A reminder from The Humane Society of Southern Arizona:

Summer rains bring out Colorado River toads (also known as Sonoran Desert toads). The toads are large with a flat, broad head and leathery skin sparsely covered with pale orange warts. They vary in color from dark brown to olive or grayish green. They also have round white warts at the corners of the mouth and large, granular glands covering the neck and limbs. Colorado River toads secrete a sticky, milky-white, neurotoxin and cardiotoxin from their skin that can be lethal. Signs that your pet may have had contact with these toads include:

  • severe irritation to eyes and nose, dilated pupils
  • extremely dark pink or red gums
  • foaming at the mouth or excessive drooling
  • staggering or a “sawhorse” type stance
  • paralysis, seizures and even death

Heart irregularities often develop and can result in death in less than 30 minutes after contact. If your pet has had contact with these toads and exhibit any of these symptoms, carefully flush their mouth with water in an outward direction so they do not swallow the toxin and seek immediate veterinary care.

Additional tips include:

  • Keep cats indoors; keep dogs on leashes and closely supervised during walks
  • Ensure that pets have the protection of walls or fences in their yard, access to a safe structure such as a doghouse or pet door, and plentiful shade and fresh water
  • Keep pet water bowls up off the ground to prevent toads from getting in
  • Enroll your dog in toad avoidance training

For more information on these and other animal care issues, call 327-6088; visit the Humane Society of Southern Arizona at 3450 North Kelvin Boulevard, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week; or visit the HSSA Web site at http://www.hssaz.org.

This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2007.

9 replies on “Keep Your Pets Away From Toads”

  2. If you live anywhere near the foothills, keep all cats and small dogs inside.

    Friends of mine have had their kitties carried away by hawks, or eaten by coyotes. There’s no point in having an outdoor cat if that’s the risk.

  3. Red Star,

    The trainer at the Humane Society says the following:

    Colorado River Toads are toxic to humans. The poison is in ducts above their eyes and is quite dangerous if it gets into orifices. Dogs are particularly in danger because they are likely to grab the toad with their mouth.

    We already had the Toad Avoidance classes we planned on offering this year. If people are interested, they should contact Jay Smith at dogs@theriver.com.

  4. Toad Avoidance class = good.

    Now if only we could enroll more humans in a Warts Avoidance class.

  5. Messina: Good follow up! Frog, toad, frog, toad it all gets to be such a blur for poor Red Star as he thinks back over all the poor maidens over the all the years past. Main thing at this point is educate the parental units to educate dem kids as they get into EVERYTHING these times of summer storms and uproar.

  6. Summer rains bring out Colorado River Dogs (also known as Sonoran Desert dogs). The dogs are large with a rounded, pointy head and a thick coat sparsely covered with dark brown furriness. They vary in color from dark brown to medium brown or grayish brown. They also have mouth-corners at the corners of the mouth and a large, neck-and-limb like area covering the neck and limbs. Colorado River dogs secrete a sticky, translucent, saliva called “slobber” from their mouths that can be annoying. Signs that your pet toad may have had contact with these dogss include:

    • severe irritation to eyes and nose, dilated pupils
    • difficulty in unfurling the tongue when a fly goes by
    • extremely dark pink, crimson, periwinkle or fuchsia gums
    • foaming at the mouth, excessive drooling, or chop-licking
    • staggering or a “sawtoad” type stance, especially when drunk
    • paralysis, seizures and even death (not to be confused with an odd or imbalanced death)

    Heartwarming irregularities often develop and can result in a love-tastrophe in less than 30 lovable minutes after romantic princeses get all kissy. If your pet toad has had contact with these dogs (the animals, not the princesses) and exhibit any of these symptoms, carefully flush their mouth with Starbucks iced mocha frappucinos in an outward direction so they do not swallow the fattening creamy goodness and seek immediate veterinary care including massage therapy for the spunky critter.

    Additional tips include:

    • Keep salamanders indoors; keep frogs on leashes and closely supervised during hops
    • Ensure that pet toads have the protection of walls or fences or Kevin Costner in their yard, access to a safe structure such as a Panic Room or hardwood toad stool, and plentiful misters and oscillating fans and a cooler fool of frosty drinks
    • Keep pet-toad water bowls near a pile of rolled-up newspapers to prevent dogs from getting in
    • Enroll your toad in dog avoidance training
    • For more information on these and other animal care issues, call 327-6088; visit the Humane Society of Southern Arizona at 3450 North Kelvin Boulevard, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week; or visit the HSSA Web site at http://www.hssaz.org.

  8. We need to stop blaming our pet problems on the toads, hawks and homeless people that make our desert landscape beautiful. The real problem, folks, are METER MAIDS!

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