Emerald Green Tree Frog - need help!

[rEd86]

Greetings.

My daughter has an emerald green tree frog "Kiwi" that needs help. We are going to the vet tomorrow but I wanted to check here to see if there was anything we could proactively do to make sure he makes it that long.

A little background:

My daughter saved up her allowance and purchased Kiwi back in September of 2011. He had a little irritation on his nose which healed nicely and he's been a great little pet with no problems. His diet is a few crickets daily (however many he can eat before getting bored) and he's in a 20g aquarium with heating pad, lights, etc that came with a reptile kit she purchased.

About two weeks ago Kiwi developed a skin irritation on his back. We called the pet store where we purchased it and they indicated it might be due to too much handling of him so my daughter minimized handling only for feeding. (we put him in a smaller cricket cage during feedings) We were gone for the last week on vacation (with someone feeding him and changing his water daily) and returned to find him in MUCH worse shape. The skin irritations are now all over his body and what appears to be his tailbone has broken through the skin and is sticking out. He lost a lot of weight while we were on vacation so I'm guessing he doesn't feel like eating. See attached pictures:





My daughter is in tears to come back to find him in such bad shape. Should we just let him be until we see the vet first thing Monday?

TIA.

--Ed

[DonLisk]

Hi Ed,
Sorry your family is going through this and your frog is in real need of a vet. It seems to be a bacterial infection. I don't have a recommendation as to the cure but I will suggest you email a photo and info to Dr Frye and see if he can suggest medications to help the frog.

I understand you have a vet visit tomorrow but I would also still contact Dr Frye since he is very experienced with frogs.

Here is a link to info on contacting Dr Frye and some info on meds.
http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...-prepared.html

I would include as much history and enclosure info as you can in your email to him.

Sorry I didn't have some information of so quick relief for your frog. :-(

[Greenie]

I feel so bad for this poor little frog also, I highly suggest never touching your tree frog! Ever! Not only does the oils from your skin harm it, you also stress it out when you touch it, stress can be another way for a frog to die. Please keep away from it for atleast a month or two if he recovers. If you don't want to listen to me about not touching it anymore atleast put gloves on like latex gloves or something before touching it. Thank you. :P

[Bolisnide]

Oh my, poor babe! This must be so heartbreaking for your daughter
Good luck, and I hope he recovers. If he does, you have a long road ahead of you... please, please keep us posted and email Dr. Frye.

[wesleybrouwer]

I think for a frog in this condition euthanizing is the best option, how harsh it might sound.
Never seen any frog in such bad condition truely.
A strong guy i suppose, since most would have past on long before such condition.
Might be a bacterial or fungal infection.
Whatever you do, don't throw anything from the cage out without sterilizing it,
you might just introduce something nasty into your surrounding environment unintended.
Good luck to you and you're daughter, things like this are always difficult.

[rEd86]

So here's an update for everyone. We took Kiwi to the vet on Tuesday and she prescribed a diluted baytril solution which we are applying once daily. We have moved him into a quarantine tank where all we have is damp paper towels in the bottom which we change daily. (in addition to a water dish and small log) He does have a small appetite and eats a cricket every day or two. Here are some pictures of the little guy taken this morning:





As you can see, his skin has significantly improved and his tail has healed a little bit. The vet will deal with the protruding bone once the other issues are cleared up. We know we're not out of the woods yet but we are optimistic.

Thanks for all your well wishes and support.

--Ed

[Shade38]

Poor little cutie! Hope he pulls through.

[Bolisnide]

So here's an update for everyone. We took Kiwi to the vet on Tuesday and she prescribed a diluted baytril solution which we are applying once daily. We have moved him into a quarantine tank where all we have is damp paper towels in the bottom which we change daily. (in addition to a water dish and small log) He does have a small appetite and eats a cricket every day or two. Here are some pictures of the little guy taken this morning:





As you can see, his skin has significantly improved and his tail has healed a little bit. The vet will deal with the protruding bone once the other issues are cleared up. We know we're not out of the woods yet but we are optimistic.

Thanks for all your well wishes and support.

--Ed

Wow, he does look a lot better. What is the plan for the tail bone? Surgery? You are so awesome for giving him a chance. How is his temperament through this ordeal?