Bloomingdale Resident Warns of Poisonous Toads That Can Kill Pets

They look innocuous enough — just a big toad with bulging eyes and warty skin.

But these innocent-looking creatures appearing in yards throughout Bloomingdale are anything but harmless.

The Giant Toad (bufo marinus), also called the Marine Toad or Cane Toad, could be deadly to pets.

According to University of Florida Extension wildlife specialist Mark Hostetler, the Giant Toad is the largest of the frogs and toads found in Florida, though it’s not native to the United States.

Why are they here?

It was originally released in this country in sugar cane fields to help control white grubs. It became established in southern Florida as a result of the accidental release of about 100 specimens from the stock of a pet dealer at Miami airport in 1955 and by subsequent releases by pet dealers in the 1960s.

Giant Toads will eat all types of native frogs and toads, and has even been known to eat pet food.

They breed year-round in standing water, streams, canals and ditches.

According to Hostetler, when this toad is threatened or handled, it secretes a highly toxic milky substance from the large parotoid glands at the back of its head, behind the ears. This secretion can burn your eyes, may irritate your skin, and can kill cats and dogs if they ingest the secretion.

Are they in Bloomingdale?

Bloomingdale East resident Kalyn Dukes says she recently found several of the Giant Toads in her back yard.

“We’ve had three Marine Toads in our yard in the last several days,” she said. “We have a golden retriever and a flat-coated retriever and a cat. They are larger so would most likely just get very sick. But the toads are often fatal to the smaller dogs. We are a pet-friendly neighborhood so I am sure people want to know about these toads.”

Symptoms

Symptoms of Giant Toad poisoning in pets include drooling, head-shaking, crying, loss of coordination and, in more serious cases, convulsions. The dog's (or cat's) gums often turn red, an indicator used by veterinarians to distinguish toad poisoning from epilepsy. For this reason, pet owners should be familiar with their pet's normal gum color.

Hostetler said if you suspect toad poisoning, get a hose and run water in the side of the dog or cat's mouth, pointing the animal's head downward so water isn't swallowed. Rub the gums and mouth to remove the toxin. This treatment is usually successful, he said, but call your veterinarian immediately.

Dukes said she couldn’t bring herself to kill the toads and, instead, transferred them to a wooded area away from residences. However, the extension service said there is a humane way to kill the toads.

Purchase a small tube of benzocaine ointment, which is used in humans as a painkiller for toothaches. There are several well-advertised brands as well as much less expensive store brands. Simply take a strip of ointment about 1 inch long (more for very large frogs) and spread it down the spine of the frog from the neck to the tailbone. In five to 10 minutes the animal will be groggy; in 15 to 20 minutes it should be unconscious, and in about 30 to 40 minutes the frog will die or be near death. Now put the frog in a plastic container and place it in your freezer for three days.

This is a humane way to kill amphibians because their bodies go into a state of torpor (metabolism slows way down) just as they do in cold weather outside. If the cold weather is short in duration, the frogs will come out of their torpor state when temperatures warm up. However, after an extended time in freezing temperatures, the frogs die.

Why put the frog in the freezer if it appears to be dead already? The extension service wants to make absolutely sure that heavily drugged frogs that appear dead don't get buried alive. After three days, dispose of the carcass properly by burying it deep enough so that a pet or wild animal will not dig it up, or by placing it in a plastic bag and putting it in the trash.

For more information, visit the Florida Wildlife Extension’s website.