My frog has popeye. :(

[BeckyM]

What up? Total newbie to the forum, but I've been dabbling with frogs for the past 5 years.

However, what my little frog has goes beyond my area of expertise.
I'll tell you guys what I do know and hopefully someone out there can help me with my little buddy!

On Christmas Day, my five year old Eastern Gray came down with something. He was lethargic, had no desire to eat, he couldn't right himself (he fell off his branch and landed on his back!) I also noticed his typically shiny eyes were all clouded over and looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

I did a little google searching and found he had popeye (apparently fish get it too) and saw that something called Methelene blue would cure it, and that Methelene blue was available at any pet shop. Well, that part was a lie. I checked six pet shops, even a specialty fish store and couldn't find ANYTHING. Grr!

So, Petsmart was my last hope. The clerk there said her manager used Maracyn to clear up her frog's cloudy eyes, so I gave it a shot. Day four of Maracyn baths, his eyes looked better, his energy returned and things were looking great. However, once his lethargy vanished, Sticky REFUSED to stay in a soak for more than five minutes before leaping to the wall of his hospital tank. The pet store lady didn't say anything about how to make a bouncy tree frog stay IN the soak.
(I'd fill up the hospital tank with water and just make him stay in it, but Sticky seems to have forgotten how to swim. He just floats in the water looking like a total dummy.)

Fast forward to day 9. Frog's activity level is normal, I've witnessed a skin shedding, he's eating once more and he can right himself when flipped onto his back. His eyes are still gross though! They're even foggier than before!

I've got him in a little 4x6ish hospital/quarantine/travel tank and I wash it out daily. His normal living space is a oh gee...I want to say 8 gallon tank (It's roughly 18 inches long, six deep and twelve high.) with a mesh lid.
I had just cleaned his tank and fed him 2 days before he got sick. M

His diet is the same as it's always been, crickets fed on Flukers. I switched from the powdery corn like cricket feed to the gel bites back in September and the frog seemed to handle it ok.

My question is, is there anything else I can try to make my frog better?

Do I need to keep on with the Maracyn? I think it's effectiveness (or lack thereof) is affected my tree frog's hatred of water. Should I get an eye dropper and spritz him down with it?

Do I try to keep looking for that elusive Methelene blue stuff?

Are there any homeopathic remedies for popeye/cloudy eye? Salt? Baking soda or something cheap that could potentially be lying around my house?

Does that frog vitamin/antibiotic stuff you sprinkle on the frog's food work? The clerk showed me that too. I'd buy that, if I knew for sure it'd work.

Or do I just let nature run it's course? He IS an old frog, and been through alot. I caught him wild in Virginia back in 2006 and he's been in Minnesota since 2008. He doesn't seem to be uncomfortable, save for his cramped hospital tank.

This popeye thing goes beyond my frog knowledge, so if a froggy expert could lend me a hand, I would be much obliged!

[En333]

Could you share a pic?

[BeckyM]

It's really hard to get a pic of him, because he's so small and my camera lacks a macro setting.





Holding him with Nitrile gloves on, like another website told me. And wtheck, he looks orange O.o But alas, his eyes aren't as shiny as they should be. Sorry I can't get a better picture.

[En333]

Hmm... I don't think I can really help you here... My frog has never had this problem I'm sorry :/

Maybe someone else can help by looking at your pic

[DonLisk]

My thought would be to keep up the treatments until its totally cleared up. Using a lower piece of Tupperware would be my only thoughts on a bath that he can't climb out of.

[Tiffanyjayne]

Do not touch meth blue.

I run an aquatics store, meth blue was stopped in most shops when they found the levels of certain ingrediants to be so high they would literally stain the fish and kill it, even the smallest amount can kill small/weak fish.

I personally use it and have done for years but only ever as a kill or cure medication on fish that simply will not tolorate anything else or on diseases that just won't budge although i'm sad to say it's 50/50 with survival but i tend to put that down to the illness not the meds.

It is used as an anti fungal for fish eggs when hand rearing (so to speak) but it has to be heavily diluted, since there are so many bad reports on the stuff most stores won't supply it (i don't either)so i'd look at contacting a local reptile store or vet and asking about treatments that are 100% designed for frogs/amphs ect

Sorry i can't help as i don't know a great deal about frogs but please for the sake of your frog don't try meth blue.

[Tiffanyjayne]

You said he began to show signs of getting better?

Are the eyes still protruding? or just cloudy?

[BeckyM]

You said he began to show signs of getting better?

Are the eyes still protruding? or just cloudy?

Well, it's a good thing I couldn't find it!

They're doing a little of both still, though mostly clouding up. He moves around now, not as lethargic as before. He's also eating and then eliminating on a regular basis.

[Tiffanyjayne]

Pop eye is normally caused by an internal bacerial infection so the good news is.... he has possibly fought off the infection (possibly with the help of the meds you used) otherwise the eyes would be getting worse, in fish it offen follows with a bright red ring around the eyes which may be the same for non fish related animals so keep an eye on it but otherwise i'd look for other things is could be, possibly he's become poorly and banged himself causing his eyes to become sore? so maybe the two things aren't actually related.

[BlueisallIneed]

If things are not looking great and not getting much better, take him to a vet. If you know this is out of your field, trial and error reading on websites isn't always the best solution! Good luck!

[BeckyM]

Pop eye is normally caused by an internal bacerial infection so the good news is.... he has possibly fought off the infection (possibly with the help of the meds you used) otherwise the eyes would be getting worse, in fish it offen follows with a bright red ring around the eyes which may be the same for non fish related animals so keep an eye on it but otherwise i'd look for other things is could be, possibly he's become poorly and banged himself causing his eyes to become sore? so maybe the two things aren't actually related.

That could be, he IS old, after all (This summer will be my sixth year having him, and I've no way to tell how old he was before that.) I put a few rocks in his tank for him to climb on and he does bump into them often. I've since taken out all the pointy rocks. I think I'll continue with the maracyn treatment ,since going to the vet for my frog isn't an option. I'm a college kid and despite having a decent job, money is REALLY tight right now. I can't afford to take my little wild caught frog into the vet, no matter how much I like him. But I can afford a little $8.50 froggy antibiotic that lasts ten days. Seems to be working too. He's right at eye level with me and his eyes look clearer! Yay perseverance!

Also, I can get him to stay IN the soak longer by putting the medicine water mix in the bottom of a margarine tub, filling the tub to the frogs chin height, and then putting a lid on the tub. (AFTER poking a bunch of huge air holes in it first!)

[BlueisallIneed]

Well good luck, hope your little guy gets better!

[BeckyM]

Thanks. His activity level is back to normal for this time of year. Now if only his dang eyes would clear up all the way...>_<

[BeckyM]

Ok, so my camera totally sucks, but you can still tell that those eyes of his aren't all that bright. The highlight of his eye looks gray instead of white. Do frogs go blind with age? I'm starting to wonder if it's blindness setting in or something.