How many weeks til I should worry

[Mikey]

One of my larger ABF has not taken a dump (that Im aware of) since ~2 weeks ago, since which he has fed 5 times on worms , and 1 day on a few chicks. He still is acting hungry and hasn't slowed down. Only problem is his brother has relieved himself 2-3 times since he has. Not really sure how long I should wait until I start thinking impaction. It worries me greatly. but I figure if he is still eating he must be sort of alright.

Any thoughts wud b cool

[falconez]

Hi Mikey,even if I'm not that experienced in impaction,I would suggest you a treatment usually deserved (and working) with pacs : just put yuor ABF into warm water with some drops of honey;seems to act like a natural help for the frog to poop.
I can assure you that works properly for my pacman Margherita.
My Elvis actually eats and poops like a Ferrari so I didn't have the need to try this,but surely it won't hurt your African Bullfrog...

[GrifTheGreat]

I second Falconez's suggestion. Make sure the water is no deeper than up to his chin. Make it a little less than that and disolve 3 to four drops of honey in the warm bath. Have a cup of warm de-chlorinated water ready as well. While he is soaking to help stimulate a bowel movement pour some warm water over his back and then make the stream your pouring hit directly on his vent and flow over it. This should help. If he does not go than just continue the soaks, but the rest should not have honey in them. You only do the honey soak once. Repeat soaks daily until he goes.

If he starts to become stressed from being handled and soaked skip a day. Keep a close eye on him.

Keep us posted.

[Mikey]

Grif and Falconez,
I appreciate your suggestions, I will try this as soon as I get home. His water stays at around 80degrees at all times, and he sits and soaks in his water at all times. He is extremely laid back and will not move when I feel around in his gut. I do not feel anything out of the ordinary hardness wise, but hopefully the honey helps stimulate a movement. It would be a shame if he is impacted.

If I brought him to a vet, and he was indeed impacted is there anything they can really do different besides prescribe an enema of some sort.

by the way, he is a little under 3 lbs, so he has a lot of body mass .

[GrifTheGreat]

Grif and Falconez,
I appreciate your suggestions, I will try this as soon as I get home. His water stays at around 80degrees at all times, and he sits and soaks in his water at all times. He is extremely laid back and will not move when I feel around in his gut. I do not feel anything out of the ordinary hardness wise, but hopefully the honey helps stimulate a movement. It would be a shame if he is impacted.

If I brought him to a vet, and he was indeed impacted is there anything they can really do different besides prescribe an enema of some sort.

by the way, he is a little under 3 lbs, so he has a lot of body mass .

You're welcome Mikey

I believe they can perscribe an oral laxative. In sever cases they'll do an X-Ray and possibly sergery. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

[falconez]

Yw Mikey,let's cross the fingers for honey to do its job...this would be the best result with minimus damage...otherwise,as Grif said,better go to a vet.

[Mikey]

Hey,

Just wanted to update, he almost took my hand off yesterday when I opened his tote. I searched his eco earth to no success. Something smells in his cage tho, not really sure where it is coming from, his water is clean. Regardless, I soaked him in warm honey water, initially pouring the water over his vent. He did not deficate, so I put him back in his cage. I walked by a few times and he kept bashing the side of the cage with his face, obviously hungry, so I defrosted a few small mice and fed them to him. Hoping that added pressure may move him along a bit, but I am getting worried.

I know no one here in the forum is qualified to advise me on a laxative, by im currently a year away from being a licensed pharmacist, I also work at a hospital where obtaining any type of medication (other than controls or high cost drugs) is very possible. Is there any literature on the dosing of amphibians with a laxative? I'm more than positive I could do the math and equate a dose for a 3 lb or 1.36kg animal. I just feel like a vet visit will end up being the same thing.

Any additional help would be fantastic!

thanks everyone

[GrifTheGreat]

I'm sorry Mikey. I do not know of any written articles on self medicating your frogs with laxatives. There is one last thing you can try other than the laxatives, but you are not going to like it. More than likely you will be maimed by your big guy in the process and you'll have to hold the sringe very tightly so he doesn't get ahold of it and swallow it.

Go out to the pet store and buy a box of Fluker's Repta-Aid. It is a powder that you mix with water for malnurished and dehydrated reptiles and amphibians. It comes with all you need to dose your frog. It has a dosage to weight ratio sheet as well as a measuring cup and seringe. This. Powder contains lots of vitamins and nutrients, but those aren't the reason I want you to try it. The reason is fiber. This formula helps to keep your frogs and reptiles regular as well. Since you do not use supplements often there should be no risk of vitamin overload. I use this for my Pacs when they are slightly constipated and usually go within a day or 2 after using it. Also no more hard solid foods. Mice will just worsen the impaction because they are difficult to digest.

After you give him a dose of the Repta-Aid only give him night crawlers. They are kind of a stool softener. You should also NOT give him anymore larege meals or possibly not feed him for a day or 2 after dosing.

Try this method. I have had great success with this way of dealing with slight constipation. It may work for your big guy too.

[Mikey]

Thanks grif,

You are very helpful and speedy with your responses! After I did it (fed him 2 small mice) I thought it was not one of my brightest ideas. I agree with you completely worms it is. "Bubba" is very a sweet heart once he is out of his cage, I have no problem massaging him, poking and proding him ect once he is outside. Im assuming this Flukers Repta-Aid is for oral dosing due to the mention of using a syringe, you dont happen to know the gauge of the insertion tip do you? Regardless I will stop by my local petstore and get some of it because this is really important, but I am not sure how im going to get it into his lockjaw lol. I could totally trick him during feeding on earthworms tho. When he is chewing I could easily slip something into his mouth for a quick squirt.

This may sound nasty, but could I possibly inject one of his prey items with this stuff for consumption? I'm sure I would get the same type of effect, unless of course they do not recommend food consumption in combination with therapy due to bio-availability. I wil definantly look into this tho thanks so much grif.

[GrifTheGreat]

Thanks grif,

You are very helpful and speedy with your responses! After I did it (fed him 2 small mice) I thought it was not one of my brightest ideas. I agree with you completely worms it is. "Bubba" is very a sweet heart once he is out of his cage, I have no problem massaging him, poking and proding him ect once he is outside. Im assuming this Flukers Repta-Aid is for oral dosing due to the mention of using a syringe, you dont happen to know the gauge of the insertion tip do you? Regardless I will stop by my local petstore and get some of it because this is really important, but I am not sure how im going to get it into his lockjaw lol. I could totally trick him during feeding on earthworms tho. When he is chewing I could easily slip something into his mouth for a quick squirt.

This may sound nasty, but could I possibly inject one of his prey items with this stuff for consumption? I'm sure I would get the same type of effect, unless of course they do not recommend food consumption in combination with therapy due to bio-availability. I wil definantly look into this tho thanks so much grif.

Well Mikey you will find no articles or reccomended dosing methods. This is a treatment that I have came up with. You see when I. Had to nurse my Female Grif back to health after she had become sick and stopped eating I used the Repta-Aid in combination with the foods I was force feeding her inclueding pinkies. I noticed that the Repta-Aid kept her regular. She would go like clockwork every 4 days. I have not written any articles on this method, but have had success with a couple others on here when their frog was constipated. So I believe its worth a shot with your big guy as well.

About his lockjaw Lol! aside from a prybar I do not know how to get his gatorclamp mouth open. You can dust his worms with it but as a powder its not as affective. It needs to be dosed as a liquid separate from the food. I believe it soaks into their waste while in the digestive trace0t and it is more easily absorbed by the body this way. The fiber should help. The seringe is fsrely large, but I don't know what the Gauge of the tip is.

I would feed him some worms after or before dosing. If you can sneak a squirt in while he is eating might be the only way if you can't easily open his mouth to force feed it to him.

Try this method and keep me posted. I hope it works for him like my frogs.

Also continue the soaks while using this method. It helps stimulate bowel movements. No more Honey should be needed.

[Mikey]

On behalf of the large dog sized fecal I was more than please to find, Bubba wud like to express his gratitude for the confidence he needed to pass the massive load.

[pansie]

ahahaha!!! i LOVE it!!!


and omgoose what a cute frog!!

[GrifTheGreat]

You're welcome Mikey! LMAO!

That was the. Best thank you I have ever gotten here. Possibly ever anywhere.

I'm glad everything worked out for you. Now you will know how to home treat minor constipation with your frogs.

I believe Falconez deserves some thanks as well for his part in trying to help too.

Congratulations on your gigantic frog poop Lol!