Lisa Mavin never imagined the family’s French Bulldog, Rose, would die from cane toad poisoning in their Metford backyard.
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But that’s exactly what happened on Monday.
It was the second cane toad to have been sighted in the residential suburb in the past week.
Both are now dead. One was found dead next to Rose. The other was dropped into Greenhills Veterinary Clinic a few days before and euthanased.
A NSW Department of Primary Industries’ laboratory will run tests on the toads to determine their sex and type.
We can’t be sure there isn’t more around here, we won’t let our other dog outside by himself now,
- Mrs Mavin said.
“It’s devastating, we didn’t have a chance to save her, you could accept if it was a snake bite – it’s been hot, but a cane toad that’s hard to comprehend.
“She was so tiny she didn’t stand a chance. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one in my life.”
The Mavin’s want to raise awareness so this does not happen again.
“If we can stop another child from crying themselves to sleep because their pet has died then that will be something,” she said.
It would have had to come through other backyards to get to ours, we are in the middle of houses.
Mrs Mavin’s husband found Rose dead in the backyard with the cane toad dead beside her.
A vet confirmed it was a cane toad, and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Hunter Local Land Services have been informed.
Greenhills Veterinary Clinic veterinarian Findy Wills said symptoms of cane toad poisoning included excessive drooling, shaking, muscle tremors, seizures and heart arrhythmia.
“It ranges from a mild to severe spectrum. When a dog licks or picks up a cane toad, without ingesting it, they will generally start showing excessive drooling.
“If you have a short nosed dog like a pug or a French Bulldog, have an increased risk of developing complications as a result of the drool because they have airway issues already.”
So what can veterinary treatment do for this type of poisoning?
“We give supportive care treatment until the toxins pass, we try to flush out all the poisons so the animal is likely put on fluids. When they have muscle tremors we give them muscle relaxants and sedatives so it stops it from having a negative effect … We give the appropriate treatment depending on the symptoms.
Dr Wills noted cane toad poisoning cases in this area were rare.
If you see a cane toad near your dog, call your dog back and alert DPI. If you see these symptoms take your dog to the vet, you never know which one has ingested a bit too much and it escalates to seizures and arrhythmia,
- Dr Wills said.
Belinda-Jane Davis
Passionate about community news
Passionate about community news
