FROGS IN TEXAS! - Page 1

Hi my name is Esty and I live in Temple Texas which is in central Texas between Austin and Waco.  Just yesterday we had an experience w/ our 2 yr. old male lab and he ALMOST DIED!  Our vet met us at his clinic and determined that possibly he had eaten a frog.  If they just lick some kinds of them they froth at the mouth but if they eat and swallow the kind that is toxic not poisonous....they become very agitated freaked out panting running around cant sit still panting heart racing.  It was horrible and he was in intensive care all night .  we got to pick him up today but he is still a little weird acting.  We are just glad we took him to the vet.  So and I love frogs but believe me they can kill your dog.  Esty in Texas

I never had a problem with true frogs, but true toads are a different matter. Often we call them all "frogs" therefore the confusion. True frogs are not a threat to dogs, generally-speaking. But they often contain parasites and are covered with bacteria that will make a dog sick.

Practically all dogs will have a reaction to true toads because a toad has two (2) large poison sacs just over its shoulders. This reaction is usually displayed by serious frothing at the month, coughing, sneezing, and vomiting. Most toads cause this type of reaction, and dog is usually fine if its mouth is quickly rinsed with clean water.

Certain species of toad known as the Colorado River toad (southwestern U.S.A.) and the Bufo toad (Florida mainland) are highly poisonous and very toxic to dogs. Contact with these animals requires immediate flushing of the mouth and a trip to an emergency veterinarian. A dog who bites or licks one of these animals can die quickly if it is not treated.

I lived in northwest Arkansas for several years and we had small black toads that caused problems. I have an older working-line female who would destroy my rock fences looking for them and other small reptiles - basically she would chase anything that moved and would even move large stones to catch it. There were several occassions where she bit one of these toads and I immediately had to rinse her mouth. She never learned from these experiences - just like she never learned that raccoons, large bull squirrels, small wildcats, and skunks should be left alone.

I am again in Tennesse where the only nuisance animal is the occassional skunk. The toads here are the larger brown variety commonly called a "garden toad". They are not highly toxic, and the dogs do not seem interested in them. I think your dog encountered a poisonous toad (they are all poisonous) rather than a frog. But, we seldom discuss things on here that are seemingly harmless, yet highly toxic to a dogs. So, thumb's up to a good thread.

Best Regards,
Bob-O

Thanks  Bob for your knowledge.  I don't know what kind of frog or toad.....the ones in my backyard are small ones about bite size for a 90 lb lab.  Man I just wanted people to know that this happened.  I of course didn't see him eat it or even know that they were so toxic .But they are.  He is still not right.  Tomorrow I'm going out there if it stops raining and go frog picking and move them to the front yard where our dogs don't go out to unless we are with them.!:) Thanks again for responding

Ronnie your comment is about as tacky as your picture.  Not funny when your pet is in such serious condition.
Please make your jokes some other way.  Thank You.  Esty

Your dog will only eat a toad once, most don't go that far.   They have a defense mechanism in their skin.
But they also eat their weight in bugs so I would just leave them alone if I were you.

Not that long ago there was a fad of scraping juice off the hides of a certain variety of toad, drying it, and using the residue as a hallucinogenic. Your dog was high as a kite! I think it's actually illegal for humans to lick toads in some states. Sad but true! I think dogs can get away with it, though. No disrespect to the sick dog intended.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoactive_toad

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,311715,00.html 

I lived with two Border Terriers for 9 years, not my choice of dog, but my husband's.  They feared little.  The male, all of 17 lbs. tried to attack two Rotties once, not real smart but very game.  There were only two things they would avoid at all cost, snakes and toads!  The only time they went near a snake, my GSD cornered one near the house and when he was keeping the head busy, they tried to help from the tail end, but would never have attempted had they not had him as reinforcement.  I removed the snake and put him in the woods so he could slither away.  They normally attacked anything that moved, but put a snake or toad in their path and they would back away.  Maybe they were smarter than I ever gave them credit for!  Good post, thanks for sharing your experience.

Wow, I don't think the New England toads are that poison to dogs, only because this is news to me. I'll keep this info handy in my head though, just incase. Best wishes for your dogs speedy recovery, the poor thing!

A few years back, I lived in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and volunteered at a dog rescue. Frogs were a major problem there! They were huge, poisonous and loved to eat the dog food, which posed pretty ugly problems for the rescue. Now I've lived in the boon docks of Alabama and Mississippi for extended periods during my life, but I have to say that I was afraid of those frogs. They were HUGE and had no fear of anything! Anyway, I guess the point of this ramble is to say that I have heard of this problem, but did not know that it was an issue outside of lower FL. I'm sorry that you had to learn of it the hard way. I hope your dog recovers fully!

T