New House = Lots of Bufo Toads! Help!

[Raffeer]

Be very careful about handling the toad especially if you have any sort of cut on your hands. The toxin is also harmful to humans.

[plantlover]

If I see any, I relocate them to Heaven They don't belong in Florida and they can kill your dog!!

[Catrick]

I would like to add that while rinsing your dog's mouth as soon as possible is the smartest thing to do, it would be wise to take the dog to the vet. Especially small dogs. My 20lb terrier almost died before we got him there even after a good rinsing. If the poison gets to their heart it will kill them. It was about 15 years ago so I don't remember the heart medicine they had to give him but the vet said literally a few more minutes he wouldn't have made it. And the poison sent our 30lb dog into convulsions and almost killed him too. You just have to be very careful. Also the toads don't usually attack but the poison they shoot out is a defensive move. So the older our dogs got, the less we worried about them going after the toads. Of course we were still careful but not as frantic as we were when they were younger.

The terrier is still around today. 20 years and still going. And I am very grateful to the vet who saved his life..

[TerraDown]

Just to clarify: 'bufo marinus' is the true scientific name for the giant marine toads we deal with here in south Florida. And they are Cuban natives. A few decades back, the Austrialians thoguht they could use the toads to control another animal population with these frogs, so they imported them. Sadly, it has been a blight on their country as well. I have seen them eat dogfood right out of the dog dish when left outside, so the poster on first page who mentioned not leaving it out is right. Bowls of water will become soaking areas in evenings, so take in water bowls too. And solid fencing is the only answer. The toads burrow in the heat of the day, so the fence will need to be underground at least 8". My wife and I lost a chow chow to this toad back in '88.
On the other hand, they DO eat mosquitoes and other bad insects. If you don't have pets or small children, they are good to have around.
So, cut down on any open water sources, leave out no food, solid fence and walk dogs. Lots of good advice from previous posters, just thought I'd add my two cents, since I lost a dog to the toads too.
Gino