Check us out on Facebook and YouTube
All Pets Education and Training
  • Home
  • About
    • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Courses/Classes & Private Tuition
    • Puppy School (8-16 Weeks) 6 week course
    • Private Tuition
    • K9 Manners (16 week and up) 6 week course - No New Enrolments
    • Loose Lead Walking 3 week intensive
    • Tricks class 3 week short course
    • Ready Vet Go!
    • Barkour and Adventure course
    • Wednesday Night Walks
    • Polite Manners Challenge 2019 - 1 task each month
    • Fitness Conditioning Challenge 2018 - 1 task each month
    • Husbandry Challenge 2017 - 1 task each month
    • Trick Challenge 2016 - 1 trick each month
  • Enrichment
    • Dogs
    • Cats
    • Birds >
      • Homemade Bird Treats
    • Pocket Pets
    • Horses
  • Learning Theory
    • The Four D's of training
    • Consistency
    • Cues vs Commands
    • Resilience
    • Using food in training
    • Setting up for Success
  • Body Language
    • Canine Body Language
    • Feline Body Language
  • Kids & Dogs
    • Preparing Your Pooch For Baby's Arrival
    • Fun Games for Kids & Dogs
    • How Kids Should Interact with Dogs - Dr Sophia Yin
    • How Kids Shouldn't Interact with Dogs - Dr Sophia Yin
    • Family Paws Information sheets
  • Husbandry Behaviours
    • Sustained Target
  • Common Doggy Dilemmas
    • Adolescence - Sexual maturity and puppy licence expiration
    • Adrenaline Levels
    • Alone time is good
    • Separation Distress
    • OMG!! You've got a new puppy (or are thinking about one)... What next?
    • Buyers remorse
    • Adopting 2 Puppies
    • Dog Fights
    • Escaping Dogs
    • What's so good about rolling in poo & other stinky stuff?
    • My dog is Barking - Help!!
    • Growling is Good
    • Muzzle Training
    • Dog Vision
    • Firework Fear
    • Thunderstorms
    • Coprophagia - The act of Poo Eating
    • Managing Multiple Mutts
    • Puppy Socialisation and Fear Periods
    • Newly adopted rescue dog
    • Humping Hounds
    • Deference Training - Karen Overall protocol
    • Dog Parks. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.
    • Dominance in Dog Training
    • Dog-Dog Play
    • Leash Reactivity in Dogs
    • Look At That (LAT)
  • Boredom Busters
    • Recycled Enrichment
    • Crate Rest Crazies
    • Make your dog a TugToy >
      • Rules for TUG & GIVE
    • Tug Toys - not just for your dog
    • Bottle Bug Besties
    • Milk Bottle Bungee
    • Snuffle Mat Mayhem
    • Hot Weather Hints
    • Wet Weather Fun
    • Shaping Behaviour
    • Kong Recipes
    • The Bucket Game
    • Scent Work at Home
  • Test your knowledge
    • Match the Tail
    • Guess the eyes
    • Enrichment Quiz
    • Learning Theory Quiz
    • Animal First Aid Quiz
  • Special Needs Pets
    • Blind Dogs
    • Deaf Dogs
  • Helpful Hints & Ideas
    • Choosing a Trainer
    • Resilience
    • Psychologist vs Psychiatrist
    • Consistency
    • Cues vs Commands
    • Knowing when to say goodbye
    • Grief and Depression in pets
    • Preparing your dog for a vet visit
    • TTouch Wrap
    • Easter Dangers
    • Winter and Your Pet
    • Chooks As Pets
    • Making and Using a Longline
    • Tips for Taking Great Pet Pics
    • Keeping your pets safe this Christmas
    • Pill Pockets - an aid to giving your pet oral medication
    • Food Tubes
    • Trish's Training Treats
    • Increasing the value of dry food used for rewards
    • Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi
    • Car Safety and your pet
    • Moving House
  • Keeping Cats Happy - Helpful Tips
    • Feline Happiness
    • Keeping Cats Happy - Choosing a Litter Tray
    • Keeping cats Happy - Choosing a scratching post
    • Introducing Cats and Dogs
  • Recommended Reading
  • Useful Links
  • What to do in an Emergency
    • CPR
    • Bloat or Gastric Dilation Volvulus
    • Tick Paralysis
    • Toad Toxicity
    • Snake!
    • Xylitol Toxicity
    • Common Toxins >
      • Chocolate Toxicity Calculator
    • Wildlife
  • Words of Wisdom & Inspiring Quotes
  • All Pets Ed Case Studies
  • Newsletters
  • Policies and Procedures
  • Online Courses
    • K9 Manners Online
    • Tricks Course Online
    • Cooperative Care Online

Toad Toxicity

Picture
Toads are a common pest in our suburban back yards. 

Each year many pets are poisoned as they grab or bite the deadly toad.  Dogs are more commonly poisoned than cats.

Cane Toads were introduced to Australia by the Queensland Department of Agriculture in 1935 as a non-chemical method of controlling the cane beetle.  Unfortunately things didn’t go to plan as the Cane Toad has no natural enemies in Australia.

When threatened, the toad will secrete a milky white sticky toxin from the glands behind their eyes.  It has been reported that they can even squirt this poison a distance of up to 2 metres.


Your pet will be poisoned when the toxin enters and contacts the mucous membranes in their mouth and sometimes their eyes.

“Keelback snakes are not susceptible to the venom, and crows and water rats have learnt to turn the toad over and eat only the nonpoisonous internal organs”. www.Southsidevet.com.au

 Australian Terriers and Fox terriers are the dog breeds most commonly treated for toad toxicity. Closely followed by Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs and Kelpies. However ALL breeds are at risk.

Signs your pet has been poisoned by a toad..
  • Profuse salivation – this occurs due to the irritating nature of the toads toxin)
  • Pawing at mouth – the toxin is irritating and corrosive – this is painful for your pet
  • Red (brick red) and inflamed gums
  • Vomiting (more often in cats)
  • Weakness in the back legs
  • Dazed stare
  • Muscle spasms
  • Seizures/convulsions – these are what often causes overheating and kills a pet affected by toad toxicity.
  • Cardiac arrest – the toxin is known to affect the heart of dogs and cats.
  • Death


What to do when you suspect you pet is poisoned.

If you see your pet with a toad, or suspect that they may have been poisoned, First Aid is what will save their life.

  • Immediately wipe your pets gums using a wet rag/cloth
  • Rinse the rag/cloth in between wipes.
  • Continuing wiping for a minimum of 10-15 minutes
  • Do not stop wiping until you cannot feel the “slime” in your pets mouth
  • Do not use a hose to direct water into your pets mouth (even sideways).  
  • Using a hose may accidentally force water into your pets lungs and result in drowning.
  • Seek veterinary help as soon as possible
  • If your pet is convulsing keep them cool by covering with a wet towel during transit to the veterinary clinic. 


Once at the veterinary clinic, your pet may require observation (heart & respiratory rates, temperature, blood pressure, mentation), and possibly further intensive treatment including intravenous fluids, medications to control seizures, oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, ECG monitoring for cardiac arrhythmias.

Your pet will not be able to return home until all vital signs have returned to normal and prove stable.  Once home you should keep your pet calm and restricted for a minimum of 24 hours or as directed by your vet.

Once a pet has had toad toxicity, despite the unpleasant effects, they often become serial toad toxicity patients.

Preventing Toad Toxicity

Toads are generally only active at night.  Keep your pets inside at night, and take outside only ON LEAD to toilet after dark.

Train your dog a reliable “Leave” cue. 

Control the toad population in your yard.  Attach wire mesh around your fence, this should be 6mm x 6mm mesh and extend 10cm under the ground and 40cm (minimum) above ground.

Remove any fresh standing water and cover fish ponds (with mesh), clam shell pools (with lid). 

Keep outside lights off – as the light will attract moths and insects, which in turn will attract toads.

References

Day, C., 2014. Articles and Pet Stories Written by Professional Vets. [online] Southsidevet.com.au. Available at: <http://www.southsidevet.com.au/PetCareandInformation/ArticlesandPetStories/tabid/26859/Default.aspx?ArticleID=1967> [Accessed 20 Apr. 2014].

 Invasion of the Cane Toad. 2014. [online] Canetoadsinoz.com. Available at: <http://www.canetoadsinoz.com/invasion.html> [Accessed 20 Apr. 2014].

Toad Toxicity | Emergency Vet - Animal Emergency Service - Brisbane - Gold Coast. 2014. [online] Animalemergencyservice.com.au. Available at: <http://www.animalemergencyservice.com.au/pet-care/1/27-2-12/toad-toxicity> [Accessed 20 Apr. 2014].


All Material Copyright All Pets Education and Training 2018