impaction/prolapse

[camalotte]

Hello All,
My good friend here Prop Joe seems to be having problem. This morning i noticed what i thought was a turd on his back, but upon further inspection found out it was actually still partly in him. I can tell for sure that he ate some of the sphagnum moss and that part of it is still inside him. I tried putting him in a "warm" bath and noticed he got more active and was trying to push it out but no luck. He was actually pushing so hard that he started to prolapse(as you can see from the photo). The prolapse has since receded but there is still the moss that has not passed. is there any advice as to what i should do? Should i wait another day or two and see what happens?
We just lost our 5 year old dog very suddenly to cancer and after the $5,000 vet bill have zero extra money. Anything we could try at home would be greatly appreciated.

[Gnag the nameless]

Ah, that is scary... I'd hate to be in your situation. As for the frog, I'm really not sure, I'm new to frogs... How deep in is the moss?

We're gonna need experts on this. Do research, and try methods suggested. Keep checking the forum for an expert to look at this. Goodluck.

[Murray of the Deep]

Hello All,
My good friend here Prop Joe seems to be having problem. This morning i noticed what i thought was a turd on his back, but upon further inspection found out it was actually still partly in him. I can tell for sure that he ate some of the sphagnum moss and that part of it is still inside him. I tried putting him in a "warm" bath and noticed he got more active and was trying to push it out but no luck. He was actually pushing so hard that he started to prolapse(as you can see from the photo). The prolapse has since receded but there is still the moss that has not passed. is there any advice as to what i should do? Should i wait another day or two and see what happens?
We just lost our 5 year old dog very suddenly to cancer and after the $5,000 vet bill have zero extra money. Anything we could try at home would be greatly appreciated.

Here look at this thread:
http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...ubling-me.html
all i can say is bring him to a vet or go check the thread see if it can help you
-Murray of the Deep

[purpleturtle89]

I had my frogs eye out that was prolapsed and only cost me £50 then antibiotics all in all about £100

[GrifTheGreat]

Hello All,
My good friend here Prop Joe seems to be having problem. This morning i noticed what i thought was a turd on his back, but upon further inspection found out it was actually still partly in him. I can tell for sure that he ate some of the sphagnum moss and that part of it is still inside him. I tried putting him in a "warm" bath and noticed he got more active and was trying to push it out but no luck. He was actually pushing so hard that he started to prolapse(as you can see from the photo). The prolapse has since receded but there is still the moss that has not passed. is there any advice as to what i should do? Should i wait another day or two and see what happens?
We just lost our 5 year old dog very suddenly to cancer and after the $5,000 vet bill have zero extra money. Anything we could try at home would be greatly appreciated.

It isn't very expensive to have a prolapse placed back in. Until you can get him to a vet soak him in a Luke warm bath that is chest deep with 5 to 6 drops of honey disolved in the bath. This should reduce swelling. These drops of honey can be large so don't warry about holding back. No harm will come to the frog from the honey bath.

Do this immediately.

[camalotte]

It isn't very expensive to have a prolapse placed back in. Until you can get him to a vet soak him in a Luke warm bath that is chest deep with 5 to 6 drops of honey disolved in the bath. This should reduce swelling. These drops of honey can be large so don't warry about holding back. No harm will come to the frog from the honey bath.

Do this immediately.

I gave him the honey bath last night and the prolapse went back in almost immediately. He still however has the moss sticking out. Should i just continue to soak him and see if it will come out in the next day or two? Thank you all for your advice.

[GrifTheGreat]

I gave him the honey bath last night and the prolapse went back in almost immediately. He still however has the moss sticking out. Should i just continue to soak him and see if it will come out in the next day or two? Thank you all for your advice.

Yes I would continue the soaks. Buy some unflavored pedialye too and add a cap full to the bath as well. The better hydrated he is the easier it will be for him to pass the moss. You may still need a vet to give him an oral laxative.

Now get rid if all moss in the enclosure. It is too dangerous to allow your frog to eat in his enclosure with it in there. Just keep him on Eco Earth.

[camalotte]

Yes I would continue the soaks. Buy some unflavored pedialye too and add a cap full to the bath as well. The better hydrated he is the easier it will be for him to pass the moss. You may still need a vet to give him an oral laxative.

Now get rid if all moss in the enclosure. It is too dangerous to allow your frog to eat in his enclosure with it in there. Just keep him on Eco Earth.

I'm absolutely getting it out of the tank. I will update if anything else changes. I just wanted to thank you all for being such a good resource. It is amazing how much miss-information there is out there, especially from the people who sell these little guys. I will definitely be switching to tong feeding the crickets to him.
How often can i give him the warm pedialyte or honey baths?

[GrifTheGreat]

I'm absolutely getting it out of the tank. I will update if anything else changes. I just wanted to thank you all for being such a good resource. It is amazing how much miss-information there is out there, especially from the people who sell these little guys. I will definitely be switching to tong feeding the crickets to him.
How often can i give him the warm pedialyte or honey baths?

Add honey to a bath for a week and only add the Pedialyte every other bath. Be sure that after each bath you soak him in a second bath of just plain dechlorinated water to rinse the honey off his skin.

You're welcome.

[Bruce]

When you thing feed be sure to use rubber tipped tongs. Exo-terra makes a really good pair. I say this because these frogs can be pretty violent when they lunge, especially males, which I would guess yours is. The bare metal/plastic could hurt their tongue, or face/eyes if they miss, which he most definitely will at some point.

Grif has given you golden information, follow it to the T. Keep us updated!

[camalotte]

As of this morning nothing new has changed. He does not have a prolapse, but the moss is still sticking out. I have found a vet that will look at him, but my wife is out of town and has the car so I have no way of getting there until Wednesday. I know nothing can be said for certain, but do you think that i will be ok if i just continue supportive care until Wednesday? Thanks again.

[GrifTheGreat]

As of this morning nothing new has changed. He does not have a prolapse, but the moss is still sticking out. I have found a vet that will look at him, but my wife is out of town and has the car so I have no way of getting there until Wednesday. I know nothing can be said for certain, but do you think that i will be ok if i just continue supportive care until Wednesday? Thanks again.

Yes as long as the prolapse doesn't return. Do NOT under any circumstances pull on the moss.

[Heatheranne]

Most definitely agreed...pulling on the moss could not only create another prolapse, but you could create a intussception, which is when the intestine slides into itself or volvulus, when it twists. A volvulus can lead to severe swelling and lack of circulation to that portion of the intestine causing ischemic bowel (intestinal death) to that area.

Continue the soaks. I think I'd call a vet if he doesn't pass it within a day or so.

[camalotte]

So I took Prop Joe to the vet yesterday. The vet was able to carefully pull out some of the moss, but not all of it. She was concerned because we can still feel a large amount in him. She is not sure if he will be able to pass it on his own, but we have started him on a laxative and are putting Vaseline on his rear end to try and help lubricate things. She also had me feed him a couple of crickets which he very quickly ate in the hopes that some of the roughage will help him pass the moss. If he does not pass it by the beginning of next week she said we need to discuss further the possibility of surgery. She mentioned that they have had some success with surgery, but it can be tough on these little guys, and keeping the wounds clean after surgery is particularly difficult. We are hoping he passes it and we don't have to make the difficult decision of putting him through the trauma of surgery or euthanizing him. Thanks to all who have helped throughout this process. I have learned so much and just wish i had found you all before this happened.

[Heatheranne]

I hope he passes it for you. Did she try mineral oil? May I ask which laxative she recommends?

Crossing our fingers for you!

[camalotte]

I hope he passes it for you. Did she try mineral oil? May I ask which laxative she recommends?

Crossing our fingers for you!

I'm pretty sure that the laxative is called lactulose. She did not try or mention mineral oil. How would that be used and what would it do?

[Heatheranne]

I would follow the vets directions, but mineral oil is an oily thick liquid which provides lubrication. It helps food items pass through naturally because it is slippery. A drop can be given orally, but both should not be used at the same time.

[camalotte]

I would follow the vets directions, but mineral oil is an oily thick liquid which provides lubrication. It helps food items pass through naturally because it is slippery. A drop can be given orally, but both should not be used at the same time.

Thanks for the info. Always nice to have other options in the back pocket. My wife was telling me that when she has patients with impaction they often freeze little balls of Vaseline and have the people eat them to try and help things slide from the inside. That was another option i was going to talk with the vet about if things don't change. Not sure if its even possible with frogs but I'm trying not to leave any options off the table.

[GrifTheGreat]

Thanks for the info. Always nice to have other options in the back pocket. My wife was telling me that when she has patients with impaction they often freeze little balls of Vaseline and have the people eat them to try and help things slide from the inside. That was another option i was going to talk with the vet about if things don't change. Not sure if its even possible with frogs but I'm trying not to leave any options off the table.

Their digestion process works from heat. Feeding a frozen ball to the frog could be devastating. This would also cause the frog to not be able to warm its body properly and may cause more problems.

[camalotte]

Their digestion process works from heat. Feeding a frozen ball to the frog could be devatating. This would also cause the frog to not be able to warm its body properly and may cause more problems.

That was one of my main concerns about freezing it. Sounds like the mineral oil does basically the same thing, and would probably be easier to administer with the little dropper/syringe i have for the laxative. Of coarse i wont be trying any of these things until i consult with the vet.
Has anyone ever had their frogs go through the surgery before? and if so any advice?