Keeping Pets Safe from Cane Toads

THE AFTERNOON RAIN SHOWERS ARE BRINGING MUCH NEEDED RELIEF, BUT THEY ALSO CREATE THE PERFECT BREEDING GROUND FOR CANE TOADS. THE TOES BREED ALL YEAR ROUND IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. BUT PEAK ACTIVITY HAPPENS DURING RAINY SEASON WITH WARM TEMPERATURES. ONE FEMALE CAN LAY THOUSANDS OF EGGS TWICE A YEAR. THE POISONOUS TOADS CAN BE FOUND IN YARDS ON ON YOUR SIDEWALKS AND AROUND BUILDINGS. THEY CAN EASILY COME IN CONTACT WITH YOUR PET, WHICH CAN BE DEADLY. >> BECCA MOORE IS THE CEO OF PATTY BAKER, HUMANE SOCIETY IN NAPLES. >> JOINS US NOW IN THE WGCU STUDIOS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THIS REALLY IS KIND TO BE HERE. >> AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS QUITE A LETHAL TO OUR DOGS AND OR CASH OR THE SUBJECT CANE TOADS. YEAH. CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF HOW DANGEROUS THESE LITTLE CRITTERS ARE? >> THEY'RE VERY DANGEROUS. >> THEY HAVE PLACES CLANS THAT SAT ON THEIR SHOULDERS. THEY DON'T SHOOT THE TALKS THEN. BUT ULTIMATELY WHAT HAPPENS IS OUR CANINE FRIENDS ARE DOGS. THEY LIKE TO INVESTIGATE WITH THEIR MOUTH. AND SO OFTEN TIMES A DOG WILL SEE A TOAD. SEE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE A TOAD AND GO TO GRAB IT. AND THAT IS WHEN THE CANE TOAD HAS BECOME INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. AND IF YOUR PET LICKS OR SQUEEZES ON WITH IT. HE SAYS IT'S TIME TO EAT THAT OWED. IT IS GOING TO RELEASE THOSE TOXINS AND THOSE TOXINS WORK VERY QUICKLY. >> WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT YOU ARE PET HAS COME IN CONTACT. >> WITH ONE, THOUGH, HE'S ONE OF THE SIGNS THAT GETTING GETS MISS. THE MOST IS RED GUM. SO AS THAT TALKS AND HAS ENTERED YOUR DOG'S MOUTH, IT CAN ACTUALLY START TO SECRETE THROUGH THE GUMS AS WHAT WE TEACH IS TO REALLY LOOK FOR THAT RIGHT NOW. BUT ULTIMATELY WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE PRETTY QUICKLY IS FROTHING AT THE MOUTH THEY'RE GOING TO BE PAULING ARE CLAWING AT THEIR MOUTH AGAIN, VERY QUICKLY. THEY WILL BECOME DISORIENTED AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE SEE SEIZURES. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE WORST THING THAT WE CAN SEE AS CARDIAC ARREST SO IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR PET HAS GOTTEN A HOLD OF A CANE TOAD OR TOWED IN GENERAL, YOU SAID LIKELY ASSUME THAT CANE TOAD AND DO WHAT YOU CAN TOO MINIMIZE THAT TALK THE CITY GETTING INTO A DOG SYSTEM. AND HOW DOES A PET OWNER DO THAT? SURE. SO WE TEACH TO WHITE THE INSIDE OF THEIR MOUTH. YOU'RE TRYING TO ACTUALLY REMOVE. IT'S LIKE A WHITE STICKY SUBSTANCES. WHAT ULTIMATELY ENDS UP LOOKING LIKE THEY WANT TO WIPE THAT FROM THEIR GUMS ALL AROUND. AND THEN YOU WANT TO FLUSH THEM OUT. BUT WHAT WE TEACH IS YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE FLUSHING FORWARD SO OFTEN TIMES YOU WANT TO TELL TO THE DOG'S HEAD AND FLUSH THIS WAY. AND WHEN WE'RE REALLY STRESSED OUT WHEN WE'RE OBVIOUSLY IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, WE CAN SOMETIMES RINSING THE MOUTH AND YOU'RE ACTUALLY PUSHING THE TALKS AND FURTHER DOWN. SO YOU DO WANT TO THINK ABOUT FLUSHING FORWARD AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT WE TEACH IS WHILE YOU'RE DOING THAT, YOU ARE YOU ARE STARTING THE PROCESS OF GETTING YOUR PET TO THE VET. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE HERE. THERE IS NO AT HOME REMEDY YOU WANT TO ENSURE THAT IF YOUR ANIMAL HAS COME IN CONTACT OR POTENTIALLY INGESTED CANE TOAD, YOU WANT TO GET THAT PET TO THE VET IMMEDIATELY NOTICED. >> FRIGHTENING BECAUSE IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. SO WEST FLORIDA, THEY ARE PLENTIFUL. YES. >> WE HAVE WE KNOW WE DON'T REALLY KNOW. YOU KNOW HOW MANY CANE TOADS WE HAVE OUR I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT SPECIFICALLY. BUT THEY ARE EVERYWHERE DURING THE RAINY SEASON. WE DO SEE MORE OF THEM. BUT THIS IS FLORIDA. SO ULTIMATELY THERE IS NEVER A REAL DOWN TIME FOR THEM. THEY ARE NOCTURNAL. SO WE DO A LOT OF TEACHING PUTT PET OWNERS ABOUT SAFETY AT NIGHT AND HOW YOU CAN PREVENT THOSE THOSE CREATURES FROM ENTERING OR DIE. >> AND HOW IS THAT? WHAT CAN WE DO ALSO? THERE'S A FEW THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO. SO CANE TOADS. LOVE BUGS. >> BUGS. LOVE, LIGHT. SO YOU DO WANT TO ENSURE THAT YOU DON'T KEEP A LIGHT ON PERMANENTLY THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. SO OBVIOUSLY HAVING MORE OF A MOTION SENSOR TYPE LIGHT OR THEY ALSO MAKE BUG BOLD THAT YOU CAN USE AS WELL. THAT MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT ABOVE THAT MIGHT BE SWIRLING IN YOUR YARD. ANOTHER THING THAT YOU WANT TO REMEMBER IS CANE TOADS. LOVE SNACKS. AND SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY FIGURE OUT THE YARDS THAT POTENTIALLY ARE LEAVING OUT FOOD FOR THEIR PETS. MAYBE THEY'RE CAUGHT. SO YOU DO WANT TO REMOVE ANY FOOD BOWLS AT NIGHT BECAUSE AS THEY THAN YOU MIGHT SEE THEM IN YOUR FOOD AREA WHEN YOU'RE FEEDING YOUR DOG OR YOUR CAP. >> SO CANE TOADS ARE LETHAL TO DOGS AND CATS AND A ARE ANIMALS THAT ARE MOST OF TIME. YOU KNOW, LOOSELY IS NOT EXCLUSIVE THE CANINES. WE JUST TEND TO SEE MORE INSTANCES OF CANINES AND ADJUSTING. >> LIKING SQUEEZING A CANE TOAD AND NEEDING EMERGENCY SUPPORT CATS TEND TO SEE IT LOOK AWAY, WALK AWAY. AND NOT JUST THAT. NOT TO SAY THAT A CAT WOULDN'T IN JUST A CANE TOAD, BUT WE DON'T SEE IT IS NOT. >> AND I WANT TO TOUCH ON WHAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, WHICH IS THAT? >> YOU KNOW. >> EMERGENCY HELP IS REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY. >> THIS COULD HAPPEN IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. THAT'S NOT WHERE YOUR DOG COULD LITERALLY PASSED AWAY IN FRONT OF YOU. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN TAKE HOURS TO EVOLVE. AND TRUTHFULLY, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THE CANE TOAD HAS BEEN ADJUSTED, THAT YOUR PET HAS COME IN CONTACT WITH THE CANE TOAD. YOU TAKE THOSE 2 AT HOME MOMENTS WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO WIPE AS MUCH ABOUT TALKS AND THE MOUTH FLUSH AND CALL OR GET IN THE CAR AND HEAD TO YOUR VETERINARIAN. IT'S IMPORTANT AS A PET OWNER TO ALWAYS KNOW THE CLOSEST EMERGENCY THAT AND OF COURSE, ENSURING THAT YOU DO HAVE A VET ON CALL. ALL RIGHT MORRIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. TAKE YOUR CALLS. APPRECIATE IT. >> HERE'S ANOTHER INTERESTING FACT FROM THE WGCU NEWSROOM REGARDING CANE TOADS. ACCORDING TO THE FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, CANE TOADS WERE FIRST INTRODUCED TO FLORIDA IN THE 1930'S TO CONTROL PESTS IN THE SUGAR CANE FIELDS THAT INITIAL POPULATION DID NOT SURVIVE. BUT LATER IN THE 1950'S THEY WERE BROUGHT BACK THROUGH THE PET TRADE INDUSTRY. AND SINCE THEY HAVE APPARENTLY SPREAD THROUGHOUT