A Tauranga vet is advising dog owners to beware when laying rat bait.

Tony Austwick from Tauranga Vets on Cameron Road says unfortunately he regularly sees cases of rat bait ingestion in dogs.

'The warning I would have is for owners to please use bait stations, and make sure the baits are properly fixed, so that the rats can't take them away.

'The biggest issues we have is people decide to throw baits behind freezers and fridges or places they think the dog can't get to, then the dog goes in and grabs the bait.”

Tony says dogs suffer with severe anaemia as a result of rat bait ingestion.

'It takes often two to three days before clinical signs show up, and that would be lethargy, weakness, bleeding from the gums, coughing, and sometimes joint pain.

'If dogs are seen to have eaten it, immediately we can make them vomit and remove the bait that way.”

Tony says if dogs ingest rat bait without the owner knowing it can take them a few hours

'They've got a few hours; a lot of people think when they eat the rat bait it's going to kill them immediately, but it doesn't work that way.”

So for those who want to eliminate a trip to the vets with a rat bait poisoned dog, keep bait in a safe place where your four legged friends can't get to.