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My dog died because I stepped on rat poisoning at work

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kharlie

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

I work the sales floor (minimum wage job) at a popular chain department store where we do sell rat poisoning. At the time that stuff was on the clearance end cap and I was asked to tidy it up because we were expecting a visit from the district supervisor that day. I did not notice anything unusual, but I do know that customers love to open clearance things and leave them wherever they please. I didn't notice anything unusual. About 24 hours after my shift, my dog started limping. My father took my dog (we'll call him Fido) to the vet the next day to check out what was wrong with his foot. The vet prescribed some pain medication for Fido's leg. The next day, Fido starts crying nonstop and he vomits on my bed. He gets taken to a vet, a different one this time. This vet thoroughly examines Fido and starts treating him for rat poisoning. We don't keep any type of rat poisoning in our house so I wondered how Fido had managed to ingest some. I came to find later that the stuff was tracked into my house from the bottom of my work shoes. The stuff is bright green so it is easy to tell. Since Fido did not get the proper treatment he needed, it came to a point where he was screaming in constant pain and I made the choice to have him euthanized. After $2,000 worth of treatment his condition wasn't looking well according to the vet.

Although I would have never purposely fed any animal rat poison before this incident, it did not occur to me that it could seriously injure a household pet as big as a cat or dog in a short amount of time, as well as kill them. The poison is so strong that it can easily kill babies and have a serious affect on adults. These newer types of rat poisons are bright green and smell like food to attract rats to eat them. I've worked at this store for 2 years and was never informed about the damage this substance could cause.

This was back in March. I have chosen not to inquire about this incident until now because mourning my dog has had a serious impact on me. I know there is always the option to talk to HR but I have heard (from fellow co-workers) it is better to go straight to corporate, considering that if you talk to a manager in store they will try to cover for themselves and rest of the managers. I want compensation for my dog's death and serious action to inform everyone who works there about the possibilities of these harmful substances. Without that knowledge anybody can overlook stepping on green stuff on the floor. It is alarming that this stuff is easily accessible for anyone to open and leave hanging around. Can anyone help me with a plan of action?
 
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CJane

Senior Member
You are not going to receive compensation for your dog. And I'm fairly sure that 1) there are warnings on the packaging, regarding the possible toxicity to houehold pets and children and 2) you have access to the appropriate MSDS sheets for the chemicals/materials on the shelves in the store.

And, having had dogs that ingested rat poison of the type you're talking about - the symptoms you're describing don't really align with ingestion of this type of poison. Neither does a prolonged veterinary visit and $2000.00 in bills.

I'm sorry for your loss, but you have no legal issue.
 

quincy

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

I work the sales floor (minimum wage job) at a popular chain department store where we do sell rat poisoning. At the time that stuff was on the clearance end cap and I was asked to tidy it up because we were expecting a visit from the district supervisor that day. I did not notice anything unusual, but I do know that customers love to open clearance things and leave them wherever they please. I didn't notice anything unusual. ... I came to find later that the stuff was tracked into my house from the bottom of my work shoes. The stuff is bright green so it is easy to tell. ...

... Although I would have never purposely fed any animal rat poison before this incident, it did not occur to me that it could seriously injure a household pet as big as a cat or dog in a short amount of time, as well as kill them. The poison is so strong that it can easily kill babies and have a serious affect on adults. These newer types of rat poisons are bright green and smell like food to attract rats to eat them. I've worked at this store for 2 years and was never informed about the damage this substance could cause.

This was back in March. I have chosen not to inquire about this incident until now because mourning my dog has had a serious impact on me. I know there is always the option to talk to HR but I have heard (from fellow co-workers) it is better to go straight to corporate, considering that if you talk to a manager in store they will try to cover for themselves and rest of the managers. I want compensation for my dog's death and serious action to inform everyone who works there about the possibilities of these harmful substances. Without that knowledge anybody can overlook stepping on green stuff on the floor. It is alarming that this stuff is easily accessible for anyone to open and leave hanging around. Can anyone help me with a plan of action?
I am sorry for the loss of your dog but your employer is not responsible for his death.

It is common knowledge that rat poison is poisonous to more than just rats.

Although you have no legal recourse against your employer, you can advise your employer that rat poison should be better secured and kept out of easy reach of young consumers. When spills are noticed, they should be cleaned up quickly.
 

kharlie

Junior Member
You are not going to receive compensation for your dog. And I'm fairly sure that 1) there are warnings on the packaging, regarding the possible toxicity to houehold pets and children and 2) you have access to the appropriate MSDS sheets for the chemicals/materials on the shelves in the store.

And, having had dogs that ingested rat poison of the type you're talking about - the symptoms you're describing don't really align with ingestion of this type of poison. Neither does a prolonged veterinary visit and $2000.00 in bills.

I'm sorry for your loss, but you have no legal issue.
Could you explain further what MSDS sheets are?

Also I have researched the type of rat poisoning and the symptoms did fit. My dog was limping due to the poison inhibiting the brain and creating paralysis. I guess I should have elaborated.

Thank you for the response. I figured there was very little I could do.
 

kharlie

Junior Member
I am sorry for the loss of your dog but your employer is not responsible for his death.

It is common knowledge that rat poison is poisonous to more than just rats.

Although you have no legal recourse against your employer, you can advise your employer that rat poison should be better secured and kept out of easy reach of young consumers. When spills are noticed, they should be cleaned up quickly.
I realize that this is true however this fairly new rat poison is extremely fast acting and deadly. To my knowledge it is less than 5 years old. I honestly doubt that the general public knows how dangerous it can be. I figured that there was very little I could do about this incident, but thank you for the advice.
 

racer72

Senior Member
Could you explain further what MSDS sheets are?
Material Data Safety Sheet. Federal requirement for virtually all chemicals and compounds sold or used in the US. They are also required to be available to all employees, ask your management to see them. Most companies also have them available online.
 

quincy

Senior Member
To me, this means that you knew you were tracking poison in to the house.
The color of the poison is certainly not easy to miss, but I think kharlie might have been unaware of how poisonous a few little pellets of the poison can be to a dog.

I know in Michigan we have a problem with road salt, which is also poisonous to children and pets when consumed. It is not only easy to track in on the bottom of feet and paws, it is not as noticeable as the bright green of rat and mice poisons, and it is spread liberally almost everywhere during the winter months so it is hard to avoid.

I think it could be important for kharlie to point out to his employer that the placement of the rat poison on a "clearance end cap" might not be a smart location because, although it seems to me that kharlie does not have a legal action to pursue against the store for the death of his dog (although he can always consult with an attorney in his area for a definite determination), a customer who shops the store with a young child could easily have one, if a child picks up a few sweet smelling unsecured pellets that are within easy reach and decides to eat them.
 

kharlie

Junior Member
To me, this means that you knew you were tracking poison in to the house.
That is a big jump to assume a terrible thing and I am sincerely offended. I just don't see why any pet owner, including myself, would purposely continue to track rat poison throughout a big department store for the rest of their shift and then to their home. At first I did not know where the rat poison had came from but I put it together and checked for the poison under the shoes I wear to work. That is when I realized I myself had tracked it in. Also, I did see chunks of bright green in my dog's vomit before he was admitted to the hospital. At the time I had no idea what any rat poisons look like. I am the one who was touching the packages in order to organize them, however I only remembered this occurrence because I thought it was strange that they would put rat poison and cosmetics items on the same end cap.
 

kharlie

Junior Member
The color of the poison is certainly not easy to miss, but I think kharlie might have been unaware of how poisonous a few little pellets of the poison can be to a dog.

I know in Michigan we have a problem with road salt, which is also poisonous to children and pets when consumed. It is not only easy to track in on the bottom of feet and paws, it is not as noticeable as the bright green of rat and mice poisons, and it is spread liberally almost everywhere during the winter months so it is hard to avoid.

I think it could be important for kharlie to point out to his employer that the placement of the rat poison on a "clearance end cap" might not be a smart location because, although it seems to me that kharlie does not have a legal action to pursue against the store for the death of his dog (although he can always consult with an attorney in his area for a definite determination), a customer who shops the store with a young child could easily have one, if a child picks up a few sweet smelling unsecured pellets that are within easy reach and decides to eat them.
I did not even know of the color until I had done my research after the vet had told me that my dog had ingested rat poison and I was also unaware of how poisonous it was, like you stated.

Thank you for your input about how someone with a child might have a legal case. I have thought about that before and plan to talk to my employer.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
That is a big jump to assume a terrible thing and I am sincerely offended. I just don't see why any pet owner, including myself, would purposely continue to track rat poison throughout a big department store for the rest of their shift and then to their home. At first I did not know where the rat poison had came from but I put it together and checked for the poison under the shoes I wear to work. That is when I realized I myself had tracked it in. Also, I did see chunks of bright green in my dog's vomit before he was admitted to the hospital. At the time I had no idea what any rat poisons look like. I am the one who was touching the packages in order to organize them, however I only remembered this occurrence because I thought it was strange that they would put rat poison and cosmetics items on the same end cap.
Why are you offended? If it's so obvious, then you knew you were tracking it in. I think that you may have exaggerated just how obvious this green color is.

I never said that I thought you did it on purpose. I DID say that you knew about it. I should have added "...or should have known about it."
 

quincy

Senior Member
That is a big jump to assume a terrible thing and I am sincerely offended. I just don't see why any pet owner, including myself, would purposely continue to track rat poison throughout a big department store for the rest of their shift and then to their home. At first I did not know where the rat poison had came from but I put it together and checked for the poison under the shoes I wear to work. That is when I realized I myself had tracked it in. Also, I did see chunks of bright green in my dog's vomit before he was admitted to the hospital. At the time I had no idea what any rat poisons look like. I am the one who was touching the packages in order to organize them, however I only remembered this occurrence because I thought it was strange that they would put rat poison and cosmetics items on the same end cap.
It is strange that cosmetics and rat poison would be on the same end cap, although clearance items in all stores are often an odd assortment of miscellaneous items.

I really think you should speak of your concerns to your store's management.

And, if you hadn't been the one assigned to check on and tidy up the end cap before the District Supervisor's visit, the rat poison you picked up on your shoes from the floor could also be mentioned - but, because of the circumstances and your overlooking of the poison on the floor, I am not sure that would be so smart.
 

kharlie

Junior Member
Why are you offended? If it's so obvious, then you knew you were tracking it in. I think that you may have exaggerated just how obvious this green color is.

I never said that I thought you did it on purpose. I DID say that you knew about it. I should have added "...or should have known about it."
Sorry, I misinterpreted because it seems like you were inferring that I did it on purpose.

I can't exactly argue with you about how obvious a color is as I'm sure you can agree thats actually relative. If you don't know what it looks like already and you're interested enough, you can google bromethalin and see the substance that I am talking about. However, knowing what the substance looks like now, if I saw it I would probably recognize it--just like how I was able to tell that it was what was stuck under my shoes. You could say that there is no way to be sure that the stuff under my shoe was rat poison but if thats the case I am clueless as to how rat poison got into my house still and I don't know what the green stuff under my shoe was. I did say that I stepped on it and I don't tend to look directly at the ground most of the time (like most people). It must be somewhat soft in texture otherwise I am sure I would have noticed stepping on something. I think its unfair to say I should have known. All the information I know about this rat poison was learned after my dog was already diagnosed and beforehand I never knew that this could have happened.
 
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