Just wanted to share what happened last night.. I let Max out for 5 minutes for a wee at 3AM this morning and he must have eaten or gotten a hold on a toad. He was frothing from the mouth and vomitting more froth and went downhill very quickly . He had his mouth washed out numerous times. After just a few minutes of being inside, his jaw clenched up, his whole body went stiff and he just collapsed onto the floor. I put him in his bed and he just looked so ill i thought he was going to die. He was unresponsive, his eyes vacant and he didn't even have the strength to lift his head. I could not stop crying because i thought i was going to lose him. The whole time this was happening my mum had the after-hours vet on the phone and she explained to us that all the symptoms seemed to be toad poison and told us that although it was a quick acting poison it was not long lasting. Not long after, while the vet was still on the phone, he seemed to pick up gradually. He got out of his bed and slowly walked over and laid down on the floor in the corner. He then had a little sleep and when he woke he was a little better.. walking around, lifting his head and being responsive. By morning after scaring everyone he was back to his normal self, thank God.
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night What a fright that must have been! Poor you, poor boy. I'm so glad it turned out ok. And thanks for posting, another unusual thing we all now know about.
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Oh my god what a fright! Sooo lucky everything is back to normal now !!!!
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Oh my So glad it was only short acting and that he is ok now
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Oh my god, I'd have been terrified! How horrific. SO glad he's ok today. Give him lots of extra big hugs today x
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Oh dear that's awful!!! So happy it ended ok. Are you in the UK? I've never heard of toad poison like that...
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Good heavens! What a scary experience! I'm so glad it all worked out. I've never heard of toad poisoning either so thank you for letting us know the risks. I hope you're all doing well today
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night I think Tahlia & Max are in Australia? Land of very scary wildlife...
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night That would make sense Julie. I don't think our common toads are actually poisonous.. I know they have a nasty-tasting secretion, which makes them pretty unpalatable to dogs (good thing too!), but I've never heard of a reaction like poor Max's.
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night That's so scary poor max and poor you. Thank goodness it wore off so quick and no lasting effects. Take care
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Thankyou everyone for your kind words . We are all so relieved and so extremely happy that Max is okay!! Yes we are in Australia. The vet says it is very common to have mild reactions like the frothing of the mouth but Max's reaction was a bit more severe as he had stiff muscles and disorientation. The toad i'm talking of is a cane toad and where i live they are always around! From Wikipedia it says: Behind their ears lie the parotid glands, which usually causes their head to appear swollen. These glands are used for defense against predators. The parotid gland produces milky toxic secretion or poison that is dangerous to many species. This poison primarily affects the functioning of the heart. Intoxication is painful, but is usually not fatal for humans. Here is a page that has lots of information about cane toad poisoning: http://www.greencrossvet.com.au/Pet_Care_Information/Article-258/Cane-Toad-Poisoning-.aspx
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Photos of Max feeling much better today http://s1368.photobucket.com/user/tahliaandmax/slideshow/071114
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Beautiful pictures - I love the blur of the waggy tail! Oh, it would have been beyond devastating to lose such a sweetie. SO glad we don't have to worry about those particular critters here.
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Poor Max that was an extremely stressful experience but relieved he is okay today, he is gorgeous xx
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night So glad Max is OK. Must have been a very scary experience for all of you. Jan
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Oh goodness,what a fright ,I'm so pleased he came round quickly and I hope he's himself today Best wishes Angela
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night oh, my goodness! how terrifying!!! bless him, and bless you too for that fright.... extra treats and love for him today. i'm so happy all worked out well and really, who would have thought?! we have toads here too (in virginia, southeastern US)... but i don't think any of them are quite so impactful... i will have to ask google and find out.... most of ours are wee little things, or tree frogs, in this area (lots of woods and swamps). so happy max is okay! sending much puppy love his way from us both. xoxo
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night What a panic So glad all turned out okay.....I can understand how upset you were. You must be so relieved x
Re: Max, the toad & a very stressful, scary night Thank you everyone xxx It was definitely a huge fright. So thankful that he is back to his happy, playful self. He definitely got lots of love yesterday.
