The Best for your Pet in the Territory
Northern Territory Veterinary Services
  • Home
  • Katherine Veterinary Clinic
    • About Us
    • Small Animal Services
    • Equine Services
    • Livestock Services
    • Behaviour Services
    • Katherine Vets
    • Katherine Nurses
  • Alice Veterinary Centre
    • About Us
    • Small Animal Services
    • Equine Services
    • Livestock Services
    • Behaviour Services
    • Puppy Preschool
    • Alice Vets
    • Alice Nurses & Reception
  • Aboriginal Community Veterinary Services
    • About Us
    • ACVS Services
    • ACVS Resources
    • ACVS Workshops
    • Volunteering
  • Remote Services (i-consultations)
  • Pet Health Information
  • Fund Raising & Gifts
  • Contact Us

Cane Toad Poisoning in Dogs

7/9/2018

1 Comment

 
The "Build-Up" is coming to the top end, and soon the tropical storms and cane toads will be upon us.
​
Cane toads pose a serious threat to our pets with poisonings amongst dogs now very common. Over the past two decades in Katherine, we have seen the establishment of a strong cane toad population, and new pets to the Northern Territory may not be familiar with this pest.
So what makes them so toxic? 

Cane toads (Bufo marinarus) carry several toxins in their parotid and verrucous glands including bufotoxins, bufogenins and amines – some really nasty stuff. When a dog bites down on a toad, these toxins are released from these glands and they pass very quickly through the surface of the mouth. The toxins can affect the heart and nerves. One full grown toad has enough toxin to kill at least 100 medium sized dogs.
​
Picture
What are the Signs of Cane Toad Poisoning?

​
Signs of cane toad poisoning in your dog will initially appear as profuse salivation (frothing), head shaking and pawing at the mouth. If it is not treated or your dog receives a large enough dose, it can progress to vomiting, weakness, seizures, and eventually death. This all can happen within an hour.


What Can I do?

It is not all bad news. If your dog is exhibiting only mild signs such as frothing at the mouth, the most important thing you can do is to wash their mouth out for several minutes with water and rub it with a cloth. Make sure you don’t point the hose to the back of their throat or you can drown your dog, so hold their head down. IF, however, your dog starts to have seizures, seek veterinary help immediately!!! Generally the outcome is good with early intervention.

​
Picture
Be careful, there are a few dodgy urban myths about toad poisonings. The most concerning one is that giving the dog activated charcoal can help. This is not true because the toxin is absorbed through the roof of the mouth. The charcoal will have no effect on the absorbed toxin. If the dog is shaking or having seizures and is fed charcoal, the dog may accidentally inhale the charcoal and this will cause dangerous breathing problems.

​It is recommended that once treated, your dog be checked over to ensure there are no after effects. If you are a long way from a vet, you should still call one as soon as possible to get any further advice.
​
What if my dog swallows a cane toad?

​
The good news is that stomach acid deactivates the cane toad toxin. So if your dog has swallowed a cane toad whether it is fresh or dried, unless the toxin touched the inside surface of his/her mouth, they will be fine (unless the toad is off - then there could be a case of food poisoning.)
Picture
Last but not least..
​
One last bit of advice… if you are unfortunate enough for your dog to go through a poisoning episode, after your dog recovers, please get rid of the toad. Preventing contact with toads is often difficult. Some animals will learn to avoid them as the poison doesn’t taste very nice, others will keep going back. One colleague in North Queensland had the same dog come in four times in the one night for toad poisoning.  So, if you see your pet playing with a toad you should remove the toad immediately, and observe your pet closely for at least the next hour. Drinking bowls should be placed up off the ground and checked and changed regularly or a safer alternative is small automatic waterers mounted off the ground.

​
Lets just hope they find a way to get rid of these toads soon.

Dr Alex Burleigh BSc(Vet) BVSc
Dr Alex Burleigh is based in Katherine, NT at Katherine Veterinary Clinic, part of Northern Territory Veterinary Services. He is a part owner and one of the senior veterinarians at both Katherine Veterinary Clinic and Alice Veterinary Centre. Dr Alex Burleigh is a published author with works appearing in veterinary texts, scientific journals and online websites. He consults regularly at both practices.
1 Comment
bestessays.com legit link
16/10/2020 10:54:28 am

I am not very educated when it comes to wildlife, which is why this interests me. I think that I might be able to do a lot of things if I just know about them. I can easily work hard to gain that knowledge, but I should try other things, right? I know that I can do it if I want, and that is exactly what I want to do. I hope that I can make it work somehow, man.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    NT Vet Services News

    BOOK APPOINTMENT

    Categories

    All
    Anaesthesia
    Behaviour
    Cats
    Diseases
    Dog
    Dog Programs
    Emergencies
    Holidays
    Horses
    Indigenous Communities
    Injuries
    Parasites & Worms\
    Rabbits
    Surgery

    Archives

    March 2020
    June 2019
    March 2019
    September 2018
    July 2018
    February 2018
    March 2017
    February 2017
    May 2016
    January 2016
    June 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014

    RSS Feed

    Katherine Veterinary Clinic
    Alice Veterinary Centre
    Aboriginal Community Vets
    BOOK APPOINTMENT
Proudly powered by Weebly