Autor: Martin Müller

If that’s not gross enough, they also have large triangular glands behind their heads that excrete a highly toxic white goo when the toads are stressed or grabbed. If you experience vomiting, dizziness or chest pain, call Triple Zero (000) or get someone to take you to the nearest hospital. “Cane toads have been present in parts of north-eastern NSW since 1965 and have proven difficult to eradicate using available control tools and techniques. “The first thing people will typically see is a really profuse salivation and dogs typically become really frantic.

• The toads are more common in developed areas, especially near canals and freshwater retention ponds, and in agriculture communities.
• Symptoms vary depending on the amount of toxin, how long the pet is exposed to it, and the size of the pet (the smaller they are the more affected they will be).
• Any brightly colored, rough-skinned newt or salamander likely contains TTX.
• Cane toads pose a range of biosecurity risks for the economy, environment and wider community, including competing with native fauna for food and disrupting natural ecosystems.
• If that’s not gross enough, they also have large triangular glands behind their heads that excrete a highly toxic white goo when the toads are stressed or grabbed.
• The indications of toad poisoning depend on how many toxins your dog ingested and how long it was exposed to the poison before noticeable signs occurred.

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Supportive, symptomatic care might be the main therapies for this poisoning, especially if DsFab is not available. We carried out a retrospective study of patients with toad poisoning from the Ramathibodi Poison Center Toxic Exposure Surveillance System during a 5-year period (2012–2016). When stressed, cane toads can ooze and sometimes squirt poison from glands behind the head. Dr Earl said a cane toad has enough toxin to kill an adult dog in less than 30 minutes, and while toxicity in cats is less frequent it can occur. University of Sydney researchers have taught free-ranging goannas to avoid eating poisonous cane toads about to invade their study area – a floodplain in the remote Kimberley wilderness in Western Australia.

In the event of exposure, it is crucial to promptly remove all traces of the poison from your pet’s teeth and gums. While the poison is potentially lethal, there doesn’t seem to be any negative long-term health impacts for dogs that survive, Professor Allavena adds. “It kills dogs but it can also cause hallucinations, because we know it causes hallucinations in people,” Professor Schwarzkopf says. Though it’s pretty hard to tell what’s going on in a dog’s mind, there’s fairly good evidence that they’re getting some sort of psychotropic effect from the toads. “Some dogs sniff them out. So the toad will be hidden, the dog can’t see them, and they’ll actively go hunting for them. Similar to the toad and frog comparison, all newts are a type of salamander, but not all salamanders are newts.

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Anyone who handles an amphibian without proper training or precautions, eats them, or mishandles them in any way, is at high risk. Exposures resulting from dares or bets have caused deaths (see This Really Happened). Frogs and toads look very similar, but there are some key differences. Frogs tend to have longer legs and smooth, moist skin while toads have shorter legs and dry, rough skin. The drier, rougher skin of the toad allows it to thrive on land while frogs are more likely to be found near water. A frog’s longer legs allow it to hop, whereas a toad, with its slightly shorter legs, tends to walk on land.

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Early diagnosis and rapid treatment are paramount, with the initial hour post-exposure being critical, and ideally, emergency interventions should begin within the first 10 min. When in eyes or nose, Bufo toad secretions can cause severe irritation, pain, and tissue damage. Licking or swallowing can lead to numbness of the mouth and throat as well as severe and life-threatening effects on the heart as a result of the digoxin-like compounds and catecholamines described above. These effects include irregular rhythm of the heart, heart block, reduced blood pressure, and cardiac arrest. These severe effects can also occur after absorption through the skin.

The toad was brought into the vets for identification this week after being found in an Edgeworth backyard and has been reported to the Invasive Species Biosecurity Unit. Vomiting is a common occurrence, especially in cats, along with hindquarter weakness and a fixed trance-like stare. This is good news for Australian wildlife, said Dr Gregory Brown, the lead author on the paper published today in Proceedings B of the Royal Society. Symptoms vary depending on the amount of toxin, how long the pet is exposed to it, and the size of the pet (the smaller they are the more affected they will be).

• When a larger animal, such as a dog, bites down on a bufo toad the toxin that is on the surface of the toad gets into the mouth of the predator animal (in this case a dog).
• Prominent among these are gamabufotalin, telocinobufagin, bufotaline, cinobufotalin, bufalin, cinobufagin, and resibufogenin, which together constitute over 85% of the bufadienolides found in toad toxin25,26,27,28.
• Despite recovery in some cases of toad toxin poisoning, approximately one-third of these incidents have been fatal.
• If you hadn’t thought about amphibians—frogs, newts, toads, and salamanders—you won’t forget about them after reading this article.
• Blood tests may also be used to confirm the presence of toxins in the body.
• These fascinating animals are equipped with defense mechanisms deserving of much caution and fear.
• At the first presentation, 34 patients reported GI symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain -after ingestion.

Cane Toad Toxicity

Additionally, more than ten types of indole alkaloids have been identified, including notable substances such as bufotenidine, 5-Methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), and bufotenine30,31,32,33,34. These findings underscore the potent and diverse pharmacological profile of toad toxins. Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates comprised of frogs, newts, toads, and salamanders (caecilians are amphibians but are not known to pose a risk to humans). The name amphibian comes from the Greek term amphibios, which means “double life.” This is to reflect that they live in both land and water. When you think of the most feared poisonous animals, snakes are probably the first to come to mind and then maybe jellyfish, stingrays, and venomous spiders. If you hadn’t thought about amphibians—frogs, newts, toads, and salamanders—you won’t forget about them after reading this article.

Cane Toad (Rhinella marina formerly Bufo marinus)

“Following surrender and identification of the cane toad by the veterinarian it was humanely symptoms of cane toad poisoning in humans euthanised,” she said. The cane toad was easily identifiable due to its size, measuring about 13 centimetres across. Do not use a garden hose to flush the toxin from the mouth, as this can lead to water inhalation and life-threatening pneumonia. While these bells don’t affect the toad, they provide an audible alert when your dog is behaving suspiciously. Immediate investigation upon hearing the bells may save your pet’s life.

Treatment may include supportive care to manage symptoms and prevent complications. Cane toad toxins can cause skin irritation, especially in individuals with sensitive skin. It’s important to wash the affected area thoroughly and seek medical attention if irritation persists.

In more severe cases, symptoms may progress to include difficulty breathing, chest pain, and seizures. It’s important to seek medical attention immediately if you suspect that you or someone else has been poisoned by a cane toad. Effective early interventions include the administration of emetics, gastric lavage, and stabilization of vital signs, along with timely management of shock, electrolyte imbalances, and cardiac arrhythmias. Gastric lavage, commonly used in treating toad toxin poisoning, should be performed promptly while concurrently maintaining vital signs. This procedure must ensure normal blood oxygen saturation levels, with oxygen supplementation provided as necessary52.

It also amplifies the action of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which stimulates the central nervous system and can lead to headaches. 5-MeO-DMT, a component of toad venom, interacts swiftly with the 5-HT1A receptors in the central nervous system. This interaction triggers a range of acute subjective reactions, including distortions in visual, auditory, and temporal perception, alongside intense emotional experiences and memory impairments. Additionally, toad venom targets the NKA on myocardial cell membranes, inhibiting their activity, which may result in arrhythmias. Out of the 180 cases, detailed timelines were available for 129, all reported within China. These cases span from 1961 to 2020, divided into 12 five-year intervals for analysis.