Please help. I think it's dropsy. :(

[FrogFriend]

How is your toad? I talked to my vet today. She said as long as your toad is eating and active, then he's ok. I hope that he's doing ok.

[Rorschach]

Thank you for asking your vet! He is still active but I'm not 100% sure he is eating. I put more crickets in this morning and counted them. I also got the Metromed in the mail yesterday and starting feeding it to the crickets. Not sure what's in that stuff, but I had it on the dining room table in the sealed bag it came in and my cat went after it, knocking it off the table and chewing a hole in the bag! The crickets also went after it, so hopefully Rorschach goes after the crickets that ate it!! We're planning another paracentesis for tomorrow. My friend that helped me the last time has been working or out of town since, so we haven't had a chance to do it again. He still looks good, just big.

[FrogFriend]

I am glad he seems to be doing better and still active! I checked what metromed was, on any meds that my pets or I get I go to drugs.com. It is a great site that explains medications, what they are used for, side effects, etc. there is a section for meds that are just pet meds but most animals meds are the same as human meds, just smaller or larger doses depending on the weight of the animal. (Your nurse friend probably knows a lot about this site too!) I checked on what the med was because your cat was interested in it and trying to chew through the bad. What it is is an med for bacterial and fungal infections (and since it's unsure if dropsy is baterial or fungal this is a great option!) It is metronidazole mixed with krill (shrimp base which is probably why your cat was trying to eat through the bag) I have given metronidazole to my kitties (and my foster orphaned baby kittens) when they had a problem with their digestive tract and having a problem with really bad diarrhea. It is a med that tastes HORRIBLE! So it is interesting that the cat and the crickets were going at it! Also, I am not sure how it comes to you- is it a powder, flakes, frozen? You may want to not only gut feed your crickets with it but also get it on their bodies. When the crickets eat it, some will stay in their system and the toad will get it that way, but a lot of it will get digested and move through their system and out before the toad can get the full affect. This is just a suggestion based on what I asked and what I know about medication moving through the body and out. It is probably ok that you haven't been able to do another tapping of his abdomen, gives him time to recover and not be over taxed. Anyway, I am glad you got the med- let me know how it works for you, if it's quite effective, I may order some and have it on hand here. I had read that people noticed a dramatic change within 24 hrs after giving it to their fish with dropsy, so hopefully that will be you too!

[FrogFriend]

How is your toad? Did the antibiotic work?

[Rorschach]

He's still doing ok. He's definitely eating, which is super! We did a third paracentesis last night. He's not getting any bigger, but not losing any of the fluid on his own either. I've fed the metromed to the crickets to get it to him that way, since he won't eat it, and have seen no change. Not sure what else to do at this point. It's been a few weeks and he's still active, eating, and looking pretty good except for the bloat! We'll just keep slowly draining the fluid once a week or so I suppose. Maybe since the metromed is being delivered in such tiny doses is why it isnt effective. I dont know any other way, though. His mouth is so small and fragile I'm really afraid of trying to force feed it and am not going to attempt it. I've read that it's a very long, slow healing process that takes several weeks or even months, so I'm not too concerned at this point. Thanks for asking. I'll let you know if there are any major developments. Hopefully some miracle will occur and this will all be over soon, but for now, he's doing just fine.

[Rorschach]

Hello. Just thought I'd send an update. Rorschach is still doing well a year and a half later with no recurrence of the swelling. We drained the fluid maybe a half dozen times over several weeks, applied antibiotic ointment to the needle hole, gave a few baths with treated water, and he's been well ever since. I'm much more mindful of changing his water regularly and keeping his habitat clean as well. Anyway, just thought I'd put a message up in case someone is having the same problem with their frog and looking for solutions online, like I was.

[Mentat]

Glad your frog survived and is doing well !