of mortality was considerably increased from 3-9 days (in control) to 4-11 and 11-22 days (5 and 15 days supplementation regime, respectively). However, when the vitamin K1 dosage was doubled and given for 15 days, antidoting was more pronounced due to reversal of anticoagulation process in 83% cases as five of the six rats became normal within a month of difethialone poisoning.