Toxic Toads
 

I have been reading articles on poisonous toads. Pretty scary as my doodle is a scavenger and sticks her snout sniffing around everywhere. Is there a certain time of the year these things come around, where do you find them hiding? I lived in Tampa a long time ago I honestly don’t remember these toxic toads. Are there a large amount of these things jumping around?

I think you are referring to Cane Toads. They are toxic to most animals.
They are invasive to Florida, not protected, so you can kill them.
In twenty years wintering in TV I have never seen one.

PS. Killing all the alligators at the moment, will start on toads next week!;)

"Toxic Toads"...

Hmmm... I may have to rethink "Alligators in the Attic" as my new band name...

Oh my!
 

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Cane toads are usually 4-6 inches in size. (Some can get even larger, 7-9 inches) If you see a toad larger than 4 inches it is very likely to be a cane toad. Do not touch them. Their skin is toxic and can kill pets and other animals. They are an invasive species. They can be removed with permission of the property owner. They have been seen in Central Florida as well as other regions in the state.

I'm wondering if any have been seen yet north of the Florida Turnpike? I have seen reports of the cane toads in central Florida south of the turnpike.
Anyone know?

All cane toads are south of 44 at this time. They're planning to invade over the golf cart bridges starting at midnight on April the 1th.

(Dear DS. This is not a real report. It is just a dumb joke. No need to worry-------- yet.
Best wishes, your friend and mine,
Fred)

Cane Toad

I have seen toads in the Villages but never got close enough to tell if they were Cane Toads or Native Southern Toads.

A Yorkie of a neighbor did bite one of these and, I believe, she had to go to the vet as soon as they could get her there. She was foaming at the mouth.

Toad Poisoning in Dogs | VCA Animal Hospitals.

I had pulled my dog away as soon as I saw he was near a toad and he have a small re-action. I think he only touched it with his nose. He seemed OK after a few minutes. So, I kept him home.

Google
toad the wet sprocket.
Fall down

I lived in Ft Laud, and lost our westie to this toad. I think it was called a Buffo toad. Very poisonous

We also had those nasty buffo toads in Ft Lauderdale in our lawn, and would take a spray bottle of vinegar ( ? or ammonia ? … not sure ) with us when out with our dog. Spraying their backs would stop them dead……the bigger the toad, the more spray was needed. We’d then scoop them up for garbage can. Thank goodness we have yet to see one in TV.

Yes correct, most of those toads & snakes are south…the wet prairie and marshland areas support natural habitat for these critters..
also the land sharks and lounge lizards have been known to frequent the local squares in the evening…they love the heat

No there isn't many this far north, they are Cane roads and they are typically very large and have large glands, that expell poison if they are handled. We have mostly harmless beneficial southern roads in this area.

A southern road excretes a foul but non poisonous liquid, if it's harmed. It will make a dog foam at the mouth but it's not going to harm them, like the Cane toad. It's good to rince their mouths out if this happens, but most likely in this area it's just a harmless southern toad.

They are typically located south of the I-4 corridor, not usually in this area. Here is an article with pictures. I suggest if you walk your dog late at night and you are worried they have leashes that can go around your dogs muzzel to prevent them from placing their mouth on the toads. But as a dog owner I have not seen or encountered one, just southern toads in this area. Google Image Result for https://www.naplesgov.com/sites/default/files/imageattachments/wysiwyg/canetoad_southerntoad_comparison_lg.jpg

I'll take the occassional large toad in my garden over the mega roaches or any other bugs they eat any day. Not the bright green ones, tree frogs, that pee all over the walls... i take a broom and push them on down the road.

I also have a small dog but to the best of my knowledge they have not migrated this far yet. They are reportedly still south of us. I assume they will eventually make it this way. I am more fearful of Sago palms than toads but we have to be vigilant as always

Several years ago my little Yorkie bit into on of those frogs and in a frenzy started running in a circle trying to catch his tail. I put a garden hose in his mouth to wash away the poison. He survived the episode and lived happily for several more years

Cane toads in Australia
 

If your dog licks a cane toad it will get sick and die.
In northern Australia toad hunts are organized. Hunters go out together with flashlights, clubs, and gunny sack. At the end of the hunt they all come back with heavy gunny sacks.

///

Peace is to man what yeast is to toads

Thanks for posting that. We do have those.

There are Bofu Toads, sometimes known as Sugar Cane Toads that are deadly to dogs but they are way south. I believe route 60 is the cut off but that could have changed through the years. These toads are not native to Florida but were brought here in the 1950's to kill bugs in the sugar cane fields. They grow to 12" around and when they jump they get as high as 3 feet off the ground. They don't have a natural enemy in Florida. There is also another toad that looks very much like them that is native to Florida and is harmless.

When we lived in SE FL (Port St. Lucie) we let one of our dogs out in the back yard. I heard a noise that sounded "off" to me looked out at our dog and everything looked fine, so I went about whatever I was doing and didn't think more about it.

A little while later I was in the kitchen and my husband was on the lanai. Our dog came to the back door, frothing at the mouth. This is the first sign that a dog has gotten into a bofu toad. My husband took her straight to the garden hose and hosed her mouth out, sideways so the poison didn't go down her throat. He ran the hose for 10 minutes straight. In the mean time I called the vet. You have 20 minutes to get your dog to the vet if this happens, our vet was about 30 minutes away. The vet stayed on the phone with my husband and I watching her symptoms. Fortunately our girl survived with no ill effects. The vet said my husbands quick thinking and running the water to get the poison out of her mouth saved her life. She was a big girl, a Dobie. Larger dogs fair better with these toads because it takes longer for the poison to get through their system. Little dog's don't usually survive.

When this happened up to that time these toads hadn't moved this far south, or so I thought. After that I went in the back yard and checked for toads daily. I went into the back yard with our girls every time they went out.

Try giving your vet a call and ask what kind of toads are dangerous here, where they usually are and what you should do to help your dog if your he or she gets into one.

I think you are referring to Bufo toads. They secrete a toxic chemical on their skin, if a cat or dog sniffs the toad it can be deadly. They're prevalent in SFL. If it's a
Hugo toad they get very big,.

You are talking about Bufo frogs. It’s too cold up here for them. Yes, they can kill a dog in literally 30 seconds. They are all over south Florida. They get to 4lbs and secrete a white milky substance that dogs lick or sniff and they are dead.

Bufo is the genus of toads.

I had a dog almost die in S Florida from biting into one. Had to rush him to emergency vet dog started foaming from mouth.

Vet said hold them down if necessary and immediately flush mouth with water from hose.

Just read an article from USA Today that said "do not" flush dogs mouth with water because you could force the dog to swallow the poison. Just get pet to the vet asap.
So, what to do? Either way, if dog lives you feel like a hero. If dog dies, you will be second guessing you decision and feeling bad.

I worked at a vet in S. Florida a long time ago, so possibly advice regarding these toads has changed. The vet told us that a dog's mouth should be rinsed out for at least 5 minutes, preferably 10, rinsing sideways. NOT down the dogs throat.

We had a dog who go into a bofu toad and she survived. She came to the back door of the lanai and my husband was in the lanai. She was foaming at the mouth (this is the first sign a dog has gotten into a bofu toad. After that vomiting, diarrhea, seizure, then paralysis) He took her to the outside spicket and sprayed the water sideways, not down her throat for 10 minutes, non-stop. While he was doing that I called our vet (who had 24 hour emergency service) and they stayed on the phone with us watching her symptoms. You have 20 minutes to get your dog to the vet once you see the first symptom. Our vet was 30 minutes away. The vet said my husbands calm, cool way of handling it and rinsing her mouth out sideways saved her life. She was a big girl, 90 lbs. Big dogs generally do better than the little ones simply because the poison takes longer to get into their system. Little dogs often don't survive. Remaining calm also helps keep the dog calm making it take longer for the poison to get through their system.

90 lbs? Big girl, indeed. What kind of dog?
Glad she was alright.
Per my last post, point is that there is seldom a "one size fits all" solution for all situations. Do the best you can at the time. If it works, you are a hero for saving a life. If things don't go well, you can be sad, but you are still
a hero for doing the best you could under the circumstances of that moment.

You have a good point, and a reminder that we are only human.

Our girl was a Dobie. She wasn't overweight, we were always careful to keep our dogs at the best weight they could be. She was a big girl, bigger than some male Dobie's.