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Tis the mating season for toads — the ubiquitous Bufo Marinus that seems to be
everywhere this time of year. My neighbor’s dog snatched one last night and
nearly died. Thankfully, another neighbor had a syringe of Atropine on hand,
which is what saved the dog’s life! Bufo venom can kill your dog in less than
ten minutes!if your dog comes in contact with a Bufo, you must act QUICKLY and NOT PANIC!!!
If you panic, you will lose valuable minutes. Rinse the dog’s mouth out with a
garden hose, making sure the dog’s head is down and you are not spraying water
down its throat. you can also rinse the dog’s mouth with RAW MILK. Try to get
the venom off its gums, which will be a bright red. The dog will experience
heart arrythmias, seizures, vomiting, and if you don’t act quickly enough —
death. It’s best to have a pre-filled syringe with Atropine. You can get this at
any vet’s office. It’s injected IM and it will save your pet’s life IF you act
quickly enough and do all the right things. My neighbor’s dog seems to be fine
this morning. Although we had to tranquilize the dog after it’s lengthy seizure
because dogs suffer from some kind of akathisia where they HAVE to move after
these seizures. Keep your pet safe by putting him in a closed room. Put some
honey on their tongue — seizures will cause a drop in blood sugar. Then wait it
out. It can take several hours for the dog to calm down. This is a horrible
experience, both for the pet owner and the pet, but remaining CALM is the most
important thing to do. Found a Vet in San Ramon who was open today, so i
bought a vial of atropine and some syringes and filled them for my neighbors,
and gave them dosing instructions. it was a terrible thing to witness, so i
guess it’s best to be prepared.I have heard of problems with this toad and family pets but had no idea it was this bad. We are still in the States but are awaiting the finishing of our condo and this info is very valuable. Thank you so much for posting this info. It will save someone’s pet.
one of my other neighbors lost her Bichon this way — took less than 7 minutes for the dog to die a horrible death. thankfully, my dog doesn’t have much interest in them, but just to be on the safe side, i go out with him at night to make sure there aren’t any bufos lurking. as the rainy season approaches they will be out in full force. nasty buggers they are. and BIG, too. make sure your drains are covered — they love to hide in there and i know someone who had one stuck in a drain pipe near the house and the thing died and rotted. ugh and yes, they are the biggest threat to our pets. i paid about $8.00 for a vial of atropine, so it’s worth the money to have it on hand with a syringe that can be filled quickly, or have it pre-filled if you are the type who can’t function under stress!!! and this WILL be stressful!
[quote=”maravilla”]one of my other neighbors lost her Bichon this way — took less than 7 minutes for the dog to die a horrible death. thankfully, my dog doesn’t have much interest in them, but just to be on the safe side, i go out with him at night to make sure there aren’t any bufos lurking. as the rainy season approaches they will be out in full force. nasty buggers they are. and BIG, too. make sure your drains are covered — they love to hide in there and i know someone who had one stuck in a drain pipe near the house and the thing died and rotted. ugh and yes, they are the biggest threat to our pets. i paid about $8.00 for a vial of atropine, so it’s worth the money to have it on hand with a syringe that can be filled quickly, or have it pre-filled if you are the type who can’t function under stress!!! and this WILL be stressful![/quote]
What is the correct dose of Atropine?the typical dose for atropine is 0.25 cc per 10 kilos. it’s not very much, and too much atropine can also kill your dog, so proper dosage is important. the first shot should be IM, in the leg or muscles in the back. if a second shot is needed that is given subcutaneous. this is according to Dr. Randall Villalobos in San Ramon.
Terrifically helpful information Maravilla – thanks for sharing …
I lost my beloved Australian terrier to ‘something’ a couple of years back and we’re assuming it was a run-in with this toad…
Scott
oh, that is a cute dog, and it just might have been a toad and for a little guy like that, it would’ve been a deadly run-in. a lot of people have downplayed the dangers of these things, but after i saw my neighbor’s dog in the throes of convulsions for more than two hours, it was pretty hard to even think that the dog would survive at all. i’m now armed with syringes and a vial of the stuff, so at least i’m prepared if my cattle dog gets too close. oh, and these little buggers can shoot venom 2 meters! and they can poison a water bowl or food bowl if they get into them, so it’s a good idea NOT to leave these things outside.
I understand these can be unpleasant for humans to step on barefooted.
It is common to see Gringos going barefooted in Costa Rica but rare to see Ticos do so. Most wear their rubber boots any time they walk where there might be grass or other growth for snakes and such to hide in.
I was one of those Gringos and had not thought about it until I kicked a Bufo just outside my door one night. No problem, but it could have been a snake OR could have stepped full onto the toad. Frogs of all types are attracted to human habitat in the country. Light escaping through cracks attract insects and thus the frogs and toads. . AND the things that eat them. . . Same for concrete sidewalks and tile floors warmed by the sun during day.
In the U.S. I’ve walked many miles at night barefoot through grass and what not many times. But we have few venomous snakes compared to Costa Rica (depending on where you are in both).
It is always wise to follow local custom in these matters. There is a reason for them.
Barefoot in Costa Rica? i’d sooner put my face in hot oil. besides snakes and bufos, there are bullet ants and hookworms that enter through the skin on the bottom of your feet. this is the tropics. all kinds of evil lurks in the grasses here.
Agreed! Walking barefoot in Costa Rica anywhere apart from a clean sandy beach or in your own home is not prudent.
There are just too many dangerous parasites anywhere in the tropics which can cause health problems.
[ http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/worms/index.shtml ]
[ http://www.who.int/wormcontrol/statistics/faqs/en/index1.html ]
[ http://www.allaboutworms.com/how-do-you-get-hookworms ]Having grown up in West Africa, I’m happy to say we don’t have the same amount of serious risks in Costa Rica that they do but, we should still be careful..
Scott
i stepped on a bullet ant once — it was the most painful experience i have ever had. so after that, i always wore shoes if i left my terrace. then my neighbor alerted me about the hookworms. ugh and sometimes even on sandy beaches there is a threat — i found that out when i was in Brazil and a local told me how stupid everyone was for going barefoot on the beach when there was a particular type of worm you could get that went to your heart. who knew? Ipanema looks so gorgeous!
I’m bringing my new puppy down with me in a week to live in Playa Conchal. I’m VERY nervous about Bufos, and the bigger problem is, how does one recognize one? In my last place in Tamarindo there were Toads that hung out in my swimming pool at night – but I have no idea what variety they were. I’ve looked at Google Images of Bufos and see everything under the sun. Is it best to just assume ALL Toads are bad news?
Also, does anyone have any training tips to discourage dogs from going after Toads?
they are big, fat, and ugly. if you google them under images you will see what they look like. i would assume that all toads are dangerous unless you can specifically identify them. i wouldn{t let your dog out by itself at night, but rather put it on a leash when you take it outside. just to be safe.
If you would like to look up images of the toad that you need to worry about, look up “Bufo marinus”.
“Bufo” alone is the genus, and will attach itself to many species of toads.One of my dogs here in Playa Conchal got a hold of one. I guess I was lucky and found him early enough. He was lying down, foaming at the mouth, so i grabbed the hose and flushed his mouth for a couple minutes. It worked. Now, when I let my dogs out at night and there is one (or sometimes more than one) on the porch they just run past and don’t even pay any attention to them.
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