Beware of Toads
 

I got a call last week from my ex , living in Arizona (Really good friends) He has Annie's parents..Sammy and Sosa.
Sammy (Mommy) was acting crazy, running around, eyes dilated, and some foaming at the mouth..She was running in and out of the house.. My ex went out side to see what she was doing and notice she was barking at a toad.
He picked up the toad and threw it in a outside garbage and came back in and checked the internet, researching Arizona toads..
I found this information..
The Colorado River toad is found along large streams in the southwestern United States, from Arizona to southern California and into Mexico. This toad wouldn't win any awards for beauty; its brown/green skin is usually covered with warts. These toads grow to be about 3 to 7 inches long. The giant toad is not as common, and is found in south Texas and Florida. This brown toad grows to be 4 to 6 inches long and is very toxic to pets.

Because dogs are more curious and extroverted, they tend to be treated for toad poisoning more often. But a dog doesn't necessarily have to lick or eat a toad to be poisoned. There have been cases where frogs have been attracted to a dog's water dish and sat along the rim, leaving enough toxin to make a dog sick.

If you live in an area where these toads reside, you should limit your pet's exposure to warm, moist outdoor environments, especially in the desert southwest

If enough toxin is ingested, your pet may have an irregular heartbeat and act strangely, as if in the grip of a hallucination. Call your veterinarian if you observe:
Mouth irritation with foamy salivation
Depression
Weakness
Collapse
Difficulty breathing
Seizures
Fever
Vomiting
Diarrhea

Last night he called and said she had found another Toad..He thought it was a one time thing..He got ride of this Toad also. He goes out with the dogs now..
I am just hoping it didnt cause permanent damage to her..
Gina (Hammond, Indiana)
***Anyone living in any of these location please watch your babies..***

Wow! Thanks for the warning! Hope your furbabies are alright.

Oh man - funny you posted this - while our toads in Texas are NOT toxic they will still make the girls foam at the mouth - they keep insisting that they can hop along behind them and try to pick them up - so I watch for THAT kind of movement and throw EVERY SINGLE TOAD over my fence - I have a torn shoulder to prove that dumb move ....but I've been fighting toads for 2 years now -

some states (FLORIDA) have toads that are fatal to dogs -The Bufo toad is a NASTY Creature & The Cane Toad is bad too - you have to be very careful - what I did was call my vet asap the 1st time Chanel almost got one and asked them if ANY dogs have been treated for toad poisoning - I felt much better after they said NONE ....and after talking to them and looking up info online - I did find out about all the SUPER Toxic toads - and they really do tempt dogs with that hopping all over their turf !

Toads in Michigan are also not deadly to dogs. But, Sissy picked one up and had it in her mouth and got VERY sick from the secretions of the toad. My vet explained that their secretions contain poison designed to make an animal sick and while not deadly toxic, it can still cause serious harm to our little guys just because of their size. It is the vomiting and diarrhea and deydration that will take them down. So even if you live in an area where the toads are not deadly, the secretions will cause foaming at the mouth, vomiting and diarrhea. Be careful of these creatures no matter what!!

Oh, it's so scary !

I have so many toads around my house. We live along the Mississippi and there are toads by the zillion and frogs, too. I have heard that Yorkies have died from biting toads... so I am always on the lookout for them. As for me, I COULD NOT

I have so many toads around my house. We live along the Mississippi and there are toads by the zillion and frogs, too. I have heard that Yorkies have died from biting toads... so I am always on the lookout for them. As for me, I COULD NOT pick up a toad! UGH! So, i have to pick up the dogs instead and get them away. LOL. It is serious and Yorkies cannot resist chasing those little things that jump all over. I have one really smart toad - he sits dead still while the dogs are out and the dogs don't even know he's there.

Hmmm... live traps for toads maybe???????

omega

That's one thing you wouldn't normally think of as harmful to our furbabies. ( I just had to 'steal' that term, it SO describes them).

I always walk Shankly on a leash as we live in apartments up here in the Pacific Northwest. I don't recall seeing many toads growing up here, but I am sure we have them.

I will have to remember that when we buy our house. Is there someway to deter them from your yard area?

We have lots of toads here in Fl. Thanks for the info. I haven't read what is harmful to my babies, but I always check our lanai before the girls go out. I don't let them near any bugs etc. We have too many strange insects down here.

We have a lot of small frogs in our area, especially in our neighborhood where there are tons of ponds. Jaxon is always looking for them but fortunately hasn't tried to eat one (yet).