Poisonous Toads to your Pets in AZ and California

I am sure you’re all saying about now, poisonous toads in Arizona and Southern California….whatcha talking about Teri Ann?  Yes, that’s right, we have a particular toad in Arizona and Southern California that is poisonous to our pets.

That particular toad is known as the Colorado River Toad and is one ugly beast with lots and lots of warts all over its brown & green skin.  They can be as small as three inches and up to seven inches long.

I am sure your next question to me is, how is the toad poisonous to my pet(s)?  The venom of the Colorado River Toad is secreted through the skin.  A wild animal, say a Coyote, approaches a toad and sniffs it first and then may lick it.  At that moment, the Coyote has just licked the venom of the Toad which will not taste good at all, thus making the Coyote run from it’s hunt.  This is how the toad survives when predators want to eat it.

Now if you have a curious dog like I do, who has to stick her nose into everything including whatever jumps and hops on our property, this can cause a problem.  I live in Laveen, AZ on a 2-acre property nestled at the bottom of South Mountain.  I am sure you’re thinking about now that Arizona is a desert after all, so don’t toads have to be near water?  Yes, they do and Arizona is not as dry as you think.  Arizona has eight main canals, which run hundreds and hundreds of miles, as well as 924 miles of Lateral Ditches that take water from the large canals to various delivery points in irrigated areas.  If you live near any of these canals or laterals like I do, and as many of my clients do, sooner or later you and/or your pet will meet Mr. Toad.

The curious thing about the poisonous toad is that your dog does not have to actually lick it to be poisoned.  The toad is attracted to water, such as pools and water dishes, so all the toad has to do is sit on the rim of your dog’s water dish and hop off.  Your dog trots to the dish to get a drink and licks the rim of the dish, thus licking the poison off the rim.  This is why it’s very important that you monitor your outside pets and clean out their water bowl, including the rim, thoroughly on a weekly basis.

Unfortunately, you may not even know your pet has come into contact with a toad because they normally don’t stick around and they’re quite fast little devils that’s for sure.  So, one morning you walk outside to check on your dog and you notice he’s just not acting right.  He’s stumbling around and it seems he’s acting so strange that you think he/she is hallucinating.  The biggest clue is the foamy salivation.  These are sure signs of toad poisoning. 

Signs and Symptoms:

• Depression
• Foamy salivation
• Irregular heartbeat
• Seizures
• Fever
• D/V (Diarrhea & Vomiting)
• Weakness or Collapses

Treatment for your Pet:

The first thing a pet owner needs to do, if toad poisoning is suspected, is to rinse out the dog’s mouth with a hose (do not stick the hose down the throat and drown the poor thing).  Your objective is to dilute the poison in his/her mouth as much as possible, thus removing traces of the toxin. 

The next thing is to call your veterinarian for further advice/treatment.  Depending how severe the signs and symptoms are, you may be asked to bring your pet in immediately. For those pets that are very anxious or frightened, your vet may want to give him/her a sedative and perhaps an overnight stay for those pets that have elevated heartbeats, and fluid therapy, due to dehydration from the D/V.

It is very important that you remove the toad, if you can locate it, from your yard.  However, do not touch it with your hands.  Pick it up with a shovel or scoop it in a bucket and take it back to the canal/lateral ditch from where it came from.  After all, you don’t want your pet to come into contact with it again.

My personal experience:

As a pet care provider, and one that lives and works near many, many canals and lateral ditches, I have first-hand experience dealing with toad poisoning.  I have an Akita in my care, named Dozer.  He’s a big cuddly bear and is just so curious.  One day his curiosity got the best of him and he came across a toad in his backyard (his backyard faced a lateral ditch but wasn’t real close, so the toad sure had to do some hopping to get to his backyard).  He decided to play with Mr. Toad and was soon overwhelmed with toxins.  He showed all the classic symptoms, including the hallucinations and the foamy salivation.  His owner called the vet and rinsed out his mouth.  He was transported to the veterinarian and thankfully he was okay.  However, it took a couple of days for the toxins to completely leave his body, so when I came over to take care of him, he still had that look of confusion in his eyes.  Believe it or not, that wasn’t Dozer’s only experience with a Colorado Toad….nope….not long after his first encounter, he found another one, or perhaps it was still the first toad that he came across that never left his yard.  His owner knew exactly what to do in the second instance.

I would also recommend that you teach your young child(ren) that if they encounter a toad in their yard, or out walking, that they not touch it and to alert you immediately.  Remember picking up a toad with your hands isn’t the smartest thing to do…..after all…..you will then have the toxins on your hands as well.

*************************************************************************************

Update on Blog: Monday, March 12th

I have received several comments from pet owners that live in FL and how they have had to deal with a certain toad of their own, so I am adding additional information:

Florida Toads:

The Bufo Toad, also known as the Giant or Cane Toad, resides in South Florida and is very dangerous to your pet.  The signs and symptoms are the same as our Colorado Toad.  

The Bufo Toad is more active in the spring and summer months when it is warmer and moist outside.  The  Bufo Toad is nocturnal, so most of the poisonings occur late in the evening or the early hours of the morning.

The severity of the poisoning depends on the size of your dog.  For example, my 15 lb Shih Tzu would have a more severe reaction to the poisoning than my 60 lb part Pit/Carolina Dog would.  

Remember to keep an eye out on your dog when walking on a leash.  A dog can grab a toad in 1/2 a second before you even realize that he/she has grabbed it.

************************************************************************************

Comments from some pet owners:

Pamela writes from FL:  She had a 2-month old Pom that she was walking, after returning from the vet, and her dog bent down and grabbed something and began chewing.  Pamela thought she had chewed on a dead lizard didn't think much about it.  They were on their way to pick up their other car and she looked at her Pom and saw her foaming and bubbling at the mouth, and basically in a confused-state while sitting on her husband's lap.  They drove directly to the vet's office and had to leave her overnight.  The vet confirmed it was highly poisonous, especially due to her size and had to give her anti-venom.  She was monitored throughout the night and thankfully survived due to Pamela's quick thinking of returning to the vet.