# My dog just ate a toad



## waruikazi (Oct 13, 2008)

I just caught my dog with a cane toad. I've washed his mouth out and all the rest and he seems fine for now, but i'm watchin him like a hawk. He's not frothing or jittery or anything and i've rung a couple of vets just to get a second opinion if i need to do anything more and there's nothing left to do. SO he should be fine.

Has anyone found an effective way of making their dogs scared or not like toads? If i hadn't been here he would have been in big trouble.


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## LullabyLizard (Oct 13, 2008)

I hope nothing happens to him! Fingers crossed :?

Should go to a vet instead of ringing them just to be sure?


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## waruikazi (Oct 13, 2008)

LullabyLizard said:


> I hope nothing happens to him! Fingers crossed :?
> 
> Should go to a vet instead of ringing them just to be sure?



They said not to bother unless he goes down hill, that's why i rang two just to be sure. They basically said they'll do the same as i can do here if i took him down now, i just don't have to pay for it this way. All they do is clean their mouth out and observe them. Then if they show signs of being intoxicated they put them on a drip. The vet's only 500m down the rd anyway so it wont take long for me to get there if something goes wrong.


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## LullabyLizard (Oct 13, 2008)

Okay then


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## Peterwookie (Oct 13, 2008)

I dont know if its an old wives tail but I was told once that getting them to drink milk
some how stops any reaction (sorry) I hope your dog is ok


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## waruikazi (Oct 13, 2008)

He doesn't seem to be affected at the moment. I really want to know if there is anything anyone has done that has deterred their dog from eating/playing with them?


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## DDALDD (Oct 13, 2008)

My mate in Brissie once told me he used to take dead (frozen) toads and cover them in something his dog hated (I can't remember what it was) and let his dog lick them. After awhile it never went near them again. I can't personally speak for this system but he said it worked for him.


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## FROGGIESrCUTEo_O (Oct 13, 2008)

That sounds plausable DDLADD. I mean if I were a dog I wouldn't be licking something that every other time tasted yuck :lol:lol
Hope your dog is ok waruikazi.


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## ryanharvey1993 (Oct 13, 2008)

cut the venom glands out then put raw chilli on it, when the dog bites it it wont ever want to eat one again. our chickens used to eat there eggs so we put chilli in them and they never ate them again


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## xycom (Oct 13, 2008)

spray them with "wound-gard", the vets use it after surgery. It works a treat on other things


Per


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## waruikazi (Oct 13, 2008)

ryanharvey1993 said:


> cut the venom glands out then put raw chilli on it, when the dog bites it it wont ever want to eat one again. our chickens used to eat there eggs so we put chilli in them and they never ate them again



The toads have poison through their skin not just the poison glands on their neck.

Wound guard sounds like it could be worth a try. I was thinking of buying a toy toad, like a plastic one, and beating the crap out of him with it.


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## MoreliaMatt (Oct 13, 2008)

waruikazi said:


> I was thinking of buying a toy toad, like a plastic one, and beating the crap out of him with it.




i hope thats a joke!!!


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## waruikazi (Oct 13, 2008)

MoreliaMatt said:


> i hope thats a joke!!!



Exaggeration more than a joke. I was thinking of using a plastic toad as the whacker instead of a rolled up news paper. So he becomes scared of them, and not news papers.


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## zard (Oct 13, 2008)

one of my dogs used to lick cane toads all the time :roll: other than foaming at the mouth (which i would immediatly flush out) she suffered no ill effects. Hope your pup is ok


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## Kyro (Oct 13, 2008)

The only way I could teach my silly hound to not touch them was walking him at night on a lead & every time he went near one I would go off at him until he got the hint. I don't think this has worked perfectly but hopefully he thinks twice about playing with them if he comes across any.
Hope your dogs ok mate


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## waruikazi (Oct 13, 2008)

He's fine now. I'm just not real happy with him.


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## notechistiger (Oct 13, 2008)

My jack russell loves to play with toads. He doesn't ever bite or lick anything like that unless I say "Get it!" like I do with spiders and other bugs. He's pretty good, and he comes in at night, so there's never been a problem.


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## Slytherin (Oct 13, 2008)

FROGGIESrCUTEo_O said:


> That sounds plausable DDLADD. I mean if I were a dog I wouldn't be licking something that every other time tasted yuck :lol:lol
> Hope your dog is ok waruikazi.


 
They lick their own bums!!!...LOL :? :lol:

I hope your dog will be ok.


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## JasonL (Oct 13, 2008)

If you want to easily train a dog not to look at toads (or snakes) get yourself one of those remote control citronella collars...and one toad, place the toad on the lawn and let the dog have a sniff, when he does, give him a hit of citronella in the face, repeat half hourly untill the dog wants nothing to do with it...smart dogs will learn on the 3rd or 4th go, repeat every 6 months to a year depending on how good your dog is. Collars cost a couple of hundred, but pails in significance to a dead dog or huge vet bill, and when your not using it they also work well on young kids


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## cris (Oct 13, 2008)

I think it should be fine, just hope it doesnt develop an addiction.


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## DanTheMan (Oct 13, 2008)

My dog is an absolute idiot when it comes to toads as well, being a kiwi dog he doesn't think that there is any thing that can hurt him, Iv tried everything, but I still have to take him out at night on a lead, going to get a mussel for him.
Scares the crap out of me every time he does it, starts dribbling heaps, rubs his mouth on the ground, obviously burns or hurts him, but he still doesn't learn.


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## Khagan (Oct 13, 2008)

ryanharvey1993 said:


> cut the venom glands out then put raw chilli on it, when the dog bites it it wont ever want to eat one again. our chickens used to eat there eggs so we put chilli in them and they never ate them again



Chilli doesn't always work.. We had a dog once that was dumb as hell and was chewing up the house, so Dad put chilli on where he was chewing.. The dog came up and ate it no problems and was even eating chilli from my Dad's hand. It was quite funny.


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## gman78 (Oct 14, 2008)

When i lived in Brissy my staffy always would try eat them.
Iwould just spray the hose down her throat and wash her mouth out


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## Tatelina (Oct 17, 2008)

waruikazi said:


> Wound guard sounds like it could be worth a try. I was thinking of buying a toy toad, like a plastic one, and beating the crap out of him with it.



Hahaha...thanks for that chuckle.


How's your dog now?


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## LullabyLizard (Oct 17, 2008)

How is your dog now?


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## waruikazi (Oct 17, 2008)

He's fine, he was just a little hi for a while i think. I hope he's not getting a taste for it lol.


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## pythoness (Oct 17, 2008)

i always pour salt into my dogs mouth before flushing with water if they nom a toad, not only does the salt kill the poison, but the dogs hate it and think twice about going the toad again.


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## waruikazi (Oct 18, 2008)

Where did you hear about the salt?


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## LullabyLizard (Oct 18, 2008)

Good to hear he's ok


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## pythoness (Oct 18, 2008)

Same way i found out that salt kills toads


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## Pudel (Oct 26, 2008)

When we lived up North my dog only ate one cane toad, he happened to be in front of about 4 vets and 10 vet nurses at the time. 4 of them picked him up (he weighed 55k) carried him over the the tap and ran water into his mouth, he never touched another the whole experience was to humiliating for him.


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## miss_khalli (Sep 1, 2010)

gman78 said:


> When i lived in Brissy my staffy always would try eat them.
> Iwould just spray the hose down her throat and wash her mouth out


 
Your lucky you didnt drown your dog in the process.. =/ It's recommended to wipe their mouth out with a face washer/rag/etc, continually rinsing the cloth as you do.. The poison is sticky, so just rinsing the mouth doesnt remove all of the toxins..


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## redbellybite (Sep 1, 2010)

waruikazi said:


> Exaggeration more than a joke. I was thinking of using a plastic toad as the whacker instead of a rolled up news paper. So he becomes scared of them, and not news papers.


we made ours scared of toads and frogs ..so they wont touch 
either one ..same as snakes my dogs are ****zzy scared of them...I used plastic snake toys and chased them with the toys growling at them and when confronted with a live frog /toad..I picked em up and scared the crap out of them too.... chase him with a live toad and scare the hell out of him ..it will take a few times ..but he should get it ..


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## giglamesh (Sep 1, 2010)

miss_khalli said:


> Your lucky you didnt drown your dog in the process.. =/ It's recommended to wipe their mouth out with a face washer/rag/etc, continually rinsing the cloth as you do.. The poison is sticky, so just rinsing the mouth doesnt remove all of the toxins..


 
filling its lungs with water


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## Kristy_07 (Sep 2, 2010)

redbellybite said:


> I used plastic snake toys and chased them with the toys growling at them



.......:shock:



BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That's the funniest thing I've heard all day!!!!


The drooling and frothing at the mouth is often because they taste cad and they're trying to get the toxins/taste out of their mouth, so they often learn on their own. 

Salt doesn't help if they've been intoxicated, but it is a good deterrent. Mine have both eaten those black absorbers in the bottom of meat trays at BBQs a couple of times, and I had to mix lots of salt into a paste and shove it down their throats to make them vomit the absorbers up again (was advised by the vet before doing this, of course). They definitely think twice before licking meat trays now - I just grab the big packet of salt out of the pantry and they run! 

BUT, be warned - particularly with puppies, salt induces vomiting, and sometimes they can't make themselves stop, and at THAT point their health is in trouble and they need to go to the vet. I've let mine vomit a couple of times 'til the absorber came up, then encouraged some water and a few bikkies into them, and they settle again.

I had a doberman that used to chase the GTFs around the back porch until her could corner one, and then he'd sit there licking it :shock: Poor frogs. He never ate any, but what an ordeal! He was a bit strange, that dog.... maybe because he habitually licked frogs :shock:


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## ShepQLD (Sep 2, 2010)

completley agree with you miss_khalli. whenever any of my dogs have had a run in with a toad in the past the first thing I do is run for a cloth. wetting the cloth and wiping the mouth out is meant to get rid of the poisons alot quicker then a hose because the fluid sticks to the gums more then anything. ALWAYS make sure you concentrate on the gums, the under side of the lips and the roof of the mouth. 
also... the idea of milk? havent heard of that but dogs are lactose intolarent so I wouldnt be to convinced of that suggestions validity?
as for trying to find ways of keeping the dogs away from them, my way seems to work well for my two young labs... if I see a toad when they are with me I run around it waving my hands in the air and screaming. The dogs panic, they know something is very wrong and they associate that feeling with cane toads. Ive watched them now when they see one in the garden they stay well clear, they dont know why they should be scared but I think they figure if I am there must be a damn good reason LOL
sidenote - yes the neighbours think im crazy.


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## waruikazi (Sep 2, 2010)

ShepQLD said:


> completley agree with you miss_khalli. whenever any of my dogs have had a run in with a toad in the past the first thing I do is run for a cloth. wetting the cloth and wiping the mouth out is meant to get rid of the poisons alot quicker then a hose because the fluid sticks to the gums more then anything. ALWAYS make sure you concentrate on the gums, the under side of the lips and the roof of the mouth.
> also... the idea of milk? havent heard of that but dogs are lactose intolarent so I wouldnt be to convinced of that suggestions validity?
> as for trying to find ways of keeping the dogs away from them, my way seems to work well for my two young labs... if I see a toad when they are with me I run around it waving my hands in the air and screaming. The dogs panic, they know something is very wrong and they associate that feeling with cane toads. Ive watched them now when they see one in the garden they stay well clear, they dont know why they should be scared but I think they figure if I am there must be a damn good reason LOL
> sidenote - yes the neighbours think im crazy.



If i do something silly like that with my boy he wants to fight what ever i'm scared of lol. 

He seems pretty indifferent about them now, i have thousands in my yard (one of the worst things about living on a floodplain) he just ignores them.


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## byron_moses (Sep 2, 2010)

teach him how t use a 9 iron lol


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## Choco (Sep 2, 2010)

As mentioned cloths combined with a hose/tap (not full blast) are good as the toxin is sticky.
For those who's dogs keep licking them...
The toxin is likened to heroin for dogs. They can get addicted and want to keep going back for more whenever they see one as the high/rush they experience from a mild case of intoxification is new and exciting/unusual for them.



byron_moses said:


> teach him how t use a 9 iron lol



Depends how far away the fence is. I tried a 9 iron first time but the momentum of the swing causes combined with the loft of the club causes them to stick to the club face and it landed behind me. Then pulled out the 3 iron...good contact then 'smack'... it hit the fence...not enough loft.
6 iron is perfect for about 7m or more.


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## byron_moses (Sep 2, 2010)

lol this is true better go a 6


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## Asharee133 (Sep 2, 2010)

would an 11iron work? i got one of them


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## byron_moses (Sep 2, 2010)

an 11? that must be an old club if its not it will prob go straight up and land on u


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## Asharee133 (Sep 2, 2010)

its about 60 years old lol, damn. could try a driver?


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## byron_moses (Sep 2, 2010)

lol yeah as long as u kill it your using the right club


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## Asharee133 (Sep 2, 2010)

:lol:


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## ezekiel86 (Sep 2, 2010)

keep an eye on him but have you seen the show "sanchez gets high"  looking for the perfect natural high 
In the Aussie episode they do lots of crazy stuff like in everyshow but they have about 30 licks each of real big Cane toads and it actually works..they didnt get sick or side effects just are totaly off their heads...so your dog is prob have a blast 
I love dogs and all animals but i have herd of this b4 and the dogs have been fine ..not got sick or anything ..just woke up the next day like nothing has happend! 
hope all is fine


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## Laghairt (Sep 2, 2010)

Not many people need to worry about poison proofing a dog. But if you happen to be someone who is being stalked, or if you engage in a profession where people may try and hurt you or your family, then its not a bad idea to consider doing this. Even if its just to insure that no one will kill your pet.

The KNPV (Royal Dutch Police Dog) sport has food refusal as an exercise. In this exercise the dog is put in a down position and the helper comes up and tosses food to the dog - who is suppose to ignore it. Food is also left on the ground around the jumps and the dogs also ignore this. It takes less training to do this type of refusal than it does to poison proof a family pet or personal protection dog.

Dogs can learn that the only place they accept food is out of their own food bowl. If that food bowl is not left in an outside dog run they should not eat any food left in a run or a back yard.

The initial concept is the same. Food is left in the front or back yard in a dog bowl. The dog is walked on leash. Get down wind of the food bowl and watch for when the dog gets odor. As he approaches the bowl give a firm "NO", if need be give a leash correction. The level of correction or tone of the voice needs to be firm and not MEAN. We don't want to kill the temperament of our dog here.

It's also important to vary the type of treats and the location. Use table scraps, steak bones anything you can think of. You want to include food dipped in anti-freeze (allowing dogs to drink anti freeze is a common way to kill a dog - its a terrible death). A strong word of caution here, when you use the anti freeze it is absolutely critical that you pick up every piece of food that was dipped in it after you are done training. If you forget a piece you run the risk of poisoning a neighbors pet that comes along and eats the food.. The purpose for using it in training is to teach the dog that this is a scent that they are supposed to stay away from.

This work in the yard can go on for several days. We can put several bowls of food out around the yard or even down the block where we are going to take a walk. The dog is never off leash during this training. If a prong collar is needed then use it. As the dog gains experience we want to see him make a definite decision to leave the bowl alone. When we see this - its always followed by a lot of praise. I would not give a food reward for proper behavior. A key here is for the handler to develop some skill at having enough patience to allow the dog to acquire odor and have enough time to make up his mind to leave the food alone. So there is a fine line between giving a correction and allowing the dog to show you that he is learning and will walk away on his own.

When we see the dog leaving the bowls of food, its time to eliminate the bowl and just leave food in the yard or on the street. You will find that this step is going to require additional training. Again, its done on leash. The dog should pick it up pretty fast. You should be able to test the dog in your yard, while on a walk, down in the park - actually everywhere you normally take the dog. It is not a difficult concept that the only place he eats is at home in the house or in his pen (although if someone is bent on killing your dog you will have to take this into consideration).

When a dog is doing a good job of ignoring the food tossed in the yard then its time to start your proofing. Here you should use an electric collar. Here the dog can be allowed to be off leash. Initially you can be in the yard with the dog. If it goes near the food and you feel he is going to go to it - give the dog stimulation - without any verbal command. We are doing 2 things here, eliminating the leash and eliminating the voice command "NO" (you will not always be in a position to warn your dog to not take food so its going to have to learn to not do this on his own.) After the stimulation you can praise the dog when he moves back away from the meat.

It should take very little work at this level of training for the dog to be reminded that its not suppose to be going near this temptation. When you are comfortable, then its time to let the dog out on his own and you stay in the house. Make sure the collar is going to work from where you are hiding (have someone take the collar out and put the test light on it so you are 100% sure that the dog will be stimulated at the proper time.)

If by chance your timing is off or something happens and a dog gets a piece of meat before you can stop him, then you need to back up your training. By this I mean, put him back on leash, put a prong collar on him and put a really tasty piece of meat out in the exact same spot he snared one on you. This time when he even acts like he wants to make a move on the meat he gets a level 10 correction.

When I have a dog that will leave food left in the yard I will start to work with the dog being outside on a tie out and having a stranger come up and toss food to him (similar to what is done in the KNPV).

When a dog will leave food that is tossed to him while he is tied out, then its time to allow him to be loose in his yard or kennel and have meat tossed over the fence when you are not outside with him. Again, he will have the collar on and we will stimulate him if need be.

You can modify this training for toads.


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