injured frog, seeking advice

[cassie]

could use some knowledgeable advice.

I have an adult American bull frog in my kitchen. The frog is one of hundreds that live in 3 frog ponds on our property. We bought the house specifically for the wildlife & nature - call it "Frog Hollow" because that's what you hear, all night, almost every night until winter.

This frog has a lacerated front leg probably caused by 1 of my cats. Seems otherwise unharmed. It is a 1/3 inch tear in the skin in the lower front arm. The ponds are all kept natural with no pesticides on our property, stocked with minnows and goldfish for bug and weed control and refilled primarily by rain water. However, it seems like keeping the frog in a cleaner environment to grow back some skin would be helpful.

I put the frog in a med size aquarium with some rocks and conditioned water (I used my aquarium treatments). I caught a small cricket to put in, so far the frog hasn't eaten but seems alert, active and is supporting itself easily on the injured arm. The tissue is swollen and still a red gash but not beyond what I would expect.

Questions:
Is there anything missed from the frog's environment?
How long would you expect before the tissue is sealed enough to release it back to the wild?
I have a Stress Coat water conditioner for my fishtanks that adds aloe vera to the water to add a slime coat and treat fish scales. Would this be helpful for the frog?

I have no intention of keeping this lovely inside permanently; the frog ponds outside are a croaky's delight.

[flybyferns]

Hi,
It's so nice of you to protect him

I love the 'name ' of your property! Sounds beautiful .

You could try some neosporin ointment on it.
WARNING---Do NOT buy neosporin with any pain reliever in it.
( the anesthetic / pain relieving ingredients can make him very, very sick and may even kill him w/ repeated uses)

There are specific de-chlorinators for amphibians. Any big pet supplier will have it. ( look in the turtle area)
It might be best to keep him outside , if possible ? ( out if the sun of course) in an area totally protected from other wildlife and your kitty cats. This will help keep temp swings more natural him. The more you can keep things "the same" for him the less stressed he will be.

It's impossible to tell how long it will take. It all depends on how deep it is. Cat bites, for instance, can be nasty.
The neosporin needs to be used. It also depends on him , his immune system, his age , condition etc. I suppose it does no have to be completely healed prior to release? But he should be able to get around to avoid additional threats during a complete recovery. I would plan on changing the water often.

Wear ( powerless) gloves and wash your hands really well after handling him or touching his water.

I would contact your most local Herpetological Society as they have volunteers that will help you ?
Many are very well run and very willing to help They may even have access to a herp vet that pitches in?

The rocks in this hospital tank need to be large and flat. You don't want him to swallow one while grabbing a cricket.
That would not be good. Feed him really well --- he has a big appetite! Large crickets can be purchased at the pet store. The are other feeders available at the pet stores? However, I think it's best to keep his feeders as close to what he is used to as possible.

I do not have a captive bred bull frog-----but lots of other members do.
Hopefully they will chime in and add whatever I have left out.

Good Luck

[cassie]

Thanks so much for your reply! I had neosporin so applied it after you posted. I keep it onhand for the menagerie (kids, cats, dog, chickens, fish, lizard, hamster, accident prone husband) but was not sure it was safe for frogs.
The leg looks much better already this morning, about 48 hours after confining it.

The frog's had a couple of crickets and a coating of neosporin over the new tissue. As soon as the tissue looks like it's sealed I'll put it back in the front pond.

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF Cassie! Just want to add not to use the aloe vera stress coat. The binders in product have been found to affect fish and would not be surprised they do the same to frogs. Plain dechlorinators like Seachem Prime or ExoTerra Aquatize work great. You can also add to frogs water Melafix; the one used on fish for mild bacterial issues. Just mix it according to label and use in frog's bath or water. Good luck !

[cassie]

thanks for that information! Thankfully, I did not add the Stress Coat but used neosporin after the first reply I got. I suspect that takes the need away from using Melafix, but good to know for any next times. I have that on-hand for my tanks.

The frog seems to be healing remarkably quickly, especially for as deep of a cut it had. He's eaten 3 crickets this afternoon, is mobile and having no difficulty with the injured limb and the cut is knitting nicely.

[cassie]

well, the frog was released in the frog pond near my house a day or so after my last post. He had a skim of new skin over the wound and was able to jump around with a lot of force, so I thought it best to put him back in his own environment with another dose of neosporin. I've wondered how he was doing since...

... but no longer, as he was on my back doorstep today! Not sure how he got there, didn't seem to have any major injuries but was under a shrub in the vicinity of a cat. I got to check him out well. The wound is now healed fully with just a faint scar to show it happened, except for at the wrist where it was still largest. That spot is still closed but more obviously a fresh scar.

Lucky frog, or household wannabe? It was good to see him, either way! Returning him to the farthest and deepest pond in our yard.

[Mentat]

Those are great news Cassie ! Also, cute that frog came by to say thanks !

[Lija]

Wonderful! I bet that was his thank you for helping him

And i want to welcome you here and thank you!

[Lady]

Glad you were able to help the dear little guy.

[DigitalPunk]

Yay I love happy endings!!

and also to say welcome to the forum! I am not sure how I missed welcoming you before.

[cassie]

thanks, all, for the advice and for the welcomes!
It is nice when critters you help stop by to say thanks in person, although I certainly hope this time he stays safely in the pond!