Was your pet injured in TV by a wild animal?
 

Several recent posts from terrified pet owners cause me to ask this. Who has had a pet injured by a wild animal in TV and how did it happen?

No injury, but the crap scared out of them when a coyote howled at them. They were cats on a screened porch on the golf course. Never knew they were that fast.

Tangling with an opossum.
 

Most of the dog injuries I have heard about or seen near or in the Villages have been because of dogs fighting dogs or dogs getting hit by golf carts or cars/trucks. My dog did have a face off with an opossum in our back yard but fortunately I picked him up before anything could happen. Possums are supposedly quite aggressive especially when a mother opossum is protecting her cubs as was what was happening in my dog's case. The cubs were no where close. The mother was distracting my dog so that the cubs could get away.

When living in south Florida one of our dogs was sprayed by a poison toad, usually resulting in death. We were luck enough to save him but he has lots of problems as a result. I dont think there are poison toads in this area but it would not hurt to keep your pets leashed and away for big and small creatures. If you google BUFO TOAD you can get info on this deadly frog.

that's like saying watch for a gila monster, they aren't in this area but it wont hurt to keep them leashed. come on............

I never heard of them either and grew up in NC FLorida. When in doubt, ask IFAS at UF. These have have made it to Tampa. Another invasive species introduced with good intentions...


Florida Wildlife Extension at UF/IFAS
Toxic Bufo Toad Kills Dog In Florida, Poses Danger To Other Animals (VIDEO)

Bufo toads have glands behind their eyes that secrete a waxy poisonous substance that is used to deter predators. They cannot spray this. Your dog probably bit the toad and got it in his mouth.

Another good link from the University of Florida. Florida Wildlife Extension at UF/IFAS

This happened at Bridgeport Lk Sumter Village
 

Two dogs saved from harm, one from a mother possum defending her brood (must be a big tree near the house?) one from a gator in a backyard pond. Anybody else in TV got a story?

If it will make you feel better:
There are no risks in TV.
There are no risks in life.
Predators exist only in the movies. (animal and human)
There really is a dome over TV.

There are some good sized trees fairly close but not on our property. We have about a half dozen rabbits running around the neighborhood. They like the bushes and the food that falls from bird feeders. Then there are the feral cats which can do quite a bit of damage to a dog if cornered. They usually just go up the trees however whenever chased by pooches in the area.

oh! the possums love it there! You can trap them and the cats with a $35 safe trap...what you do with them then I can't say, but you can control them if you choose to. bunnies may be after the first nibble of green growing from birdseed that's planted itself. yummy morsels.
No coons? sounds like you have a natural habitat. nice.

We have and have had coyotes, possums, raccoons, fox(es), feral cats, rabbits, squirrels....I personally have seen them all on the golf course behind our house. Not at the same time...

Well, I for one am glad to know this about the toads. My dog and I encounter MANY frogs (toads? I don't know what they are) on our walks after dark. He wants to sniff them, would maybe do more, but I always steer him away. Sometimes I don't realize they are there until he stops to sniff.

There are a lot of species who used to "not be in an area" that have been found to have spread. The snakes in the Everglades are an example. The zebra mussels in the MI lakes are another.

I don't know if these frogs we see are poisonous, but just in case, I will keep a more vigilant eye out.

I was going to post this one too. My husband reminded me when I read him Kitty's post. I had forgotten about this.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NecK4MwOfeI]Lions, Tigers, Bears - The Wizard Of Oz - YouTube[/ame]

We've watched a red fox take out one of our squirrels on the golf course one afternoon last year. I think she had kits. There's also a little grey fox that lives over here and I have seen it on a carport. It is amazing to me the wildlife here despite the intrusion of humans for so many years. It is beautiful to watch.

bump. Anyone with a pet injured by wildlife in TV?

not me, but I wonder if those bunnies you mentioned would be interested in those first green bites of weeds that keep popping up in my beds???

Interesting reading-Not TV
 

thanks for all the posts...I hope readers come to their own conclusions how likely it is for your pet to be injured by wildlife in TV...
and to consider what might be reasonable caution and what is fear of the unknown.

No one has talked much about snakes. I see them as the most dangerous animal to my dogs, they (the dogs) stick their noses everywhere! We don't have any venomous snakes in our area but we will be in TV soon. I will be careful but am interested in the danger and frequency of encounters with venomous rascals.

i have some birds that swoop down and scare the crap out of me when i run at 3am..don't need a dog to make them mad

Stay out of march areas and high grass with your dog would be my advice for avoiding snakes. I ran into a snake at the Doggie Doo Run Run yesterday but it was just a common garter snake. My dog looked at it, sniffed from a few feet away, and then lost interest. There have been black racers at Doggie Doo Run Run and on occasion a water moccasin will come up from the wet lands on the golf course that borders this private dog park. So you do have to keep your eyes open anywhere in the Villages.

There are numerous Pygmy Rattlesnakes in this area. They are found mostly in the tall grasses on golf courses or alongside trails by conservation areas. They are only about 18" but still pretty venomous - especially to animals like dogs who sniff at them and get bitten in the face.

Watch out also for fire ants. Their mounds pop up very quickly and they can really be painful!