Our Dee had an encounter with a Bufo aka Cane toad the day after Thanksgiving. Ralph had power washed the rocks in the back earlier in the day and must of dislodge it from the rocks.
We have an acre here and we prefer to supervise the dogs when they are in the yard. As it turned out, I noticed all of the dogs were way in the back, in the stand of Rainbow Eucalyptus trees. They were very interested in something.
Then I saw Dee shaking her head and I started as fast as I could to get over to her. She was foaming at the mouth, tossing her head, flinging foam. The other dogs were looking at the toad which was nestled up against a nursery pot.
I had to help Dee but the other dogs were at risk as well if they got a hold of it. I could have multiple dogs get poisoned. I couldn’t grab the Toad and Dee at the same time. So I chose Dee, hoping the other Doodles would leave the toad alone.
Because I didn’t have a collar on Dee and she was in distress, I grab ahold of the back of her neck and walked her to the house. Ralph grabbed the hose. I held her head down and opened her mouth and he rinsed it out. Then we got her into the house and I made a slurry of activated charcoal in an oral syringe and dosed her. Ralph wiped the left over foam from her mouth as I tried to get a hold of our Vet.
Friday evening on a holiday weekend is a horrible time for an emergency. The literature on toad poisoning indicates getting the dog into a Vet or Pet Hospital within 30 minutes before they start having heart problems. No help was available, even the pet hospital was closed. So I keep an eye on her, watching her eyes, her breathing and kept my fingers crossed.
Fifteen minutes went by, no changes, half hour, then hour still ok. So either she didn’t get a huge dose or it was a combination of events. Catching the problem early and applying first aid.
A few years ago, in anticipation of eventually having a toad encounter, I had a discussion with our Vet. She told me to get some activated Charcoal; using that and rinsing out her mouth out saved her life. I always keep it on my kitchen counter, just in case.
In researching first aid for toad encounters you’ll come across recommendations for using a wet paper towel to wipe the inside of the mouth out. Others will say use a hose. We chose the hose because of concerns of rubbing the poison into her tissues.
While one can’t always anticipate emergencies, having a plan will help in some circumstances. The rest of the Doodles did leave the toad alone and the toad was eventually found and dispatched.
Laurelwood Doodles 