Potential problem: impaction

[DeltaElite121]

Alright, long story short: I had some mixed substrate that I originally had with some of the hydroballs in it with mixed soil (BAD, never again for ANY animal.. period!) That being mentioned - I had just got done using up the rest of my 3 bricks of coconut fiber for my other two, so I figured one more feeding before leaving to reload on crickets and getting another coconut brick pack last night... WELL, I guess I rolled the dice one too many times because I saw something I've never seen before. She went for the cricket and managed to swallow the cricket AND something else (too fast, couldn't see it)... once that happened she stood upright, leaned real far back (almost like she was going to tip over backwards) and closed her eyes for a solid 20 seconds. As soon as she opened her eyes I rushed over to some warm water in the tub for 20 minutes.. she defecated, and one of those hydroballs was infact in the feces.. HOWEVER, she's still not eating. Since her substrate conversion she keeps trying to get out. She has burrowed some, but hasn't even touched the two crickets in the tank (nor has she shown interest). I'm hoping she's just stressed from an environment change. I've felt underneath her and I don't feel any more lumps with the exception of the direct center of the frog. Feels like an vital organ, NOT like the hydroball I could feel the other night. I picked up my other pixie and this frog also had that same "lump" in the center, so I assume this is the chest cavity/center section. I looked underneath her to see if there was any blood clotting/bruising or agitation and didn't see any... but that doesn't mean I'm off the hook. What else do I need to do to ensure the livelihood of my frog? She's moving around fine currently, but I still don't want to wait too long to do something and find out it's too late. I'm assuming if she was blocked up she wouldn't have been able to defecate the first time. I soaked her again earlier. She urinated beforehand as well.

[Heatheranne]

You can try a lukewarm dechlorinated water soak with about 3 drops of honey in it to get her to poop again. Hopefully it was only one and she has passed it. Crossing fingers!

[GrifTheGreat]

If there is a blockage she could still deficate whatever was infront of the blockage so there is still a chance she could become or be impacted.

Try Heather's suggestion and keep us posted. If it is bad enough a Vet may need to assist you.

[DeltaElite121]

If there is a blockage she could still deficate whatever was infront of the blockage so there is still a chance she could become or be impacted.

Try Heather's suggestion and keep us posted. If it is bad enough a Vet may need to assist you.

is a blockage able to be present WITHOUT showing any physical signs?

[DeltaElite121]

4/5 crickets have been eaten from the looks of it. She's burrowed and sitting for the time being.

[GrifTheGreat]

is a blockage able to be present WITHOUT showing any physical signs?

Sometimes they can be hard to feel.

[DeltaElite121]

Sometimes they can be hard to feel.

when I say physical signs, I meant like rashes, swelling, irritation, etc.

[GrifTheGreat]

when I say physical signs, I meant like rashes, swelling, irritation, etc.

When they are severe the frog will become bloated and can get and internal bacterial infection that can become septic which will kill the frog. That is if the intestine doesn't rupture first. This can occur if the fdog cannot pass the blockage and continues to eat causing further harm with the ending result being one of the mentioned fatal scenarios.

Aside from feeling a hard lump in the abdominal area and bloating there are no real external signs. Sometimes the frog will vomit because it cannot ingest any more food due to the blockage not allowing anything to pass.

What exactly did your frog eat with the cricket???

[DeltaElite121]

When they are severe the frog will become bloated and can get and internal bacterial infection that can become septic which will kill the frog. That is if the intestine doesn't rupture first. This can occur if the fdog cannot pass the blockage and continues to eat causing further harm with the ending result being one of the mentioned fatal scenarios.

Aside from feeling a hard lump in the abdominal area and bloating there are no real external signs. Sometimes the frog will vomit because it cannot ingest any more food due to the blockage not allowing anything to pass.

What exactly did your frog eat with the cricket???

Honestly, it's potentially possible it was an oddball piece of bark. It was too fast to see it, and she didn't snap at it and try to spit it out.. She just swallowed and stopped... There wasn't a huge amount of it (dirt substrate + hydroball mix), but the pieces that were randomly in there were large enough to cause problems. It only takes one, though..

[GrifTheGreat]

Honestly, it's potentially possible it was an oddball piece of bark. It was too fast to see it, and she didn't snap at it and try to spit it out.. She just swallowed and stopped... There wasn't a huge amount of it (dirt substrate + hydroball mix), but the pieces that were randomly in there were large enough to cause problems. It only takes one, though..

If she had to struggle to swallow it then it will most likely cause an impaction and damage her insides. She will need a Vet.

[DeltaElite121]

If she had to struggle to swallow it then it will most likely cause an impaction and damage her insides. She will need a Vet.

I did some lookups for vets in the area earlier today. What is the general course of action for impaction from a vet position? I'm assuming scans first, but what do they generally try doing before diving into surgical operations? It says they specialize in all animals including Reptiles, so I sure hope they work with frogs... otherwise I'm not in a good position.

[Heatheranne]

I'm hoping the foreign object passes.

Be cautious in feeding too much food at this time, if any. I'd just do soaks for a couple days until you see of it passes without feedings. If you're concerned about nutrients you can do the 1:10 pedi soak. Either way, I'd recommend soaking the frog in warm water daily to help draw water into the bowel for lubrication.

[DeltaElite121]

I'm hoping the foreign object passes.

Be cautious in feeding too much food at this time, if any. I'd just do soaks for a couple days until you see of it passes without feedings. If you're concerned about nutrients you can do the 1:10 pedi soak. Either way, I'd recommend soaking the frog in warm water daily to help draw water into the bowel for lubrication.

That's exactly what I've been doing as far as warm soaking. I think I'll take your word for it and back off on the feedings. The less body stress the better.

[DeltaElite121]

She just defecated in her cage on the new substrate from the looks of it. Another hydroball like I thought I felt the other night in the lower left corner of her side. So... she swallowed two hydroballs and a cricket at the same time which contributed to her choking on them and being able to swallow them both. I guess I got lucky, and I hope I never see that again. NOT worth it, even in a substrate that she clearly liked a ton in comparison to this coconut fiber.

[Heatheranne]

Glad to hear she passed it. Hopefully that's all of them.

[DeltaElite121]

Glad to hear she passed it. Hopefully that's all of them.

found two (yes, two) LARGE 2" pieces of bark in the substrate that she coughed up this morning.... I'm positive I am the luckiest member on this forum. Anyone who sees this - my frog should be DEAD right now due to my negligence. Please don't use mixed substrates. The size and shape of this bark should've been fatal.

that makes it two hydro balls and two large pieces of bark AND crickets. No wonder she choked.