URGENT: Sick clawed frog, please help!

[mintyfresh]

Hey all,

My clawed frog has been sick/wounded for a few days now, and he is now in an emergency container with shallow water so he can't drown (he doesn't seem to have use of his back legs). However, I need to change his water daily, and when I went to pick him up today (to move him to another container so I could change his water), he started struggling and I saw a bunch of bumps on his back as he was writhing (they looked like a group of massive worms, for lack of a better term). I let go immediately and he settled down, but now I have no idea what to do and how to change his water. Can anyone help???

[BlueKiwiOca]

Pictures would be extremely helpful. I saw your other thread, for now continue with the advice you've been given, and upload some photos so we can see the bumps.

[mintyfresh]

The bumps are only visible when he is writhing around, and I don't wish to exacerbate him so. I will try to upload a few pictures in his current state. He also has some weird filmy slime coming off of him.

[mintyfresh]

The only camera I had at the moment was my laptop's webam; I will try to upload some more HQ ones shortly.

[BlueKiwiOca]

Were the bumps linear or random? Round or a different shape? The filmy slime could be shed skin.

[mintyfresh]

They were irregular, and centered around his back in a circle. Like I said (this is truly the only way I can describe them), they looked like a mass of worms under his skin.

[BlueKiwiOca]

I'm not an expert on ACF or any frogs for that matter, but it's a possibility that they are in fact worms.

A protozoan infection in the skin can cause excess shedding and overproduction of slime/mucus. Take a look at this page: Disease and Illness in Detail

EDIT: This page also goes into a lot of detail about parasitic/protozoan infections under the heading "Parasites": http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/exot...mphibians.html

I seem to recall your ACF was eating fish? It's a possibility that the fish was infected with parasites and passed them on to your frog. Poor tank hygiene/conditions, like you were experiencing, also contribute to parasite infestation/infection.

[mintyfresh]

That's a possibility, though it looked more unnatural, like a big lump to the right of the spine. It only seemed to surface for a moment--he was floating on top of the water--and then it dissipated.

The website says salt therapy may be effective in treating worms, but I am apprehensive about trying something when I am not absolutely certain (it has gotten me into trouble in the past--the clawed frog's condition is probably due to my negligence).

That being said, I definitely appreciate your input. I am praying for him and hoping this will end in his favor and I will do whatever I can to achieve this, though my main goal is to minimize his suffering.

If you have any other tips, please let me know--I feel terrible.

[BlueKiwiOca]

It's my pleasure to help. That's what this forum is about, passing on whatever knowledge you have to others. I hope someone more experienced will chime in soon and give you some definite advice.

For now, continue with what advice you've been given previously, I hope your little guy pulls through.

[mintyfresh]

One more thing, though...how can I change his water if I can't move him? I don't want to hurt hum or exacerbate his injuries. Any ideas?

[BlueKiwiOca]

If you absolutely can't move him, use a siphon to remove and replace the water.. You won't get 100% water replacement but it's far better than nothing