EDITOR'S NOTE: A few weeks ago my friend Janet Cates' two dogs went out for their early morning pre-dawn playtime in the yard. Both Yorkshire Terriers, they are very terrirorial and spunky too. But, unfortunately, they messed with the wrong animal-- a Bufo Toad, known as Bufo Marinus-- and within minutes, Katie was dead and Rosie was in seizures. After weeks of care by Dr. Burrin and his staff, and Janet's mom and dad, who force- fed Rosie every two hous for days with a eye dropper, Rosie is coming around, but still has a long way to go, said Janet. It remains to be seen if Rosie has brain damage from the severe effects of the Bufo's toxin. The following information, written by Christine Winter in July, 1999, was sent to Janet by a friend who researched the Bufo on the internet, and should be of interest to all of us who have pets here.
Dog lovers, beware the Bufo Marinus. It's the Hulk Hogan of the toad world, with some full-grown adults measuring seven inches long and tipping the scales at a hefty three pounds.
However, its chief claim to fame is not its size, but its danger to pets. It secretes a toxin that can kill a dog in less than 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, there's nothing a Bufo toad likes more than a rainy summer. The amphibians, introduced to Florida in the 1930s from South America, have had ample opportunity to breed in this rainy weather, and veterinarians fear a bumper crop.
"They are a big problem this year, and it will probably only get worse as the summer goes on," said Dr. Leonard Fox, of North Springs Animal Hospital in Coral Springs. Fox sits down new clients from out of state and gives them a lecture about the toads, complete with two examples that he caught and keeps in a waiting room aquarium.
Owner education is about the only deterrent, according to Fox, since toads pretty well go where they want, and most dogs, especially terriers, have a tendency to pounce on anything that hops in front of them.
A dog owner's best defense is to keep a close eye on your dog during the rainy season, especially at night.
Should the dog still make contact with a toad, wash out its mouth with copious amounts of water, being careful not to direct the water down the animal's throat, and get it to a veternarian immediately.
Cats tend not to "mouth" strange creatures the way dogs do, but can still get the toxin on their paws and cause serious eye irritations, Fox said.
He added that during a wet summer, he might see as many as five cases a month of Bufo poisoning. He considers it one of the leading veterinary emergencies, along with sunstroke and drowing, in South Florida.
So how do dog owners know which hopping critter is a dangerous Bufo toad and which is just a normal harmless Southern frog or a nontoxic toad?
It's pretty hard to tell. Bufos don't start out at three pounds-- they have to grow that big. However, one of the Bufo's stand-out features is its profound ugliness, and this in a species never known for being cute and cuddly in the first place.
"The Bufo is remarkable not only for its huge size," said Dr. Jay Savage, a biologist at the University of Florida in Coral Gables, "but also for its coarse skin and swollen, pitted poison glands on the back of its head. It has a bloblike shape, is wide across the belly, and hops slowly."
Frogs are smoother and need to live around water. All toads have glands on their heads-- though not as large as those of the Bufo-- and they are leathery and warty and only need to be around water to breed. However, when it's dark and there is something hopping around, Fox said, the best bet is to "assume every toad is a Bufo."
Savage said he has never heard of any human fatalities associated with handling the toads, though skin irritation can result. The Bufo toxin is strong enough to make a human, especially a child, seriously ill if injested in large enough amounts, but it would most likely require biting a large Bufo, and the toxin is extremely bitter tasting.
Christian Delisle, chief veterinary technician at Spanish River Animal Hospital in Boca Raton which in the past has offered seminars on Bufo toad poisoning, offered these warning signs that your dog has bitten a Bufo toad: They will foam at the mouth, their gums will burn bright red and they will act drunk. The toxin causes heart attacks and seizures, especially in smaller dogs.
Bufos are nocturnal. So watch out for your pets during nighttime hours. And don't hesitate to call your vet if your animal touches or bites this very poisonous toad.