Toads are common garden inhabitants, often prompting questions about their potential dangers. While toads do not possess teeth for biting, contact with skin would feel more like a gentle gumming sensation than a painful bite. The true concern regarding toads lies not in their ability to bite, but in their defense mechanisms.
Toad Defense Mechanisms
Toads rely on various behaviors and adaptations to deter predators. When threatened, a toad may puff up its body with air, appearing larger and harder to swallow. This involves expanding vocal sacs and other flexible body parts. Some toad species also release urine as a startling spray.
Toads possess specialized glands on their skin that secrete milky, irritating substances. These secretions act as a chemical deterrent, making the toad unpalatable or harmful to predators. Many toads use camouflage, blending into their surroundings. Some species display bright colors as a warning signal of their toxicity. Certain toads also employ a “playing dead” strategy, becoming motionless to evade capture.
Understanding Toad Toxins
Toad defensive chemicals are secreted from parotoid glands, prominent structures behind their eyes. Some species also have glands on their skin, arms, and legs. The milky secretions are a complex mixture of compounds, primarily bufadienolides. These bufadienolides are cardiac glycosides, similar to digoxin, and interfere with heart muscle electrolyte balance.
Pets, especially dogs and cats, can absorb these toxins through mucous membranes by mouthing or licking a toad. Symptoms in pets include excessive drooling, foaming, bright red gums, retching, and vomiting. Severe cases may involve disorientation, dilated pupils, increased heart rate, wobbly gait, muscle tremors, seizures, collapse, or death. Toxicity varies significantly by species, with Cane Toads and Colorado River Toads being more dangerous. For humans, direct contact can cause skin irritation, redness, burning, numbness, tingling, and swelling. Ingesting the toxin can lead to nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and potential cardiac issues, though severe harm is uncommon.
Safety Precautions and Pet Care
Given the toxic nature of toad secretions, caution is important when encountering these amphibians. Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling a toad or being in areas where they are present. Avoid touching your face, especially eyes or mouth, before washing hands to prevent accidental exposure.
If a pet interacts with a toad, immediate action is crucial. Signs of poisoning include excessive drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, disorientation, or seizures. If symptoms appear, promptly remove the toad from the pet’s mouth. Use a damp cloth to wipe the inside of your pet’s mouth, including tongue and gums, for 10 to 20 minutes, rinsing the cloth frequently. Avoid flushing water directly into the pet’s mouth, as this can cause accidental water inhalation. After initial first aid, seek veterinary attention without delay, as toxin effects can progress rapidly and early intervention is important.