Toxic Toad

Our friend Tosca scared us. Tosca wrote about WOD visiting her and even sent pictures. When we saw WOD, we thought Bufo Toad (Bufo marinus). When we read WOD was a frog, a collective sigh of relief could be heard throughout the house. We posted a picture of a Bufo Toad for you.

We heard somebody bark, what is a Bufo Toad? Why should I worry about a toad? Dogs living in south Florida, north east Australia, the Philippines, Central America, northern South America and some other places know about Bufo. These toads grow to typically 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) in length. They get up to 7 inches (17 cm) here in Key West.

Bufo Toads secrete toxic venom through their skin. If a dog eats or licks a Bufo Toad, death will very likely result if untreated. There have been cases where these toads sat around the water bowl and left enough toxin behind on the rim to poison a dog. They have even been known to eat dog food. Hmmm, that is why Dad doesn't leave our bowls outside.

Symptoms of Bufo Toad poisoning are:

-- Mouth irritation with foamy salivation

-- Depression

-- Weakness

-- Collapse

-- Difficulty breathing

-- Seizures

-- Fever

-- Vomiting

-- Diarrhea

The following two hyper-links provide a lot of pawtastic information about the Bufo Toads. Between them they cover where the live, look like, and the second one talks some what Dog Dad or Dog Mom can do to help you survive a Bufo incident.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Toad

http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/2006020820155180/print

Dog Speed.

Essex & Deacon