Bit freaked after dogs' cane toad encounter ... should I be?

[AndiE]

Hopefully someone with waaay more cane toad experience than I can ease my paranoia ...

We moved house recently - the new place backs onto bushland in the Brisbane 'burbs. Our fur babies (Jack Russells - ages 4 and 2) had fortunately never encountered a live, hopping cane toad before (neither had I) - till tonight. It rained earlier tonight, I presume that brings them out as we haven't seen any toads during the past (dry) month.

Long story short, we thought the older Jackie had managed to get his mouth around the toad before DH intervened, but 20 mins later and our "first born" seems perfectly fine.

I know cane toads' poison can be fatal to dogs/cats, but having had no exposure to the buggers before, I don't know if they have to eat the toad/lick it etc. Does anyone know if any dog contact with a toad generally leads to trouble? Am I paranoid for no real reason or if I should generally be worried as summer/rain season approaches?

Any ideas on how to protect my dogs - they generally live (and sleep) indoors but naturally spend time outdoors as well - would be greatly appreciated.

Andie

[christy]

ARGH I just posted a reply and lost it all...

Okay... first aid with cane toad stuff is within the first few minutes to wash off the dogs mouth, rinsing the gums as the toxin can get on them & cause issues. The toxin is absorbed through the mucous membranes, not the stomach.

If its too late for that (and I would assume it is) than just keep an eye on him & if he shows signs like shaking or licking abnormally, get him to your closest 24 hour vet. There's 2 on the northside and 1 in underwood which are all very good. I would also call the closest one to you and find out if there is anything else to keep an eye on. The first 12 hours are vital.

It is a dangerous toxin for dogs... I have seen dogs die from it, so don't feel like you are being paranoid.

[Cheeky_Monkey]

I've unfortunately had to live around cane toads all my life - hate the gross hopping things. YUCK.

As far as I'm aware though the dog doesn't actually have to eat the toad. Just the poison being sprayed into the dogs mouth, eyes etc can make him terribly sick.

I would keep an eye on him but if he seems ok overnight I'd say he's fine.

[AndiE]

Thanks for the replies - happy to report our "Billy Dog" was totally fine, thankfully. He either didn't manage to mouth the cane toad, or if he did it must have been extremely brief. No symptoms at all.

All in all, we really just had a rude shock to finally encounter a cane toad in the backyard. If nothing else, it was a wake-up call for DH and I that we ARE living in cane toad country these days!

Cheers, Andie

[Shades]

My cat had a cane toad encounter... Just the one. She was foaming at the mouth so we rinsed it out (a lot harder to do with a cat than a dog I suspect!) and she's not been game to chase them since... So in terms of protecting your dogs from a re-occurence, I think if they have half a brain between them they should be fine and stay away voluntarily.

[Herb Lady]

I have just moved back to Qld and within a week the puppy had gotten hold of a cane toad. Thankfully we have lived in Qld before and I had already been through all of this with her mother, so I knew what to do, and no harm done. But as it is so common, I decided to write a post on it on my blog - feel free to have a look. Best to know ahead of time as you need to act fast if it happens.
http://herbaldog.net/1st-aid-if-your...s-a-cane-toad/