frogs and dogs - Page 1

Good Morning all, my question is regarding frogs and dogs. I live in Texas near the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and I have been noticing frogs (young ones) in my back yard and sometimes in the front yard. Does anyone know if frogs can be exterminated or what I might be able to do to get rid of the frogs. I have been told by a friend and trainer of mine that frogs are toxic to dogs, even if all they do is play and lick them. They are mostly out at nite, so I have to watch my pup when he is outside, since he is the one that is facinated by them. I used to have a huge bull frog that resided in my back yard a couple of years ago and after several attempts to rehome him he finally stayed away. Now I have all these young ones. What kind of symptoms will the dogs have if they do come in contact with a frog, other than of course the obvious one. Please help with any suggestions.

Respectfully,

Debbie

To the best of my knowledge, the only amphibian in North America with enough poison in its skin to seriously harm a dog is the cane toad. South American arrow frogs and poison dart frogs are all brightly coloured as a warning to other animals that they are poisonous.and they aren't found here (non-native, wouldn't be able to survive in our climate.)

The cane toad was imported to help control rodents in the cane fields, and gradually spread to Texas. Symptoms of cane toad poisoning are usually nausea, vomiting, weakness, trembling, incoordination and paralysis. See this linke for details: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29568.asp

I have an e-friend in Texas who is very knowledgeable about native wildlife. I'll ask her about the frogs to make sure, but I am fairly certain you have nothing to worry about.

The only sure way to get rid of frogs is to stop them from breeding. Drain stagnant water and the pools in which they breed. Eliminate their habitat (moisty, shady areas.) Frogs MUST keep their skins moist, or they will die. Toads are more tolerant, but they, too need water to lay their eggs and raise their young.

There are some frogs that can be toxic, but I don't live in Texas to tell you if you have any or not. I have lot's of frogs here in Michigan, and none of my dog's have come down with anything. You could ask your vet or someone that specifically deals with amphibians to find out for sure.

Okay, as I suspected, but couldn't say for sure, as I'm not familiar with Texas...and her advice on getting rid of them is the same as mine:

Frogs aren't poisonous to dogs in this country.  The most likely frogs
where she is are leopard frogs and bullfrogs, both quite edible and
harmless (though noisy!)

Many toads make a dog foam at the mouth and they taste bad, so the dog
doesn't eat them.

The Giant Toad, _Bufo marinus_ *is* toxic enough that one bite can kill
a cat or small/medium dog (dunno about big ones) and though it should
not be in the DFW area, I couldn't swear to it--its range should be
limited to extreme south Texas and south Florida.

Frogs are safe; most toads spend their time eating
insects and only make dogs foam at the mouth and try to spit out the
taste.  If she doesn't want any toads or frogs around, she must get rid
of habitat--no water garden, no damp places, no overturned flowerpots, etc. 

There are frogs in the desert southwest called Colorado River Frogs that are quite toxic. Even a lick can cause enough stomach distress to kill a dog. It is not uncommon in AZ in monsoon season and every year there are a lot of deaths from it. There is a vaccine for it which is questionable and they also have avoidance classes (like rattlesnake avoidance classes) in most areas.

Go to the Texas fish and wildlife website. It should have some information for you about whether these are in your area.

Dawgs

we live in the northeast (NJ) and have lots of frogs in the summer. the dogs have never bothered them. toads and frogs must not taste good because no dog ever tried to eat one.

why would you want to get rid of frogs? they catch lots of mosquitos and other bugs.

Make sure they're not bufo toads.  They are deadly.  We have lots of them down here and dogs have died from licking them.

Hellsbeast-better safe than sorry about the frogs/toads. Regardless of what some may say there are poisonous frogs/toads in the US.

If you do have these and your dog happens to get into them; first thing to do is to take a water hose to their  mouth spray back and to the side (to avoid drowning the dog). Then get them to the vet ASAP. Like Policemom says on lick can kill.

Dawgs

Dawgs, I am a biologist by training, specializing in aquatic ecology. I also taught pond study at an outdoor ed school for a number of years, as well a high school biology. I KNOW my stuff!  Unless you've got a S. American arrow frog someone's imported, N. American frogs are HARMLESS.

I  googled the Colorado River frog, and found ONE reference to it, a stock photograph by a professional photographer. The other references were to the Colorado River TOAD,  Bufo alvarius. The picture of the 'frog' was obviously of this toad,, which is hallucinogenic, and is actually being bred in captivity by people who use its parotid gland secretions to get high. I can't imagine wanting to smoke something like that to get high,  but, to each his own... 

This toad is not very common, and is found only in the Sonoran desert, and Arizona south to Mexico.

There's a lot of crap out there about reptiles and amphibians, because people are scared of them, and still believe old myths, like you can get warts from handling a toad. Educating yourself is the best way to protect yourself and your dog.

And if your dog DOES get hold of a toad (the common ones will just make them foam at the mouth) be damn careful when you stick that hose in its mouth. I think drowning your poor dog is a much greater risk than it dying from mouthing the toad! Both the cane toad and the Colorado river toad are found ONLY in the extreme southern part of the States, and both are BIG. The cane toad is often called the giant toad, and the Colorado toad can get up to 7" long.

Heres some photos and information:

http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/coloradorivertoad.htm

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29568.asp

BTW, all true toads are Bufo toads. That's the scientific genus they belong to.  The cane toad is Bufo marinus.  If it lives in your area, yes, you need to worry. It can kill a small dog pretty quickly.  But like I said, they are only in Florida, Hawaii and certain parts of Texas.

Spray BACK? Towards the back of the mouth? I'm guessing you meant to say spray  forward,  in other words, stick the hose in the side of the mouth and point it towards the front. Last thing you want to do is wash the secretions down the throat!