From: shari@modcomp.uucp (Shari Bernhard)
Subject: Re: beserk puppy
Organization: MODCOMP, an AEG company
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 14:27:05 GMT

In <1992Nov13.155328.3086@pixel.kodak.com> rhuls@liebnitz.ssd.kodak.com (Robbin Huls) writes:

>In article <1992Nov10.190812.17811@infonode.ingr.com> mary@mkirk.b24a.ingr.com (Mary Kirk) writes:

>>This past weekend, Kodi was playing in the backyard.  My husband went
>>outside to check on her.  She started growling at him, and then began
>>barking a very strange, crazy bark.  I...could see that she was going
>>beserk.  She was foaming at the mouth and jumping all around, while
>>barking this terrible bark.  She wouldn't let me near her.

>I've seen epileptic seizure suggested.  My vet also told me about a toad
>that will cause a dog to foam at the mouth if the dog picks it up.
>Evidently it tastes pretty bad, as well, which might account for the
>weird bark and agitation you mentioned.  

Two things here:  first, one of our cats had a seizure once.  She is 12
years old, it never happened before, and thank God hasn't happened since
(it was about 6 months ago), but it was frightening.  She literally flew
off the couch, landed across the room, gasping hoarsely in a contorted
position and her legs and arms were all twisted as she writhed on the
floor.  Her eyes were completely dilated and she was drooling uncontrollably.
I was screaming and crying while holding her to keep her from bashing into
the furniture which didn't make my husband any calmer.  The whole thing
lasted less than 2 minutes, although it seemed like a lifetime.  When it
was over, White One crawled a few feet into the middle of the living room
and fell asleep exhausted.  She didn't move from that spot for a day and a
half.  It was one of the worst 2 minutes of my life.  If that's what your
puppy was like, my heart goes out to you.  I hope it never happens again.

Second, the toad of which your vet spoke is common here in South Florida.
It is a bufo toad, and it doesn't just taste terrible, it is horribly
poisonous.  It can kill a small dog in a matter of 10 minutes.  It burns
the mucous membrane of the mouth (gums) which is why they drool and foam,
and that's also how it enters the bloodstream.  It kills by elevating the
heart rate and blood pressure to deadly levels, similar to the effects
of chocolate.  There is an antidote which I forget the name of, and the
effects can be lessened if you immediately flush the dog's mouth with water.
I know about it because I watched Raven bite one of these bufos.  I watched
as she started drooling and shaking her head.  I took the garden hose and
sprayed out her mouth within 10 seconds her grabbing the toad.  I rushed
her to the Pet Emergency Center (she always does stuff like this on a
Sunday! :->) and the vet administered this antidote.  I had done all the
right things just out of pure instinct, and luckily Raven's a big dog,
about 75 lbs.  Her heart rate and blood pressure were still elevated, but
not to dangerous levels.

Sorry this whole response got so long, but I'm worse with my animal kids
than most people are with their human kids.  I LOVE to talk about them,
and have lots of things to share.

Shari (Raven's Mom) Bernhard
Also step mom to Gray One, White One, Little One, and Cassandra
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs