PHOENIX (AP) _ With the return of monsoon season comes a potentially deadly danger for dogs.

KPNX-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1TEfXrq ) that the Sonoran Desert toad lives beneath the sand for most of the year, but they are now emerging from the ground — along with their toxic self-defense mechanism.

Arizona Game and Fish Ranger Amy Burnette says more dogs die from encounters with the Sonoran Desert toads than from wrangling with rattlesnakes.

A white secretion that seeps from pores along the toad’s head and legs contains a powerful neurotoxin that can cause a dog to foam at the mouth, suffer seizures, high fever, dilated pupils and a rapid heartbeat.

To increase a poisoned dog’s chance of survival, Burnette advises using a garden hose to flush the animal’s mouth before an emergency vet visit.