I've been looking into old threads i missed while i was away and felt a need to post this since nutritional disorders are the most common ones in pacman frogs.

This is a very short summary of corresponding chapter of Merck Veterinary Manual for professionals, this is FYI only and can't be used to substitute proper treatment and diagnosis by certified vet.

"Metabolic bone disease is frequently seen in amphibians consuming nonsupplemented invertebrates. Except for earthworms, most invertebrates used as food have an inverse calciumhosphorus ratio. This results in mandibular deformity, long bone fracture, scoliosis, and eventually tetany and bloating. Diagnosis is made radiographically by finding thinning cortices of long bones, mandibular and hyoid bone deformities, pathologic fractures, and in severe cases, GI gas. Treatment includes correcting the diet and administering calcium glubionate 1 mL/kg/day, PO, for 30 days. Full-spectrum lighting with biologically active ultraviolet-B light should be provided. Vitamin D3 can also be administered in severe cases. Starvation, resulting in weight loss, lethargy, and dehydration, must be treated by providing proper nutrition through assist feeding.




Thiamine deficiency is seen in amphibians fed frozen fish containing thiaminase. Clinical signs include tremors, seizures, and opisthotonos. Initial treatment is the administration of thiamine at 25–100 mg/kg IM or intracoelomic, followed by thiamine 25 mg/kg body wt, PO, with each meal. Thiamine deficiency can be prevented by routinely supplementing diets with 250 mg thiamine/kg of fish fed.


The carotenoids, including vitamin A, are not synthesized by amphibians and must be provided through diet. Excessive levels of vitamin A have been hypothesized to interfere with vitamin D metabolism and contribute to metabolic bone disease, whereas deficiency has been associated with lethargy, wasting, and inability to use the tongue to catch prey due to the development of squamous metaplasia of the tongue (short tongue syndrome). Treatment includes providing vitamin A supplementation and force feeding a proper diet."