Taking your dog for a walk?

There’s something you need to watch out for beyond just your pet taking care of business.

“I have seen it in Brandon, definitely in South Florida it’s very prevalent too, so I would imagine it’s probably going to be in our area more as the time goes on,” said Dr. Skylar Sparks, associate veterinarian at Partridge Animal Hospital. 

Dr. Sparks worries the invasive ‘cane toad’ is becoming a serious concern for pet owners in Central Florida, and the Fish and Wild Life Commission has the numbers to back it.

According to a map by the University of Georgia, the poisonous amphibian, also known as the ‘bufo toad,’ has been reported 48 times in the Tampa area, 37 times in Lakeland, and another 36 in Port St. Lucie. 

The toad secretes a toxin when it feels threatened, and if that toxin is ingested by your dog, it can be deadly in as little as 15 minutes.

“Seizures are usually the first things that people notice, but you might notice some extra salivation beforehand. If you look at their gums and pick up their gums and look at their gums and see that they’re bright red, that’s also one of the signs. but usually they’ll start drooling. That is one of the first signs, maybe even before they start having seizures,” said Dr. Sparks.

One way to keep your pet safe is to keep them away from bushes and the edge of creeks or ponds.

“Definitely just watching your pets in the backyard, especially in the evening time or after the rain, making sure they’re not going out into the yard unsupervised, so that they can’t get ahold of these things would be great, making sure that you have maybe like a water hose or something on hand if you have seen big toads in your back yard,” said Dr. Sparks.

She says the hose is important because if your dog does come into contact with a toad, you should immediately rinse its mouth out and get it to the vet. 

Cane toads are not a protected species, and the FWC encourages people to kill a cane toad if they find one on their property.

For information on how to safely do so, visit https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/amphibians/cane-toad/