A Palm Beach Gardens woman is sharing her heartbreaking story after she says her dog died shortly after coming into contact with a toxic cane toad.The invasive species known as the cane toad or bufo toad is common across Florida, especially during the summer months, and can be deadly to pets within minutes.Dog owner Olivia Comstock says the incident happened at the Palm Beach Gardens Dog Park while she was there with her three-year-old dachshund, Amber.Comstock says Amber suddenly ran toward the bushes while they were at the park.”She’s the type of dog that hunts. She likes to hunt the lizards and go into the bushes. I heard her, I was sitting on the bench, and I started hearing her barking. She was barking, and that’s when I knew, like, oh, she found something in the bush,” Comstock told WPBF. She went to check on Amber and got her away from the bushes. Moments later, Comstock says she saw a toad hop out.”Right after that, probably about two minutes after that, she started itching at her gums and the whole process of the poisoning. It was awful,” she said.She took a picture of the toad and searched for it online before realizing Amber had likely come into contact with a cane toad. Comstock says she’s only lived in Florida for a few years and wasn’t familiar with the species.”I didn’t understand what was going on. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. I’ve never even seen anything like that before. That was awful,” she said.Within minutes, Comstock said she got in the car and rushed Amber to the closest emergency vet.”She started not being able to stand up. I was trying to help her stand up. She was just falling over. She was foaming at the mouth, but she didn’t start seizing for probably about five minutes, and she started having, like, really heavy seizures,” she told WPBF.Comstock said watching her best friend go through that was the worst thing she’s ever witnessed.After about 13 hours on IV support and medication, Comstock got a call that Amber didn’t survive.”She was the sweetest little, energetic dog. She really had a really big personality. She was amazing, and we spent every second together. She was my soulmate in some way, and she’s just everything to me,” she said.How the Toad Species Impacts DogsDr. Lisa Ciucci with Gardens Animal Hospital says bufo toads release a dangerous neurotoxin through glands on their backs.”It’s a little white milky substance that comes up through those spots, and when the dog touches them with their mouth or licks them, it gets ingested, but it also gets absorbed through their gums,” Ciucci said.She said smaller dogs are especially vulnerable to the toxin.”The smaller the dog, the worse it is, because that same amount of toxins is absorbed in a tiny amount of dog,” she said.If a pet owner suspects their dog may have come in contact with a Bufo toad, Ciucci said it’s important to wash out their mouth right away.”The best thing you can do is to rinse their mouth out. Even if it wasn’t a bufo toad, there’s no harm in rinsing their mouth out. It’s better to be safe and to rinse it than not. Even if you’re certain that it was a bufo toad and you’re headed to the ER, still rinse the mouth out first before you get them in the car and head over to the emergency hospital or to your local vet,” she said.When rinsing, she said to make sure the water is being pushed out and not in to help avoid the dog swallowing it and ingesting the poison further. There are a few symptoms that owners can watch out for, and they appear within minutes.Those include:Excessive droolingPawing at the mouthBright red gums Convulsions”The first symptom you’ll see is drooling; you’ll see that they just start salivating. You might see that their eyes look a little bit glazed over, and then you’ll see that they start to have seizures, which is when their bodies get stiff, and they start to paddle. Maybe their head extends a little bit. It’s really terrifying to see, but it is usually treatable,” Ciucci said. In most cases, when treated, she said, dogs will make a full recovery. “The most serious ones are the ones that ingest the whole toad. So those ones, you have to get there really fast because we’re going to need to do IV fluids and medications to stop the seizures. The ones that are most treatable, which thankfully is most of the time, are the ones that just lick or kind of mouth the toad, because then they just get a little bit of that toxin,” Ciucci told WPBF. To help prevent exposure, Ciucci said it’s best to keep a dog on a leash at dawn and at dusk when the toads are most active. “Especially if you have a little hunting breed, like dachshunds and yorkies. They’re cute and adorable, and you wouldn’t expect them to be little hunting breeds, but they’re very good at it. So leash walking at dawn and dusk is important, and then rinsing their mouth as soon as they come in contact with it, and then getting to a professional for further treatments too,” she said. Spreading Awareness In Memory Of Amber Comstock said losing Amber just weeks before her fourth birthday has been one of the hardest things she’s ever been through, and hopes sharing her story will help to prevent this from happening to someone else. “I feel like the severity of them is not expressed. I don’t want people to live in fear when they play with their dogs, but I also want people to understand the severity of this situation,” she said. Since it happened at a park where so many dogs play off-leash, Comstock suggested adding signage to educate people. “In dog areas like this, maybe put up signs and make it educational. I never want anyone to go through anything like this,” she said. She said pictures of Amber and the song Amber by 311 have helped her slowly get through this, but she’s still struggling to cope with not having Amber at the door. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has a link on their website with more information on the toad species and the impact it can have on both wildlife and pets.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. —
A Palm Beach Gardens woman is sharing her heartbreaking story after she says her dog died shortly after coming into contact with a toxic cane toad.
The invasive species known as the cane toad or bufo toad is common across Florida, especially during the summer months, and can be deadly to pets within minutes.
Dog owner Olivia Comstock says the incident happened at the Palm Beach Gardens Dog Park while she was there with her three-year-old dachshund, Amber.
Comstock says Amber suddenly ran toward the bushes while they were at the park.
“She’s the type of dog that hunts. She likes to hunt the lizards and go into the bushes. I heard her, I was sitting on the bench, and I started hearing her barking. She was barking, and that’s when I knew, like, oh, she found something in the bush,” Comstock told WPBF.
She went to check on Amber and got her away from the bushes. Moments later, Comstock says she saw a toad hop out.
“Right after that, probably about two minutes after that, she started itching at her gums and the whole process of the poisoning. It was awful,” she said.
Hearst Owned
Cane toads, also known as Bufo toads, are both invasive and highly toxic.
She took a picture of the toad and searched for it online before realizing Amber had likely come into contact with a cane toad. Comstock says she’s only lived in Florida for a few years and wasn’t familiar with the species.
“I didn’t understand what was going on. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. I’ve never even seen anything like that before. That was awful,” she said.
Within minutes, Comstock said she got in the car and rushed Amber to the closest emergency vet.
Hearst OwnedOlivia Comstock
“She started not being able to stand up. I was trying to help her stand up. She was just falling over. She was foaming at the mouth, but she didn’t start seizing for probably about five minutes, and she started having, like, really heavy seizures,” she told WPBF.
Comstock said watching her best friend go through that was the worst thing she’s ever witnessed.
After about 13 hours on IV support and medication, Comstock got a call that Amber didn’t survive.
“She was the sweetest little, energetic dog. She really had a really big personality. She was amazing, and we spent every second together. She was my soulmate in some way, and she’s just everything to me,” she said.
Hearst OwnedOlivia Comstock
How the Toad Species Impacts Dogs
Dr. Lisa Ciucci with Gardens Animal Hospital says bufo toads release a dangerous neurotoxin through glands on their backs.
“It’s a little white milky substance that comes up through those spots, and when the dog touches them with their mouth or licks them, it gets ingested, but it also gets absorbed through their gums,” Ciucci said.
She said smaller dogs are especially vulnerable to the toxin.
“The smaller the dog, the worse it is, because that same amount of toxins is absorbed in a tiny amount of dog,” she said.
Hearst OwnedFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
If a pet owner suspects their dog may have come in contact with a Bufo toad, Ciucci said it’s important to wash out their mouth right away.
“The best thing you can do is to rinse their mouth out. Even if it wasn’t a bufo toad, there’s no harm in rinsing their mouth out. It’s better to be safe and to rinse it than not. Even if you’re certain that it was a bufo toad and you’re headed to the ER, still rinse the mouth out first before you get them in the car and head over to the emergency hospital or to your local vet,” she said.
When rinsing, she said to make sure the water is being pushed out and not in to help avoid the dog swallowing it and ingesting the poison further.
Hearst OwnedFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
There are a few symptoms that owners can watch out for, and they appear within minutes.
Those include:
Excessive droolingPawing at the mouthBright red gums Convulsions
“The first symptom you’ll see is drooling; you’ll see that they just start salivating. You might see that their eyes look a little bit glazed over, and then you’ll see that they start to have seizures, which is when their bodies get stiff, and they start to paddle. Maybe their head extends a little bit. It’s really terrifying to see, but it is usually treatable,” Ciucci said.
In most cases, when treated, she said, dogs will make a full recovery.
“The most serious ones are the ones that ingest the whole toad. So those ones, you have to get there really fast because we’re going to need to do IV fluids and medications to stop the seizures. The ones that are most treatable, which thankfully is most of the time, are the ones that just lick or kind of mouth the toad, because then they just get a little bit of that toxin,” Ciucci told WPBF.
To help prevent exposure, Ciucci said it’s best to keep a dog on a leash at dawn and at dusk when the toads are most active.
“Especially if you have a little hunting breed, like dachshunds and yorkies. They’re cute and adorable, and you wouldn’t expect them to be little hunting breeds, but they’re very good at it. So leash walking at dawn and dusk is important, and then rinsing their mouth as soon as they come in contact with it, and then getting to a professional for further treatments too,” she said.
Spreading Awareness In Memory Of Amber
Comstock said losing Amber just weeks before her fourth birthday has been one of the hardest things she’s ever been through, and hopes sharing her story will help to prevent this from happening to someone else.
Hearst OwnedOlivia Comstock
“I feel like the severity of them is not expressed. I don’t want people to live in fear when they play with their dogs, but I also want people to understand the severity of this situation,” she said.
Since it happened at a park where so many dogs play off-leash, Comstock suggested adding signage to educate people.
“In dog areas like this, maybe put up signs and make it educational. I never want anyone to go through anything like this,” she said.
She said pictures of Amber and the song Amber by 311 have helped her slowly get through this, but she’s still struggling to cope with not having Amber at the door.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has a link on their website with more information on the toad species and the impact it can have on both wildlife and pets.