Day 2,181

The Bufo Scare

We skipped VBS and church last night and headed to the chiropractor and then the beach for some vitamin D and salt. The kids all woke up feeling lousy and snotty, so we just tried our best boosting their systems and not infecting others if they in fact have something. (Today I learned that it’s most likely just allergies from all the things in bloom right now, but I didn’t know that before I kept them home!)

The other thing I didn’t know was at what point are you supposed to panic and call 911 and have your baby transported to the hospital when your 14 month old touches a poisonous Bufo frog? Any takers? Well, when she started shaking her head and acting strange, that was the point I caved. 

The kids were playing outside in the pool and upon hearing the two big kids screaming “Ella Mae touched a frog,” I meandered over to see what was the hype. That’s when I saw this gigantic and nasty toad in our pool and knew immediately it was a bufo. I literally had a conversation with a firefighter in our church just the day before about a bufo almost killing his dog, so you can imagine my horror when I realized that Ella Mae had touched the frog. At the time, I didn’t know that the neurotoxin that thee frogs excrete is a thick white toothpaste-looking gunk that they produce when they feel endangered, and though I didn’t see any of that when I scooped it out of the pool, Ella Mae’s head-shaking and my inability to get a concrete response from my older toddlers about what happened was enough for me to have the fire truck and ambulance called to the house. Me being by myself with three wet kids was enough to warrant it, though now that I have more information, it’s likely I won’t make the call as quickly next time. 



And so me and the babe took the most expensive car ride ever to the ER, where they took all her vitals and assured me she was completely fine. Her only real symptom was her aching gums and tired eyes - both resulting from the mouth of teeth she’s breaking through right now. So yeah, if you live in Florida and come in contact with a bufo, a few things:

1) immediately wash your hands. In this case, your baby’s. 

2) don’t touch your mouth, nose, ears, or eyes. The neurotoxin only agitates the skin but in the mucous membrane is where it gets into the bloodstream and attacks you.

3) check child’s mouth for redness 

4) watch for a quick onset of seizing 

5) watch for a quick onset of stiffness

6) if the neurotoxin gets into the mouth, place the infected individual on their side and run a hose into their mouth for 20 minutes or until help arrives. Constantly wipe the neurotoxin out of their mouth with a washcloth. 

7) kill all the bufos

8) be best friends with your neighbors so they can help when an emergency arises!! Thanks Brandi and Trent for your help with the big kids and for picking us up from the hospital!

9) love your church well - the immediate support and arrival to the hospital by my dear Mrs. Tawnyia was precious and so comforting. 

10) don’t touch bufos