Hello and Help!

[jellyfish]

As of yesterday we have become unwitting frog owners - one of my daughters friends brought her a hoplobatrachus rugulosus as a birthday present from the local wetmarket.

To those of you unfamilar with HK's wetmarkets - the are gross, wet and smelly and definately unhygienic!
To make matters worse the mother of said friend (the kid is only 8 years old - don't blame her), who is now classified as a total numbskull, refused to inspect the frog when she bought it! It was popped unceremoniously into a plastic bag.

When my daughter showed me the frog it had red open swollen toes. It does not have red patches on the legs though, only the toes appear affected.
I haven't met the mother yet but she'd better beware because I'm really really angry at her.

We haven't taken it to the vet yet (sunday ) but a friend of a friend knows something about frogs so we sent some pictures over. Still waiting for a reply....

In the meantime, the frog is in a clean glass tank, which has some water in it....about 20 degrees Celsius. We caught some grasshoppers which it ate....

I'm doing some research as to the needs of frogs... and getting supplies this afternoon....We're successful owners of hermit crabs already so have some idea about difficult and delicate pets....

If you have some idea of what is wrong with it, and can give me advice IT IS ALL VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!! If I don't hear back from anyone, I'd be very tempted to put it in a diluted solution of antibiotics....

[Kurt]

The pictures are not nearly as bad as I thought when I was reading your post. I would see a vet about treating this. Good luck with this splendid frog.

I wouldn't be too hard on the mother of your daughter's friend, as she actually rescued this frog from becoming someone's meal. The Chinese food markets are animal lover's nightmare. I have never been to one but I have heard the tales and have seen the video. It angers me every time I think about it. Live animals are stacked in crates like potatoes, with the poor souls on the bottom being crushed to death. There are no refrigeration units to speak of, so often animals are butchered alive, having pieces of their flesh cut from them. An agonizing way to die.

For those unfamiliar with the species, Hoplobatrachus rugulosus or Chinese edible frog is a semi-aquatic Ranid similar to the North American bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus. It is a native to Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has also been introduced to Malaysia. Its IUCN (Red List) status is Least Concern.

[jellyfish]

Thank you Kurt! So it doesn't look that bad? Thats making me feel a bit better...
But I'm still upset with the mother of that girl even if she did 'rescue' the frog from the markets!
I'll pop over to the vet this afternoon and fingers crossed they can do something. Not really a common pet here just a common dish

[John]

Looks like raw areas of skin that have become infected with bacteria. A topical antibiotic should take care of it. A vet visit is always advised, but keeping the frog on moist paper towels that you change every 2-3 days may be sufficient.

[Crystal6]

Not really a common pet here just a common dish

Still a very handsome frog.

I second the "the cuts don't look that bad" part. I've seen animals get infections and die. That doesn't look life threatening yet. (Vet trips are still a very good idea though considering I am no expert. I assume the Sunday is next Sunday?)

[jellyfish]

Thanks for your comments everyone!!!

We'll be seeing a vet this afternoon, after an online chat with one last night..... she said we may need to do some tissue sampling as part of the frog's thigh has a reddish tinge... something about sepsis.... gulp

That said I hope he / she pulls through - does anyone know how to tell the boy frogs from the girl frogs?

[jellyfish]

Btw here are the vet's online comments, I'm sure you'd be interested:
>> Subject: Re: Treatment for Bullfrog with photos
>
> I agree this is likely cage husbandry problem, but be aware of the following
>
> 1. This frog appears also to have reddish tinge to the ventral skin.
> If this is real and not caused by photography artefact, this might
> mean that there is sepsios, not just local infection ad prognosis is
> poorer.
>
> 2. Baytril injection is very alkaline and has alcohol in it and can be
> damaging to frog skin. Consider using oral solutrion with some
> glycerin added instead.
>
> 3. There are some real zoonotic pathogens in amphibians, includig
> mycobacteria (M marinarum, M smegmatis, M cheloneae, others) and
> salmonella. Cytology at least would be a good idea.
>
> 4. Human skin has persistent organic acids that can irritate amphibian
> skin. Wash hands in distilled water or the frog's swimming water
> before handling.

[John]

The vet seems to know what she is talking about, at least more than most vets do with regard to amphibians. You should be alright.

[tgampper]

During my time working with amphibians at the local zoo, our vet recommended the use of Bactine topical antiseptic for the treatment of wounds and skin abrasions. I am not sure if this over-the-counter medication is available worldwide though. It contains 0.14% Benzalkonium chloride and 2.6% lidocaine hydrochloride with a non-alcohol base. We applied it to the wound twice a day. Scar tissue has been known to form within 24 hours of application. Any swelling or edema will be resolved quickly as well. Of course, do not use any alcohol based, stringent antisepatics on the frog's skin as it will cause serious injury. For more information, check out Herpetological Review, Vol. 22, No. 1 (March 1991). This study was conducted by the University of Toronto.