In the Arizona desert, everyone knows we have scorpions and snakes, but did you know that we also have toxic toads? The Sonoran Desert toad - the largest toad in the United States - has been known to kill more dogs in the Phoenix area than rattlesnakes per year. These toads are most active during the monsoon, when the humidity is high, though they are nocturnal during this period of time

The Sonoran Desert toad secretes neurotoxins that cause an almost instant, intense, and usually deadly reaction. The neurotoxin seeps from pores along the toad's eyes and legs and its effects are fatal if not treated immediately since there is no anti-toxin.

The Sonoran Desert toad’s diet is mostly insects, which makes it great to have around your property if you don’t have children or pets. But they will also eat pet food, which is how dogs usually find them. Dogs will catch the toads in their mouths, ingesting the toxic substance the toads use to fight off predators.

Biting the toad, or even just picking one up in its mouth, can cause a dog to foam at the mouth, suffer seizures, high fever, dilated pupils, a rapid heartbeat, and act confused. Symptoms also include difficulty in breathing, collapsing, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Keeping pet food and your pets indoors in the evenings - especially during the monsoon - is the best way to keep your pet from picking one of these toxic toads up. But if they do happen to catch one, the best thing you can do is to flush your dog’s mouth out with running water – like from a garden hose. Run the water from the corner of its mouth and flush it out towards the front of her mouth, and continue to do that until you flush the poison out. Then get your dog to the emergency vet as soon as possible.

If insects, snakes, scorpions, spiders, rodents, crickets, bed bugs, feral cats, and any other critters are bugging you, stop in to any of our Valley-wide locations to see how we can help you get rid of them.