With high humidity and rainfall during the wet season in Southwest Florida, invasive Cane Toads are becoming much more prevalent across Collier County, especially in the evenings.
There is no exact number of Cane Toads in our community, but experts estimate numbers to be in the hundreds of thousands, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) .
"You hear and see these gigantic toads that come out at night basically screaming. I think Jabba the Hutt is probably a good way to describe it ... I caught toads and frogs as a kid growing up, but these are like the size of a pancake," said Chelsea Gioffre, a homeowner in Northern Golden Gate Estates.
Cane Toads are extremely poisonous, excreting a milky-white toxin from their shoulders called BufoToxin, which is released from fatty portions of the toads shoulders when the animal is squeezed or bit. Dogs are particularly vulnerable, since the toads are slow moving and often chewed on by pets off their leash.
"If your dog bites one of these, you have minutes, I would say minutes, sometimes less than 5 minutes. I've had people where their dogs died within 20, and it also depends on the size of your dog," said Seth Brattain, the owner of the Naples-based invasive animal removal service SlethReptiles.
Local trappers typically offer collections for the toads, and underground fences to prevent them from entering backyards and properties. However, the West Palm Beach-based company Toad Busters (which also operates locally), is now selling a kit to help protect your pets in the event of an emergency.
"We created a kit that not only had the instructions in it, but it also has things you need to do that you can do to save your pet. So far we've had about three or four veterinarians contact us to tell us that because of the kit, the owners were able to save their dogs lives. It it actually teaches you what to do to kind of get the toxin out as much as possible. We have components in it that basically help to bind with the toxin. That will also give you more time to get to the vet," said Jeannine Tilford, the owner of Toad Busters, who sells the kit.
Dubbed the Cane Toad Poisoning Emergency Response Kit , the red medical kit contains the following items, which could elongate the time your dog survives before needing medical care:
• (1) Water bottle with a fine nozzle to help move toxins from the gumline
• (3) Rags to wipe the dog's mouth
• Activated charcoal to help prevent the absorption of toxin from the stomach and intestine
• Syringe to administer charcoal
• Flashlight
• Gloves
• Goggles
• Instructional booklet
"You have to go through it and know what to do. It's just like if somebody had a heart attack, you know, you call have somebody call 911, you start CPR immediately. You don't have the time to, you know, spend 15 minutes looking," added Tilford.
The kit can be shipped across the country via online orders. In addition to the kit, mitigation tactics include nightly collections (done by you or a professional), underground fencing, and keeping an eye on your pet during nighttime walks.