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Toxic toads return with the rain
By RICHARD DANIELSON
© St. Petersburg Times, PALM HARBOR -- For six dry months, Michael Dockery's wildlife capture business in Palm Harbor didn't get a single call about the giant and toxic Bufo marinus toad. On Saturday, however, his phone started to ring. "I went and got one last night," Dockery, 55, said Sunday. "It's all this rain that's bringing them out. They were pretty dormant, but we got four calls on them" in one day. Wildlife experts, local veterinarians and residents who have had close calls in recent weeks say the Bufo marinus toad is nothing to take lightly -- especially for pet owners. "We're having a big problem this summer" with dogs sickened by contact with the toads, said Dr. Joel Murphy of the Animal and Bird Medical Center of Palm Harbor. "In our hospital we'll see maybe one a month in the springtime... . We've seen three this month, and we're just one hospital." The toads release a toxic, milky secretion strong enough to sicken or kill a dog or cat that bites or licks it. A dog that ingests the toxin often will die within an hour if not treated. The toxin is absorbed through the mucous membranes of a dog's mouth, Murphy said, and the toads "really have no fear of dogs." "If people aren't aware of it, they procrastinate," Murphy said, and the delay can be fatal. He said veterinarians treat toad poisonings with intravenous fluids, anesthesia and medication to prevent seizures and irregular heartbeats. "If they get into a veterinary office in time, we always save them," Murphy said. Residents who suspect that their dogs have had any contact with the toads should flush out their pets' mouths with water and contact a veterinarian, which is precisely what Robin Valveri of Tarpon Springs did after a recent encounter with a Bufo marinus toad. "It was probably about three or four weeks ago," Valveri said. "We have a fenced-in yard. We let the dogs out, and Harley, my bloodhound, picked something up and dropped it instantaneously." Valveri, 37, said it's not unusual for Harley, a 125-pound male, to drool, but the instant the dog dropped the toad, "the flood gates opened" and the dog began to drool profusely. Valveri rinsed out Harley's mouth, and the dog recovered, but she feels lucky that she saw the toad in time. "If we hadn't been there, my dog would be gone," she said. "This thing was larger than a softball. Since that time, we have found roughly seven of them in our yard, and our neighbors have found several." Also known as cane toads, giant toads or marine toads, the Bufo marinus toads were introduced to South Florida from Latin America in the mid 1930s as a way to control pests. Since then, they've spread and become a nuisance themselves. The brown or grayish brown amphibians grow to be 4 to 91/4 inches long and can weigh more than 3 pounds. They are active mostly at night, and they will eat virtually anything, including insects, small animals, dog or cat food left outside and food scraps from the garbage. Along with profuse, frothy drooling, symptoms of toad poisoning include vigorous head shaking, pawing at the mouth and continuous attempts to vomit, lack of coordination, and staggering. Although Valveri's yard is fenced, she lives next to a small lake. Veterinarians and wildlife experts say the giant toads favor wet habitats such as the retention ponds and lakes that dot North Pinellas. "The name, Bufo marinus, stands for water toads," Dockery said. They leave the water after it rains heavily "because they feel comfortable on the saturated land." Dockery said anyone encountering a Bufo marinus toad can put on a pair of heavy gloves, seal the toad in a plastic food storage bag and put the bag in the freezer. That slows the toads' metabolism and kills them, he said. Murphy had not heard of the freezing method. He said he euthanizes the toads with an injection when someone brings one to his office. People encountering toads can also call services such as Dockery's Wildlife Capture Service. He charges $25 to $35 to pick up and get rid of a Bufo toad, depending on how far he has to travel. His number is (727) 938-2892. That's what Doyce Wise did Saturday night after taking his schnauzers, Fritz and Gretchen, out for their final walk of the evening. During the walk, Fritz homed in on something in the yard, and Wise, 66, immediately pulled the dog away when he saw what it was. "I had not seen one in our yard before," said Wise, who lives by a small lake in Palm Harbor's Eniswood subdivision. "I'm just glad I turned around as quickly as I did, because I pulled him away from it." Wise put a bucket over the toad, weighted it with a heavy stone and called Dockery. Dockery said the toad was about 8 inches around, or roughly the size of a saucer. That's not nearly as big as the largest one he's seen, which was about the size of a dinner plate. The toads have been around locally for at least 15 years and have become more prevalent in the past five, he said. "They've blanketed the county," Dockery said. "They're everywhere. Over the years, they've become very predominant up here in the north end of the county." - Staff writer Richard Danielson can be reached at (727) 445-4194.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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