can anything be done for a really bad parasite infestation?

[ThinkDanni]

We got a white's tree frog at a reptile expo a little over 2months ago, we were warned by another vendor there that for the size/price it was guaranteed to be a wild caught frog and with that we ran the risk of parasites. But my daughter was not to be dissuaded to get a smaller or different frog and so Julep became a part of our family.

Now we obviously have very nasty sores on the frogs back with a worm having come out of one today. Is there anything that can be done to save Julep at this point? She looks so miserable, and I feel horrible for her. And my daughter is distraught.

Here is a link to a picture it's really nasty looking so I won't embed it. http://i60.tinypic.com/1zwdn5t.jpg

Thanks for any input.

She is housed alone with good handwashing between dealing with her tank and other pets.

[Frogman1031]

Vet intervention is really the only thing to do at this point.

You can put neosporin WITHOUT PAIN RELIEVER on her to help fight possible bacterial or fungal infection.

Contact a vet as soon as possible!!

How big and how much was the frog? Just so other members can better tell when a frog is wild caught. dont stress her out more though

[ThinkDanni]

Do you think a vet would be able to save Julep at this point honestly?

I didn't get a weight on the frog like I usually do for new acquisitions which is weird especially with the warning. But she was significantly bigger than other whites frogs there so really stuck out to my daughter. $25 (sorry for sideways don't know why) that's my 10year old daughter with Julep on the day we got her.

[Frogman1031]

I do not know, honestly. But i do think its worth a try

[Lija]

Hi, sorry for the stuff you are going through.

Would you please post pic of these "nasty sores", I can't open the one you posted.
It sounds like intermittent form of tapeworm, called spargana, very common in wc whites tree frogs, especially Indonesian ones.

[deranged chipmunk]

A vet is definitely needed. And not just any vet, one that actually knows about amphibians (not all do). If you don't have one where you live, you can contact Doc Frye. His info is on here somewhere and i's sure someone will post it soon. You'll need to send him a fecal sample so they know what kind of parasites the frog has so try can treat properly.

What you need to do ASAP, is get the frog into a quarantine tank. This is an extreme case. The frog will have a much better chance at recovery of it is in a tank with nothing but a few plant clippings and a water dish with non printed paper towels as a substrate. Do NOT use clipping from it's current tank. That tank will have to be disinfected.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[ThinkDanni]

Yes we think it's an Indonesian wild caught based on the info from the other vendor at the expo (who was very helpful)

[Lija]

Just opened the pic, no idea why I coulndt before. Yes it is spargana and yes it is WC frog. It is not dangerous to you or other frogs, the frog got infected as a tadpole.

you can save the frog. You need to find a vet in your area that treat frogs, make sure you ask if they do that. There are 2 ways of treating, and it is not going to be easy.

one thing you need to be aware of. You can't give systemic anti parasitic meds to a frog or a frog will die.
One way is to surgically remove them, most likely you will need to be back to do so later on too, because it is highly unlikely it won't reocurr. It suggest to go this way as a only way to save a frog.

The other way is to just let these worms get out on their own, but it is very stressful and painful for a frog and the chances are a frog won't survive.

[ThinkDanni]

I have a vets number at home that I know works with reptiles (what most of my babies are, the frog thing is new to me other than a pair of pacific tree frogs we rescued from a drying up puddle as tadpoles and haven't had any problems with) I'll give them a call when I get off work and see if they work with amphibians.

Thank you very much, helpful knowing exactly what it is, now to see if the one vet that works with some exotics has a clue about this.

So should I do the quarantine tank with paper towels?

[Lija]

You don't really need a quarantine tank with papertowels for this condition, that is intermittent form of tapeworm, it doesn't lay eggs, it is pretty much a dead end for it in captivity.
You do need to keep your baby as stress free as possible, but you will need to keep it also very clean ( papertowels) after the surgery.
I very strongly suggest to make sure 3 sides of a tank covered with something not see through, it is full of leafy things to minimize the stress.


Keep also in mind as a WC frog it also has load of other parasites, that I suggest you discuss with your vet. Panacur will most likely to be suggested by your vet. It is not absorbant into blood stream, thus is safe for your frog. The danger of systemic antiparasitic meds, such as ivomec, is that they kill worms in a body, bypass products of dead worms will poison a frog causing its death. This is FYI only, im sure your vet is well aware of that

so to summarize what I was trying to say lol.....
Keep in quarantine until you deworm a frog from whoever lives in digestive tract, you can keep with other frogs after that and keep an eye for new bumps appearing on a skin, go to a vet to remove them as soon as you see it ( if you see them).

[ThinkDanni]

I don't think Julep has a hope I got home from work tonight and her little toes are falling off and bloody and there are even more sores, and she's breathing oddly.