WITH peak breeding season bringing cane toads out in their numbers, animal experts are urging pet owners to keep an eye on their furry friends.
According to the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, cane toad breeding season reaches its peak in January.
Toad season went viral when an image of ten cane toads hitching a ride on a python in Western Australia was shared thousands of times across social media on December 30.
Increased toad numbers have also been reported by Redlands residents in areas including Capalaba and Stradbroke Island.
Dr Vanessa Grose from the Animal Emergency Service said warm, wet weather made for ideal cane toad conditions.
Unfortunately for pets, she added, toads posed a serious risk for curious dogs and cats who approached them.
“Especially after the rains we’ll see a surge in patients affected by toads,” she said.
“There’s some degree of curiosity (of pets towards toads) and dogs have also got that innate predatory response.
“They’ll see something jumping and running and they want to chase after it and play with it.”
Dr Grose said toxins released by glands on the toads’ shoulders were harmful to pets, with symptoms varying depending on the amount of toxin the pet had been exposed to.
“If they’ve had a minimal amount of toxin, we might only see some disorientation and wobbliness, and maybe a vomit, but if they start to absorb more toxin then they’ll have muscle tremors and seizures, and they can even die if they have too much,” she said.
“We see high numbers of low to medium severity cases, and then maybe 20 to 30 per cent of cases will be severe.”
Symptoms of toxin exposure also included dilation of pupils, increased drooling or foaming at the mouth and pawing at the mouth.
If a pet was affected by the toxin, Dr Grose suggested rubbing their gums with a damp towel or rag to rid the mouth of some of the poison.
“Your first action would be to try to decontaminate that toxin from your pet as much as possible, and most of the time it’s in the mouth,” she said.
“The toxin is really sticky and irritant and it sticks to the gums, so you want to get a soft cloth and some clean water and wipe the gums right at the back corners of the mouth.”
“We recommend doing that for a minimum of ten minutes, no matter what your pet is doing.”
Dr Grose advised that pet owners should not use a hose to clean out their pet’s mouth.
“There’s the risk of getting the water down into their airways,” she said.
“Also don’t put anything in their mouth other than water. No chemicals can help get rid of the toxin any better than water can.”
Dead toads also posed a significant risk to pets, she added, with the smell often attracting dogs.
“They can be affected [by toxins from dead toads], but what we see more commonly with dead toads is gastro and cardiac side effects,” she said.
Dr Grose said the easiest way to avoid pets being exposed to the toxins was to keep them inside at night and only let them out under supervision.
Cane toads are not listed as pests in Queensland, but are regarded as undesirable.
The RSPCA provides information on how to control cane toads.
