Many newcomers are unaware that bufos are dangerous pests in Hawaii. I was talking with a friend from Colorado today. I told her I had to get up many times last night because I had a dog that needed to go out. (The dog is fine, I’m very tired.)

She was surprised I couldn’t just let the dog out. In the wetter parts of Hawaii, we have a poisonous toad we call a bufo. Once dogs learn about them, they leave them alone. But you can lose a dog if it gets too much of the toxin in its system before it figures out not to bite them. https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/canetoad.shtml

Bufos tend to hide in dark, moist places during the day, but come out at night. That’s why I always have my dogs on leash, and always have a headlight pointing right in front of the dog, if one needs to go out at night.

Of course it is possible that your pet will discover a bufo even during the day. They are very common in the wetter parts of Hawaii, day or night. But they tend to stay still unless disturbed during the day, so dogs don’t find them particularly interesting.

My vet told me years ago that the toads produce a neurotoxin from glands close to their skin. He said that if I saw a dog frothing at the mouth, I should immediately rinse its gums with as much running water as I possibly could.

Of course, you also want to get your dog to a vet, or a vet to your dog, asap. Since getting a vet to see a dog very quickly in the middle of the night is difficult, and rinsing out a dog’s mouth with jets of water is almost as difficult, I err on the side of caution! This is definitely an inconvenience, and counts as one of the disadvantages of living here. http://yrh.ewp.mybluehost.me/2019/08/06/the-pros-and-cons-of-living-on-the-big-island/

Buffos are common in many places in the US, as well as around the world. https://allthatsinteresting.com/bufo-toad