Toad poisoning in three dogs: case reports

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Toad poisoning is frequent in dogs, but has been infrequently addressed in published case reports and review articles. Dogs can be poisoned when they bite a toad or otherwise ingest the venom. The venom effects manifest soon after the accident, since the toxin is rapidly absorbed by the mucous membrane of the digestive system. Hospital records of three dogs, diagnosed with toad poisoning, were retrospectively reviewed from January 2005 to July 2007. Poisoned dogs may present only local irritation or systemic signs in the gastrointestinal, cardiac and neurological systems. All three cases presented herein had clinical signs of gastrointestinal alterations including vomiting, sialorrhea and diarrhea. Two dogs developed abnormal cardiac rhythm and two exhibited neurological signs. A poisoned animal requires emergency care and symptomatic therapy with intense monitoring of its clinical parameters. Although there have been reports on the low mortality of dogs poisoned by toads, one animal died even after appropriate therapy. The severity of clinical signs and the risk of death must be considered by the veterinarian.KEY WORDS: veterinary emergency, poisoning, toad venom, bufotoxin, Bufo sp., dog.

Knowledge and interactions of the local community with the herpetofauna in the forest reserve of Quininí (Tibacuy, Cundinamarca)

“…Although information on the effect of bufotoxins on human health is scarce [53,54], there are extensive records of intoxication in dogs [55–58], and wild vertebrates [59–61]. This is a problem especially widespread in countries in which this species has been introduced, sometimes causing the death of the animals involved [56,58]. However, it is more common to find that toads are avoided due to their physical appearance, which, added to the lack of knowledge about their biology, results in the association of these animals with areas of debris and dirt.…”

A Fatal Case of Toad (Buffo Melanostictus) Intoxication in a German Shepherd Dog and Review of Literature

“…Several factors including toad's specie, victim's age and body weight, habitat, concurrent disease and exposure time are incriminated to forecast the clinical outcome (Sakate, 2001;Barbosa et al, 2009;Camplesi et al, 2010). Smaller patients are often presented with sever clinical signs of toxicosis.…”

“…In severe cases, in addition to the abovementioned signs, abdominal pain, diarrhea, pokerfaced pupils, cyanosis, seizures, pulmonary edema, nystagmus, opisthotonus and death might take place within 15 minutes (McFarland, 1999;Reeves, 2004). Electrocardiographic changes associated with Bufo toxicosis comprise ongoing deterioration of typical pattern with progressive negative ventricular deflections and ventricular rhythm along with negative and deep QRS complexes (Barbosa et al, 2009). In some cases progressive muscular paralysis, excessive vocalization and blindness has also been documented (Sakate, 2002).…”

“…Fluid therapy should be a part of treatment regime to aid in cardiovascular support (Eubig, 2001;Gwaltney-Brand et al, 2007). The use of atropine to control hypersalivation and lung secretions is controversial since it reduces the elimination of the poison through saliva (Barbosa et al, 2009). Therefore, in the present study atropine was not administered.…”

“…especially B. marinus, B. blombergi, B. alvarius and B. regularis has already been documented (Eubig, 2001;Barbosa et al, 2009), nevertheless, the subject case study is a solitary report documenting the severe toxicosis in a dog following exposure to B.melanostictus which needs to be further investigated.…”