LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Invasive cane toads are poisoning pets in Florida backyards, prompting experts to warn residents about the potentially deadly amphibians.
Rapid development and man-made waterways in places like the Arden community in western Palm Beach County are making the toads more of a problem. The invasive amphibians, also known as bufo toads, are relatively harmless to humans but can kill pets.
Danielle Pascucci experienced a close call with her 90-pound, 5-year-old Golden Retriever, Pluto. Pluto usually meets guests at the front door, but one day he was missing.
"I called him over. He still didn't come, which is really weird for him. And then I came and I turned the light on, and I knew instantly something was wrong," Pascucci said.
Pluto had gotten ahold of a cane toad. Pascucci recognized something was seriously wrong and rushed him to the veterinarian.
"I went over and I touched him, and as soon as I touched him, he collapsed," Pascucci said.
"They definitely said that it had to have been a toad. 99.9% sure it was," Pascucci said.
Pluto returned to his normal self after a few days, and Pascucci began searching for ways to keep the incident from happening again.
I connected with Jeannine Tilford, owner of Toad Busters, to help the Pascucci family find answers.
"It's like, CPR, if you don't know what to do, when your dog bites a toad, you're gonna lose your dog, most likely, because it's a matter of minutes," Tilford said.
We walked the family’s property together to identify risks. Tilford recommends switching out mulch with rocks, installing mesh fences along the property, keeping an eye on spaces where critters can hide underneath, keeping lights off at night, and having a handy kit to react to the toads.
"Most important thing is, you know, whether you have a service like us to come out and help or you want to help yourself, don't leave the dog unattended," Tilford said.
