Cane Toads: Poison
When travelling with your pet, or venturing into the wilderness, you need to be aware of various dangers that you wouldn’t necessarily be mindful of without your four legged friends around.
My dog Anna likes to put anything and everything in her mouth. Like a baby, she explores everything with her lips and tongue. A dog like her can run into real trouble when travelling to new places simply because she’ll encounter various dangers she wouldn’t normally find at home.
The Cane Toad is one of these dangers. According to the Australian Museum Online, the “natural range of Cane Toads extends from the southern United States to tropical South America.” However, the species has been introduced in many other regions of the world, and you’ll find them in abundance in places like Australia, Florida, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, parts of Japan, various Carribean Islands, and several other parts of the world.
The Cane Toad is dangerous because it has two large poison glands located behind the eyes and is highly toxic if ingested. The poison is also very harmful if it comes into contact with mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose and mouth. Dogs can, and do, die from Cane Toad poisonings.
However, according to the Department of Agriculture and Food in Western Australia, “seeking veterinary assistance ensures that most dogs survive, with a 2004 study of 90 cane toad-poisoned dogs in Queensland reporting a survival rate of 96 per cent following veterinary intervention.”
Anna encountered a Cane Toad one night and thought it was a very yummy thing to have in her mouth. I was talking with friends when one pointed out that Anna had something. I turned to see her with a Cane Toad! I immediately ran over to her, yelling at her to drop it, which she did, and then I chased and scared her away from it. She began smacking her lips a bunch and I was terrified that she had been poisoned. We immediately rushed home where I rinsed her mouth out thoroughly with water, and waited. Luckily, she showed no other signs of poisoning and all was well.
Cane Toads are nocturnal, and you can do a lot to prevent encounters by keeping your dogs indoors at night. It’s also very important to train your dogs to respond to a “drop it” command should you ever find them with one in their mouth.
Click here for more information on protecting your dogs from Cane Toad poisoning.
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