Dog licked toad - vomited - are they poisonous?

[tpup]

My 6 month old puppy licked a toad in our driveway. I mean it was a quick lick while I walked her past on a leash, as I tugged her away immediately. She proceeded to first vomit foamy saliva, then her breakfast with lots of foam, in two separate vomit episodes. I rinsed her mouth out with the kitchen sink hose (she loved that :lol:) and later read that some toads can be dangerously poisonous to dogs. I called my vet and their tech had never heard of it but said she’d ask around.

After she vomited she was completely fine and normal. I remember years ago my Golden licking a toad and just foaming at the mouth, no vomiting though.

Now the said toad has made a little bed in our mulch out front. It’s very cute seeing him all cozied up in a bed of mulch - but I am worried and think I should take him somewhere else! I would never hurt him, but could “relocate” him in the woods nearby.

Has anyone had similar experiences with dogs and toads?

[blaster]

No, assuming you live in North America. I had quite the drooling dogs, but nary a long term side effect.

However, you have seen the warning on chocolate mulch?

[Nipntuck]

I understand that they are poisonous, but after one exposure doggie should leave the toads alone! We have toads all around our barn and the dogs don’t touch them (they are a welcome part of our fly control program).

[BabyGoose]

If it is your standard toad found in N America then they are likely not poisonous. I remember when I was a kid our dogs would play with toads. They would try and pick them up then hack and gag and froth at the mouth, then go back and try again, until we had to put the toad somewhere the dogs counldn’t get to it. Our dogs were persistant! The toads would come into the yard attracted to the bugs hanging out by the porchlight.

[Kryswyn]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Bufo toads. You did exactly the right thing by hosing her mouth out with the hose.

This used to happen to my housemate’s doberman ALL.THE.TIME. in Hawaii. It happened to my Jack once and he was smart enough to leave them alone after that. The dobe? Not so much!

[quicksilverponies]

My Cocker Spaniel used to carry toads around in her mouth almost EVERY evening in the summer time. (Mississippi) She would get one, place it in front of her, and then watch it cower until it got brave enough to hop away. She would follow it a few hops, pick it up again, and then repeat the process. She was never sick a minute - just loved the toads for some strange reason. She never hurt them or even broke skin - just gently carried the poor thing around for hours. I don’t think your puppy is in any danger. My cocker lived a very long, healthy life…toads in the mouth and all:)

[Pancakes]

Most toads are not poisonous EXCEPT for Bufo toads (aka Cane Toads), aka Bufo marinus.

They ARE very toxic to pets and ingestion of their poison can lead to vomiting, arrhythmias, seizures, and death.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw046

I don’t know where you’re located, but it probably is far enough north that you don’t have this problem, or else the vet tech should have known about it. You did the right thing by rinsing their mouth out (with the head DOWN not up so they don’t aspirate!) and monitoring for further signs. One telltale sign they’ve gotten poisoned is that their mucous membranes/gums will be bright red instead of a normal soft pink.

It might be nice to relocate the little guy for everyon’es safety though, if your dogs are likely to go after him again!

[AlmostDun]

Uh oh. She’s started the downward slide into the heartbreak of toad licking: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6376594 :lol:

[Opus1]

Oh, yeah. I’m in rural Ga. and most all of our dogs at one time or another have tried putting toads in their mouths, then foaming and drooling, sometimes vomiting. They normally take a hint and stop doing it … although with some it took a few times of doing it before they stopped.

Never had a dog die from it. :knock on wood:

And because of where I live, there’s too many to relocate them elsewhere.

[BabyGoose]

This is the kind of toad our dogs generally encountered. Never had a dog even get sick from playing with one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_spadefoot_toads

[PiaffePlease]

This same thing happened to my dog. She tried to eat a toad/had it in her mouth and she starting foaming and then threw up. After that, she was fine.

[Nootka]

[QUOTE=carp;5601223]
Uh oh. She’s started the downward slide into the heartbreak of toad licking: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6376594 :lol:[/QUOTE]

LMAOOO now she only sucks on weekends…:lol: