Can Dogs Eat Frogs? [Surprising Facts!]

If you live in such an area with frequent visits of frogs, you may notice your pet dog chasing those frogs. There are possibilities that your pup may lick or swallow the frogs. So, you might wonder whether your dogs can eat frogs or not.

Although frogs are not the common food of dogs, dogs may end up eating frogs or toads. There’ll be severe health complications if the dog ends up eating any poisonous frogs.

On the other hand, you should not let your dogs eat any toads as they secrete higher levels of toxins than frogs.

In this article, I’ve arranged all essential information regarding this issue. You’ll get to know the symptoms of eating poisonous frogs by your dogs, medical emergencies, prevention, and so on.

So, you should not miss this article to make yourself enlightened beforehand to save your dogs from any unwanted disaster.

Is It Ok For Dogs To Eat Frogs?

Dogs are not aware of the species of the frogs that they encounter. Hence, eating frogs is not ok for dogs, whether the frogs are poisonous or non-poisonous.

If your dogs swallow any poisonous frogs, they may die without fast medical treatment. Besides, even if the consumed frogs are not poisonous, there will remain risks of causing infections.

After all, frogs are carriers of parasitic, bacterial, viral, fungal diseases, etc. Several kinds of research show that eating frogs has caused lungworm infections, salmonella, and other health issues in dogs.

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Why Do Dogs Eat Frogs?

There are no specific reasons behind this. Unlike wild dogs, pet dogs do not usually eat live animals.

Sometimes, the reason can be the dog’s natural predatory instinct. Otherwise, dogs may accidentally eat frogs while playing with frogs.

Since frogs tend to jump, your dogs may get amused to play with these frogs. In this way, sometimes dogs shove the frogs in their mouths, assuming as toys.

It can be an experimental try for dogs as well. If dogs find the taste of frogs good ever, it will not leave any chance to eat frogs in the future.

What Will Happen If A Dog Eats A Frog?

Depending on the frog’s species, the outcome will vary if a dog eats a frog. You might know that almost all species of frogs secrete toxins as their defense mechanism. So, when a dog eats a frog, the dog may taste the toxin. It causes bad taste and irritation.

When your dog messes up with the wrong species of frogs, the symptoms will be way different. Let’s check out the following possible signs when your dog eats up a poisonous frog.

These are-

  1. Excessive drooling
  2. Breathing trouble
  3. Dilated pupils
  4. Vomiting
  5. Diarrhea
  6. Seizures
  7. Inflamed or pale-colored mucus membranes
  8. Ataxia
  9. Whimpering or howling
  10. Frothing at the mouth
  11. Pawing at the face
  12. Muscle twitches and tremors
  13. Raised body temperature or fever
  14. Red gums
  15. Unsteady balance or loss of coordination
  16. Abnormal heart rate

In maximum cases, your dog will remain fine if the swallowed frog is not poisonous. Sometimes, eating non-poisonous frogs can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other health issues to the dog. But, eventually, your dog will get better.

However, it will not be wise to sit at home and wait for your dogs to get better. You must take professional help to ensure treatment if your pup has already eaten a poisonous frog.

Are Common Frogs Poisonous To Dogs?

The short answer is a no. People often mistake common frogs with common toads. But, common frogs are not poisonous to dogs, whereas common toads can be lethal.

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Which Frogs Are Poisonous To Dogs?

Not all frogs are deadly for dogs. But, several frogs secrete strong toxins that can take the lives of your dogs.

You can readily determine which frogs are poisonous by noticing their bright skin color. Besides, all toads are toxic to dogs.

Some specific frogs are poisonous to dogs. Such as-

  • Poison dart frogs
  • Cuban’s Treefrogs
  • Cope’s Gray Treefrogs
  • Cane toads (Bufo toads)
  • Colorado river toads

All of these frogs are deadly to any animal, including your dogs. If your pet dogs eat any of these frogs, there will be a low chance of survival.

Among these poisonous frogs and toads, both cane toads and colorado river toads secrete lethal bufotoxins. On the other hand, poison dart frogs secrete batrachotoxin that is strong enough to kill 10 adult humans, let alone dogs. Check out this article to know more about the toxicity of poison dart frogs.

Can Dogs Get Sick From Licking Frogs?

Frogs secrete toxins whenever they sense any predation or get stressed. Usually, frogs have special skin glands under their skin.

Frogs release toxins from their skin glands. As a result, all over the skin of frogs contain toxins. So, licking frogs can make your dogs sick.

Whenever your dogs lick, chew, or ingest frogs, there are possibilities of absorbing the toxins. Moreover, the gums of dogs can quickly absorb the poison.

Depending on the species of frogs, your dogs can be at risk of frog poisoning. If the frog is not poisonous, licking the frogs will not be life-threatening. But, your dog will certainly go through several health issues.

How Long Does It Take For A Dog To Show Signs Of Toad Poisoning?

It can take a minimum of 30 minutes to several hours to show signs of toad poisoning.

At first, mild signs are revealed like vomiting, drooling, dilated pupils, etc. Gradually, the health of the affected dog deteriorates. Finally, it can lead to death if you do not take essential steps.

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Why Is My Dog Mouth Foaming After Licking A Frog?

It must leave the dog owners under stress when the dog foams after licking a frog. It is a primary sign of your dog’s interacting with the frog toxin.

When a dog licks a frog, the frog leaves toxin secretion over its skin. So, this toxin gets absorbed through the gum of the dog.

On the other hand, the mucous of the dog’s mouth can not withstand the toxin. The irritation of the mucous makes foam in the dog’s mouth due to the exposure to toxins.

But, foaming from the mouth is not always a deadly sign. The bad taste of toxins makes the irritation of dog’s mouth. It causes excessive salvation that can lead to foaming. No wonder such foaming leads the dog to leave the frog alone.

How Long Does Frog Poisoning Last In Dogs?

It depends on the volume of toxins absorbed and the time required to start treatment.

If you can ensure appropriate treatment, the frog poisoning will last typically up to 12 hours.

But, if it is a case of toads, the result will be different. Generally, dogs die within 15 minutes of absorbing the toxins of an adult cane toad when the dogs receive no treatment within time.

Are Garden Frogs Poisonous To Dogs?

You might know that all frogs contain toxin glands from which frogs secrete poisons. But, the strength of the toxin varies from species to species.

Not all garden frogs are poisonous to frogs. Several frogs like dart frogs and cane toads in your garden can be deadly to your dogs.

Since your dogs do not know which frogs are safe for them, you should not let your dogs eat any frogs.

Are Green Frogs Poisonous To Dogs?

Like several species of tree frogs, green frogs are not poisonous to dogs.

If your dogs lick or swallow a green frog, there will be nothing to worry about.

It ends up with drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. But, these problems of getting encountered with the mild toxin of green frogs will be resolved within 30 minutes to a few hours.

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Can Dogs Recover From Toad Poisoning?

Toad poisoning is more dangerous than frog poisoning. Dogs can recover from toad poisoning if they receive proper management and treatment.

Make sure to provide first aid at home. Then, you must take help from veterans as soon as possible. Although there is no specific treatment for toad poisoning, the doctors treat the dogs after diagnosing the clinical signs like abnormal heartbeats, seizures, etc.

How Do You Treat Toad Poisoning In Dogs?

The prime solution to saving your dog’s life is taking action as fast as possible. You can divide the entire treatment procedure into two ways.

The very first way is providing first-aid help. Besides, the next is the clinical treatment for other health issues caused by toad poisoning.

Let’s check out the first-aid steps of treating toad poisoning in dogs at first.

  1. The very first thing to do is to wipe the dog’s gum and tongue with a damp cloth. Do not rub gently. Rather you need to do this firmly.
  2. If your dog suffers from seizures, you may be at risk of getting bitten.
  3. Try to remove the slimy coating of toxins from the gum of your dog. It may take around 10-20 minutes.
  4. Since the toxins are sticky, wiping the dog’s mouth may spread the venoms too. To avoid such risks, you should rinse the cloth between the wipes.
  5. Besides, you must not use a running hose in your dog’s mouth to rinse the toxins. It can cause excessive inhaling of water which can lead to pneumonia. However, running water does not wash away the sticky toxins.
  6. If your dog is vomiting, saltwater will help him relax.
  7. Also, you should try to make your dog calm if it is in shock. Help your dog ease its breathing as well.
  8. Lastly, take your pet dog to the nearest veterinarians as soon as possible.

As I mentioned earlier, there is no specific treatment or antidote for toad poisoning. The vets try to flush out the toxins and control the clinical signs.

So, the vets can take the following steps for several health issues of your dog like a seizure, tremors, cardiac arrest, etc.

These are-

  1. If your dog faces breathing difficulties, the vet may provide essential oxygen therapy to your dog.
  2. Also, the vet may suggest doing blood tests to assess the damage.
  3. Besides, if it requires checking the changes of heart rhythm, you should do Electrocardiograph for your dog.
  4. Medications need to be applied to stop vomiting, control seizures, and so on.

After assessing the damage, the vet will decide how to treat your poisoned dog. You should be ready for any emergencies.

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How Do I Stop My Dog From Eating Frogs?

To save your dog from such unpleasant occurrences, you need to take proper steps for prevention. Let’s check out the following preventions that may help you stop your dog from eating frogs.

  1. Frogs tend to live beside water sources. If you live in such an area alongside ponds or canals, you must remain extra careful.
  2. If you have a pool on your property, you must keep frogs away from your pool area. Check out this article to get enlightened about the 13 best ways to get rid of frogs from your pool.
  3. Also, you can attach chicken wire around your property or yards so that no frogs can enter.
  4. You might know that frogs come after insects, vegetation, and pet foods. Hence, you must not leave the dog food on the ground.
  5. Besides, you can spray frog repellents around the yards. You can keep frog tarps too.
  6. Do not leave your dog unsupervised into the yard. You can also keep a belt on his neck to check his whereabouts.

Final Words

Keeping a pet is a responsibility indeed. For ensuring the safety of your dog, you must eliminate all possible risks of frog poisoning. I hope this article has given you the foolproof guide of preventions, first-aid treatments, and other required information of to-dos.

Let’s make the best possible environment to let your dogs not take any risk of eating frogs.

Muntaseer Rahman

About Author

Hello, I’m Muntaseer Rahman, the owner of AcuarioPets.com. I’m passionate about aquarium pets like shrimps, snails, crabs, and crayfish. I’ve created this website to share my expertise and help you provide better care for these amazing pets.

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