hurt frog in wild

[ribit]

Today I was outside and I found a toad. It had ants all over it,it was dehydrated, and it had a bloody mouth. I brought it inside and got all of the red ants off of it. it was barely moving I put it in water and it just floated to the top like a dead frog. I put it in a cage with shallow water, grass, and a rock. after about an hour it started to gain back its posture, and was looking much better. i got a good look at it, and it looks like a bird got it. Its mouth has a piece missing out of it,it has a bloody toung, it can only open one eye, and it cant close its mouth. i gently put the worm in its mouth and it managed to swallow it. It has eaten 4 worms in the past 6 hours. It is now jumping around and sitting on its rock in its cage. It still cant figure out how to eat with that bloody mouth without me helping it though. i am not sure if I should let it go or not? please help.

[Sunshine]

That is sad. I don't know what the best thing to do is, but I would probably keep it until it is healed.

[ribit]

That is sad. I don't know what the best thing to do is, but I would probably keep it until it is healed.

Yes, I will keep it until it is fully healed. Its just that i would hate to keep it locked up so long. Who knows how long it could take for half of his mouth to heal. Poor little toad.

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF Ribit! Try and get some plain Neosporin topical cream. You can apply it directly to external frog wounds to help prevent infections. Not sure if you can use inside the mouth; maybe others will pitch in. Good luck !

[ribit]

Thanks for the welcome! The toad is doing much better! I moved it to a bigger 10gallen cage, with rocks, a rock to sit on, and a tray of water. It is starting to make little noises. I still have to hand feed it in order for it to swallow the worms though. It will sit there in the cage and hop around, but it keeps its mouth open at all times. I havent seen it close its mouth once. If it doesnt get bettter I guess i wouldn`t mind supplying it a home. At one time I used to have Firebelly toads, and they were a lot of fun! I will do more research about the non medicated Neosporin. I wouldn`t want it to swallow the Neosporin though. Thanks for all of the help!!! I`ll keep you posted.

[Mentat]

Hope frog does not have a broken jaw. From your Firebelly Toad days, please remember to de-chlorinate the water. Also, dusting worms with Calcium every other feeding would be of help now. Good luck !

[flybyferns]

Hi ribit,
Be sure the Neosporin ( or any topical antibiotic) is WITHOUT pain reliever !

Good luck with him
There is a vet you could email:
http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...-prepared.html
Dr Frye's fee is for the medication he prescribes - only
He may have a better solution for broken skin near the mouth and eye.
http://www.frogforum.net/tree-frogs/...-supplies.html

It is very kind of you to do this !

BRAVO ! and welcome to Frog Forum

[ribit]

I have been washing out the toads water dish two times a day. I just got done feeding it a worm. If it has a broken jaw then I guess i will just make it my toady pet, and hand feed it. I was wondering how many worms to feed it a day? I might start feeding it some crickets as well. I will look at the vets web sight for sure! Do you guys want me to post some pics of the toads mouth? Thanks!!!

[Lija]

Ribit, welcome to FF, that is very nice of you what you did, he would die otherwise, but it is not out of the woods yet

yes please post pics of the mouth. i would do following as of now. get broad spectrum antibiotics from a vet, you'll need to drop a few drops on frogs's back oce a day most likely depending on what kind of a/b you'll get + zinc ointment for outside of his mouth. I wouldn't worry too much about worms now, but if you can hand feed him and he doesn't seem to be too stressed out then do that, but don't overdo it, at this point I'd feed reptiboost and do unflavoured pedyalite bath ( 1 part of pedyalite, 6-8 parts of water), repeated every day.
make sure he is in hospital set up, all 4 sides of the tank covered with wet papertowels if possible, substrate wet papertowels as well, you need to change all that every day. put a hide of some sorts in there, plastic plant may be, anything to minimaze stress. make sure no direct light is shining at a toad.

[ribit]

I will put paper towls on the side of her cage. Were can you purchase the Zinc ointment, and the reptiboost? I will put a plastic plant in there to. She just has enough sunshine on her, not to much, and not to little. She has been moving around more, and going in and out of her water bowl.

[Sunshine]

It sounds like you can only get the zinc ointment from a vet? You should be able to get the reptaboost from any pet store (Petsmart, Petco). I am glad she is eating for you and moving around. Can you get her to a vet to look at her mouth?

[ribit]

I will go get her some reptaboost as soon as possible.Probabaly on Saturday. i just stuck a fake plant in her cage as well. Im not sure that there are any vets in my area that now a lot about toads though. is there anything that I could put on her mouth that I could get from the Petco or petsmart, or is there any natrual remadies I could put on her mouth?

[Lija]

you can email or call Dr Frye for meds, but if you can go to any vet and ask to any broad spectrum a/b in liquid form they should be able to sell. systemic ones would be your best bet as you need to treat a lot of wounds superficial and it seems internal too. vet would have flamazine or similar too.
you can also use topical a/b creams from human pharmacy, anything without painkillers, polysporin or anything generic, just read everything on the label if not sure ask - it has to contain absolutely NO painkillers. that would work too, but not as well and fast as systemic, since you can't really get to every single place damaged. and you can combine that with melafix treatment, that stuff is available from any pet store, petsmart will have it for sure, it is in fish section in blue tallish bottles. you prepare water as per directions on a bottle and soak the toad for 20 min and then wet paper towels that he sits on with that stuff too, you can use it to spray once in a while during a day as well.do that every day changing paper towels every day as well.
you need to change that gravel that you have to plain moist paper towels. the cleaner it sits the better outcome.

[ribit]

She seems to be getting better so I think I will stick with getting melafix for her mouth, and reptaboost for her to perk up. I`ll lay down some moist paper towls for her to sit on also. She is starting to close her mouth, that is a very good sign! I came up with a unique name, and am now calling her Princess Yallita! I do know a vet wery well, she mainly majors in dogs, cats, and goats though. I will ask her if she carries any broad spectrum a/b liquid, or Zinc ointment. I am so happy that she is getting well again!

[Lija]

that is great you know a vet, she sure will have all that stuff, any broad spectrum a/b that she'd use for dog/cat would work for a frog, you don't need much, just a few drops (2-3 if a frog is small) on a back once a day for 10 days in a row, if she could give you like 1ml of a/b that would be more then enough and ask for flamazine, it is also used for dogs/cats and actually i like to use it for kids too that would be the best way to do it.

if you are using melafix make sure you use a/b cream ( neosporine, polysporine, etc without painkillers) for whatever you see damaged.

[Mentat]

...and you can combine that with melafix treatment, that stuff is available from any pet store, petsmart will have it for sure, it is in fish section in blue tallish bottles. you prepare water as per directions on a bottle and soak the toad for 20 min and then wet paper towels that he sits on with that stuff too, you can use it to spray once in a while during a day as well.do that every day changing paper towels every day as well...

Thanks Lija, did not know you can use Melafix on frogs!
For Ribit: Make sure you read bottle instructions. There is a regular version (blue Bottle Lija mentioned) and a professional version that is 10 times stronger. It has a bactericide action although takes longer to work than regular antibiotics. For fish the recommended treatment is 10-14 days; would use for that period or until frog is well.

[Lija]

did not know you can use Melafix on frogs!

you can use anything that you'd use for fish not just melafix, of course depending on what the problem is.

[ribit]

Okay thanks! I will ask the vet tomarrow about broad spectrum a/b and Zinc ointment when we go get the babie goats disbudded! Thanks Could I use melafix on her face besides the Zinc, since it is easier to get it from the petstore?

[ribit]

I asked the vet today, and she was very surprised to see a toad brought into her office! I told her what was wrong with her, and she looked in her mouth. She said that she knows nothing about toads, but she will call someone and ask for their opinion. For now I think I will go pick up some Reptaboost, and some melafix from aquarium and pets over the weekend.

[Mentat]

you can use anything that you'd use for fish not just melafix, of course depending on what the problem is.

Hi Lija! You have no idea; but with 51 years of keeping and breeding fresh and saltwater fish, you just opened pandoras box at home !