So I just got back from the emergency vet because.....

[bullmama]

I was doing the nightly rotation of my bulldogs when I went inside, cannot remember why- and when I came back out Mandy was relaxing on the back patio. But as soon as I came out, she jumped up and attacked something on the porch! A DANG SONORAN TOAD! I flipped and immediately she dropped it, and let her in the house. I pondered on how to get rid of this toad- I tried to make it scurry with a stick and it was soooo big that it was like trying to move a boulder with a stick. Anyway, I knew this was not going to be as easy as I thought, so I went inside to check on Mandy- and as soon as I walked in she looked at me, her eyes were starting to bulge and her mouth was covered in white foam. She got the poison!

I immediately threw her in the tub- and tried my best to rinse her mouth out- but she hates water so this was not doing so well. But I kept trying and with Noah's (my 12 year old) help I was able to pry her mouth open while he put water inside. Then we noticed her tongue was turning blue. She was exphixiating now! Noah ran for the lemon juice, and Mandy started to poop uncontrollably as her body began to stiffen and seize. Now she had no control of her legs- they were just shaking and sprawling out- stiff like. She was trying to push her body into the corner of the bathtub, but I don't think SHE was actually doing it, her body was doing it for her. The lemon juice was working, and she was breathing now. She was stepping all over in her poo and I felt like I could not console her in the tub, so I lifted her out. This was when we could really tell she was seizing. Meanwhile, Noah was already getting the kids in the car while I called the emergency vet. Noah is such an awesome kid. By the time we were leaving, Mandy was starting to walk somewhat normal again and regaining control of her body. I looked at her and she almost did not even look like herself. Her eyes were giant and bloodshot, bulging eyes- she looked so sad and scared.... foam was just dripping out of her jowels.... I thought she was going to die. I really did.

The ER vet is about 45 minutes away. We got there in 30 while I very CAREFULLY exceeded the speed limits only enough to keep my family safe but I surely did not want to get pulled over either and waste valuable time....

By the time we got there Mandy had regained all control of her body again- thank the good lord- so after they rinsed her mouth and brought her extremely high temperature down- and evaluated her for about an hour they determined she was okay and needed no medications or further treatment.

So finally got back home, let the remaining eager bullies outside for potty, and cleaned up the huge mess in my bathtub. My brain is wide awake, but my eyes and body are exhausted!

I am so glad Mandy is alright. This was definitely one of my scariest experiences to date. She has gotten frogs on two other occasions, smaller ones- but I don't think she got as much of the toxin. The first time- none. Second time- some but I rinsed it all out and she was okay about 10 mins later.

I sure wish I did not have toads in my yard....

I U Mandy, sooo glad you made it through okay my wiggles....

 

[reallyrob]

Thank goodness she is OK! I don't think we have those in Illinois...I'm not sure....I never heard of them before!

 

[Telly03]

Too scary, I'm glad she's OK.

We have big poisonous toads in Hawaii... I'm not sure if they are the same ones, but they do cause problems for dogs and have heard of dogs dieing from swallowing them. I have no problem knocking them in the head and disposing them in the trash (the toads), but I have to be more humane when the wife is home, so I'll place the toad in a plastic bag then stick it in the freezer until it's stiff.

 

[Bella'sMom]

OMG, I would have freaked out. As far as I know, we don't have those in Florida. We are known to have every poinsonus creature here, but I have not heard of that one. Wow, I am at a loss for words. Noah is an awesome kid, without him you would have been lost, I am sure. I am so glad everything is fine. I wonder if she has now learned her lesson?

What exactly does the lemon juice do? I have never heard of that.

Hope today is a bright and better day.

 

[kazzy220]

Oh wow .............. that is so awful!!! I've never heard of poisonous toads before!!?? What does the lemon juice do ... does it counteract the poison?

If these toads are so poisonous is there not something that you could put down to deter or kill them??

You'll probably feel exhausted and drained of energy today, so I suggest you take it REALLY easy!

 

[doGbless]

so glad she is ok....hugs for Mandy

 

[bulldog family]

That is so scary!!! Holy Moly... I got chills reading it. We have toads here and when the dogs get them, they foam heavily at the mouth. If they get enough though, their organs could shut down... from what I'm told.

Hold that girl tight today!!! Take care...

 

[laurentourville]

Yikes! How scary, thank goodness you're such a knowledgable bully family and knew what to do, and Noah definetly deserves one of those "kid rescue hero" awards they give to kids that do amazing things during an emergency!!!

 

[Libra926]

I was on last night looking for you and thought "Where is Lisa? Hope everything is okay!" I logged off fairly early and went to bed. I must have just missed you. I'm really glad everything is well and hope everything continues to go well with Mandy. You should give Noah the day off from school. Or give him a half day for being such an awesome kid. Just remember, awesome kids come from awesome parents...so take the credit, MOM!

 

[bullmama]

Thank you- he is so awesome- when something like this happens it is certainly up to him to take on much of the role for Chip. Lucky to have him that is for sure!

Lemon juice is for when your bully is exphixiating. Not sure if I spelled that right. But if your bully gets over heated and their tongue turns blue, then putting lemon juice in their mouths will cause their air passage to open up again so they can breathe. Always good to bring lemon juice with if you are going somewhere your bully could get over excited and overheat.

Thanks to English Bulldog News and [MENTION=21]bbstubbles[/MENTION]'s fiance, I would not have ever known this either! Could have surely saved her life.

If you dog ever gets a poisonous frog--- the first step is to rinse the mouth with water as much as possible to get the poison OUT. They are not liking it- and trying to rid themselves of it I think-- so rinse and rinse well. I think if we did not rinse her mouth out she would have surely died.

 

[cali~jenn]

Just remember, awesome kids come from awesome parents...so take the credit, MOM!

I agree, what a great job he did and you have raised him well! Oh my gosh I am sooooo sorry you had to go thru this but thankfully it worked out ok. I cant even begin to imagine what could have happened if you and your son werent so quick to react. Dang toads!!!!!

For those who asked, the lemon juice is something we should all have on hand for if our bullies are aspirating. It helps to clear their airways so they can breathe better. Have also heard soda can do the same but I just keep a plastic lemon juice in the fridge for just in case. Thankfully I have never needed to use it.

 

[kazzy220]

I will be adding the plastic Jif lemon juice bottle to my grocery list this week ........ I never knew that it could help if they start to aspirate!! Yet another reason for loving this website!!!

 

[Gertie's Mom]

Oh, how scarred you must have been. Thank goodness you had Noah to help you!! We have those horrid toads also, I guess everyone does here in Az. I didn't know about the lemon juice either. I will be buying some of that as soon as we get home. I'll also tell my daughters to get some. Our yards are walled in with a 6 foot cinder-block wall, so we never see them in the back yards, but we see them often in the front. Especially over at my daughter's, right around the block from our house. I don't know if there's something in their yard that attracts them or what. But my son-in-law in constantly "taking the toads for a walk". He takes them over to the park and lets them go. We've only seen one in our front yard, but it was GINORMIS!! The thing must have weighed 5 pounds. And it seems it's always at night that they come out, so they're hard to see. So glad your Mandy is okay. I, personally, agree with Telly. Get rid of these awful creatures! So they don't wander back the next night.

 

[sheshistory]

Oh wow, I did not know these toads were a danger and now I will have to be more aware. I have never seen one near my house but I have seen them at my friend's house, in a very urban area of Phoenix - so they are everywhere! Ugh, between those, Black Widows, scorpions and whatever else, it makes you want to put the dog in a plastic bubble!

I am glad Mandy is okay. I can't imagine going through that and I am so, so happy you were able to keep your wits about you and save her life. Great work!

 

[bullmama]

Thank you all for your support!

On our way to the vet I did not even bring my cell phone- all I could think of was- telling my bully pals here and hubby what happened, I felt so helpless cuz I could not even call Chip! Was relieved to get home so I could let him and you all know what happened. Load off of my chest!