Hopper from Hell

                   

   By Florida Bill              

                     Florida has its wonders.  The ocean and sun and gentle breezes. 

 Sure, a few hurricanes here and there and a bit of a rainy season, but you take a little bad with a lot of good.  

                     Spoiling this pleasant atmosphere is a hopping critter that causes fear and loathing among Florida pet owners.  So bad is this unwelcome dude, that a chomp on him by a dog can trigger dire consequences to the animal, even death, if not acted upon promptly. 

                     I am speaking of the Bufo toad: squat, big-bellied,with bulging glands on either side of his head, the unloveliest member of a decidedly unattractive species. Unfortunately, his presence in South Florida is way too common. He hunts for food after dark, but can be seen at twilight and dawn, especially in the warm, rainy season. During the heat of the day, he tends to burrow under bushes and alongside ponds, or wherever he can find cover. Toads do not sweat, and therefore cannot tolerate a blazing Florida afternoon; they are also cold-blooded, and make themselves scarce during any rare Florida cold spells. This is not to say that pets can't find them during these supposedly "safe" times of year. 

                     Officially he is of the genus Bufo Marinus, better known as the Bufo or Cane toad.  He is also called the giant toad according to some veterinarians, who are quite familiar with the critter.  This ugly dude reportedly can get as big as a salad plate, but that size is fairly rare.  More often it is about the size of an ordinary ball of yarn.  This amphibian, when nervous or frightened, exudes a milky white toxin from those over-sized glands on his upper back, which accounts for his unpopularity among dog and cat owners, although it is seldom that a cat wants a bite of it. But for dogs, and particularly our two Cairn terriers, they want nothing more for recreation than to scare up one of these fat, slow-hopping toads and chomp down.  And when they do, the consequences can be dire, even fatal. 

                    There may be toads or other amphibians which are likable, even kept as a pets. Who knows? There are some unusual people in the world.   Mark Twain once wrote a story about the Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and the little critter in the title was the proud possession of a betting man.  But my research has never uncovered any respect for the Bufo, only total unabashed dislike, although the toad and its toxin, which is more hallucinogenic than poisonous to humans, was once the star of an episode of LA Law.
                     On three occasions in the past several years one of our dogs has scared up this vile little varmint and taken a bite. But fortunately, I was always nearby and witnessed the fray. Instinctively, my reaction was swift and I grabbed our pet, washed out her mouth and raced to the office of the emergency vet who treated her with fluids to dilute the poison, for which there is no antidote. Home she went, after a period of observation, ready to hunt again. In some cases, small dogs will suffer seizures, and even death. The immediate telltale sign that a dog has been poisoned by a bufo is bright red gums. Often a dog will foam at the mouth and make spitting motions after biting any toad, apparently a very untasty species. But our dogs, at least, never seem to learn.
                   Nowadays, when our dogs go out, they are on a leash. No wondering about on their own, sniffing and rooting out visiting critters. 

                      Some years ago, Australia was reacting to the increased presence of the Bufo and advised residents of their deadly toxins, but suggested that they be caught when sighted and humanely euthanized.  It was recommended that   "benzocaine ointment" be rubbed on the back of the critter. In 5-10 minutes the toad will become unconscious and then should be put into a plastic bag and frozen ensuring that the critter dies humanely.  After three days the carcass should be buried in a deep hole.  That scenario was not well received by everyone, including a man whose dog had been poisoned by a Bufo.  He wrote that he "would like to see the bastards die in pain." He explained that he disposes of them by zapping them with a steady stream of ammonia.  "It flattens them like a pancake and kills them quickly."  

                      In no way is the Bufo a native son of the state of Florida.   Basically, the Bufo is found in Central and South Florida, and in parts of Texas and Arizona, but is said to be native to the Amazon Basin of South America. History tells us that the Bufo was introduced into the state in the mid 1930s in Palm Beach county as an experiment aimed at controlling sugar cane pests.  I don't  know how the sugar cane industry prospered with the Bufo at work, but the toad population certainly took off. Correspondingly, populations of smaller species of native toads  have diminished as the bigger interlopers took over.
                       We have been lucky to get our little hunter's mouth washed out and get her to the vet pronto, before she ingests a big enough dose to go into seizures. But you must be on guard because these killer toads can hide in the grass or in the rocks and sniffing dogs can root them out even during times when they are considered somewhat inactive.
                      Veterinarians tell me that they see two or three dogs monthly which have encountered the dreaded Bufo. A pet owner who walks into a vet's office carrying a dog need only shout "TOAD" and watch the whole office spring into action.
                 I have a neighbor who is a physician who said that he used a shock collar to condition his dogs to stay away from the Bufo, and now if they see or sniff one, they retreat.  Many dog owners shutter at the idea of using a shock collar and prefer to simply watch their pets closely.
                        My advice:  Don't let your dog loose after dark, and when your dog is loose in a fenced yard, keep a close eye on him. When you go for a walk, always, no exceptions, use a leash. If your dog does grab a toad, wash out its mouth with a wet towel and race it the vet. The smaller the dog, the greater the risk.          
                     

                                                            xxx