Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) are a class of rodent poisons that kill pests by preventing blood clotting. When an animal ingests a lethal dose of an SGAR, it leaves the bait box and dies slowly, making it an easy target for predators. Homeowners and exterminators like SGARs in part because they don't work immediately, so the pest exits the bait box and goes back into nature. This makes SGARs deadly for predators and pets – when they prey on poisoned rodents they develop painful and often fatal internal bleeding.
Veterinarians at the New England Wildlife Center report treating hundreds of raptors, foxes, and coyotes for critical SGAR poisoning each year. A recent study tested samples from 43 Red-tailed Hawks in the northeastern U.S. and found rodenticides present in all of them. MSPCA Angell Veterinary Hospital treats dozens of dogs, cats, and other household pets for SGAR poisoning every year. Poisoned animals can take weeks to months of expensive rehabilitation to be able to return to nature, IF they survive at all.
While federal law bans the retail sale of SGARs, these poisons remain legal – and widely used – by licensed pest control professionals in Massachusetts. SGARs are dispensed in labeled black bait boxes and include:
Brodifacoum (Brand names Mouser, Ratak, Talon)
Bromadiolone (Maki Mini Blok, Contrac)
Difenacoum (Di-Kill)
Difethialone (First Strike, Hombre)
There are alternative solutions that don't involve toxic poisons that are safer than SGARs and equally effective. These techniques are known as Integrated Pest Management or (IPM). IPMs have been used effectively in municipal, residential, and commercial environments.