20/07/2021
INFORMATION COURTESY OF CENTRAL MAUI ANIMAL CLINIC ON BUFO TOADS AND YOUR PETS:
A bit of helpful information for those of you who may not know much about Bufo toads.
Bufo toads are poisonous toads that live here in Hawaii. They like to hang out in and around water sources, like ponds, swimming pools, or just hopping around in the rain - especially at night. Sometimes, pets become intrigued by the toads and either nose them around or actually try to bite them. When disturbed, bufo toads sq**rt a milky poison out along their backs. When predators, like dogs and very rarely cats, try to bite or pick up the toad in their mouths, the poison absorbs through the pet's tongue and gums into the blood stream. The poison causes drooling or foaming at the mouth, vomiting, wobbliness, disorientation, seizures, collapse, heart problems and death.
Once the poison is in your pet’s mouth, before doing anything else, you need to rinse your pet’s mouth very well. Turn on a water hose outside or place your pet in a sink or tub and run water in a stream so that the water washes the poison OUT of the mouth and NOT DOWN the throat (point the pet’s nose towards the ground to ensure the water does not go down the throat, and if using a hose, sq**rt the water in through one side of the mouth, and out the other). Continue rinsing for 5-10 minutes.
If vomiting persists after rinsing the mouth out, or if there are any signs of seizures, disorientation, staggering, or weakness please see a veterinarian IMMEDIATELY for further care.
