Possible edema?

[illadelfyaEAGLE]

Hello all, sorry for the long post...

I posted a few weeks ago that I thought my new whites looked a little bloated. He was acting normal (such as soaking, eating, and being active). I came to the conclusion (through my observations and comments by others) that maybe he was just a little on the porky side. However I have noticed some odd behavior recently. He still has a great appetite, is fairly active (not nearly as active as my other whites though) and his stool looks solid. However I notice that he doesn't soak. He sits by the edge of the bowl staring at the water but wont go in. If he's placed in it he immediately climbs out. He looks like he's soaking though because he's puffed up. This has me thinking that he's retaining water due to a kidney malfunction. Its like he wants to soak, but he's already "filled to capacity" sort of speak. Another thing i notice is that he takes about 3 breathes, each time puffing himself up more and more, then exhales and deflates himself. My other whites does not do this. For you experts out there...do I have a concern?

ps, another point now that I think about it, when I picked him out at petco, he was noticably smaller than the other whites he was in with (I picked him for his color). I'm guessing they all have to be from the same brood. Could he have been born with a kidney problem, and thus his "failure to thrive" is evidence of that?

[mommyof4froglovers]

He has a bulge on his side or at least thats what it looks like. I would take him to the vet. It could be an impaction maybe. I am not an expert though I have 3 whites, we have only had frogs for 6 to 9 months.

[illadelfyaEAGLE]

Yeah it does look like that, however he is deficating and his sides aren't hard. Normally he's pretty symmetrical. Thats why I believe its fluid retention. He's also eating and his stool looks normal so i guess that rules out a bacterial/fungal infection. At i least I hope so because before I saw him acting strange, I put him in a tank with my other whites. Prehaps I should have quaratined for a longer period of time. Also if its pathogenic, wouldn't a frog be drawn to the water to soak MORE instead of LESS?

[tgampper]

I suggest taking a fecal sample to the vet for analysis. If you don't have one nearby, take a look at the sample through a magnifying glass or microscope. Even an untrained eye will be able to spot a parasite. Another option is to take a sample to a biology lab at a college or high school, maybe they can identify any problems.

There are two types of edema, one that is caused by a bacterial infection, the other by a water imbalance due to poor habitat conditions. A good antibiotic is Maracyn or Maracyn Plus. If it's a water imbalance, a light salt bath might work or a bath in unflavored, diluted Pedialyte. One caution about pedialyte - it is hypertonic (water will flow out of cells causing them to shrink).

Good luck with your frog. Unfortunately, if edema goes untreated it can lead to kidney failure and death.

[illadelfyaEAGLE]

thanks for the replies,

Terry, I actually have my MS in Biology and I did a fecal exam- but unfortunately all I have at home is a magnifying glass. I didn't see any worms. I'm sure if it had protozoan parasites it would be lethargic and the stool would be runny- not the case. Again i bought it at petco, but it seems like they do a good job of keeping the water fresh. However thats why I thought kidney disease in the first place, due to the buildup of nitrogenous waste in the water bowls. Its very strange, when the frog is moving it looks fine, but at rest it looks plump, much more than my other whites. Both are males but the one in question is considerably smaller (3 vs 2 in. SV), it just started croaking the other day. Another thing, i said previously that it wasn't soaking. I should have stated that prior to introducing it into the tank with my other whites it was soaking, but once in there seemed hesitant to soak. Now that I have re-quarantined its soaking again! Which got me to wonder ...since they're both males, could it be a territorial thing? Since the smaller one was introduced into the bigger frogs domain, might the little guy be reluctant to "share" an important resource such as a water supply? I mean everything really points to a healthy frog, it croaks, is now apparently soaking again, just took a nice solid poop a few min ago, and is bouncing around the cage, and eats like a monster. At times it just looks bloated. I dunno.