Ill Leopard frog; PLEASE help!

[Lovino]

Ok, I joined just to get help with my frog. I adopted two frogs from my university's laboratory, they werent tested on or anything. I did some research on them and found out they were leopard frogs. I cant release them, because they are a foreign species, and could be invasive.

Well they have been fine in their tank for about a month, till I noticed one want eating. I quarantined him, and I have noticed white spots, almost like mold on his back. Theres a few dark spots on his belly that look likes paprika, its just spots like bruising. He still hops alot when I try to touch him. He might be darker, but its hard to call, might just be a little darker. Also I noticed that he was sticky, suggesting to me he hasnt been in the water.

Surprisingly I cant find anything about this on the internet.

Someone please help!

EDIT!
I got a closer look at him, I think it might be red leg! what do I do?

[Heatheranne]

Do you have a photo? A picture would be very helpful.

Have you misted the tank with spring water or distilled water?

Does he have a water bowl? Are you using spring water or dechlorinated water for soaking?

[Lovino]

The tank has a bubbler, to keep the tank moist. The water is from our tap, which is well water, which has been tested by the pet store before. Its safe, im sure. I posted 2 days ago, I made several calls, and tons of research. I couldn't wait for a reply, so I have been treating him with malechite green(only for 5 minutes, every 24 hours), and he has seemed like hes getting better. Today should be the last treatment. He is still very active. All but one white spot is healing. From the research I believe it was a fungal infection, due to an unclean tank, which I feel awful about. I really feel like I have been thrust into the dark with trying to care for these guys. My other frog is fine.

My ill frog seems to have an open wound on the base of his hand, how should I treat that? Im concerned since it is on the base/palm, where he stands.


Next post I'll supply some pictures. Maybe You can help aid in his recovery.

[Lovino]

The first image is the single white spot left, second is the single dark spot left, and the last is the wound. Yesterday, it looked like the wound had scabbed over, but today the scab was gone, and looks like it got worse. I put him in a holding tank (which unfortunately is a plastic storage box with drilled venting holes) with saline solution in one side for him to get into. I use saline to keep off infection. I store it on a slight slant, so one side is wet and other dry.

Please help me with him! Im new to frogs, as you can tell from the pictures, im only use to them in a laboratory setting.

Please tell me a better quarantine set up, and how to mix the saline solution. I have been mixing very weak saline solution, 1 tsp kosher salt* per 2 cups water. And anything else I need, like how to care for the hand wound.

I dont have money for a vet either....


I will add he is still VERY VERY active, he hops away from me, and I think thats how I think his palm got worse

*i also have aquarium salt

[limnologist]

let him soak in aquarium saltwater for a few minutes every couple of days, it will stop the cut from getting infected and aid its healing.

[Lovino]

Danke! Ok, how should I prepare the solution? what proportion?

[Lovino]

For his quarantine box, Im going to change it to have paper towels on the floor with a soaking/drinking dish. Should the water be saline solution? also is that a good set up for this type of frog?


I also noticed that hes shedding quite a bit; is this due to the illness?


Lastly, about the community tank, to avoid this happening again; Do I do a complete change each week, or a 50% change? I know with fish tanks, 20-50% changes are more desirable because you leave helpful bacteria in the water that way.

[Lovino]

Good news guys, he ate! I gave him a cricket and he ate it, im so happy!


with healing his wound, should I keep him separated while it heals, or re-introduce him back to the main tank?

[Heatheranne]

Hi Lovino,

A quarantine or hospital tank can be either a tank or tub. Be sure to have plenty of vent/air holes.

Use non-printed paper towels as flooring and change them every day. Have a smooth edges water dish and fill it with dechlorinated water. Rinse the bowl in very hot water daily, allow to cool, and add new dechlorinated water daily.

Mist the tank twice a day with spring water or dechlorinated water.

You can apply Original Neosporin to the wounds daily with a Qtip. Avoid the types with pain killers - they are toxic to frogs. Use a new Qtip each day.

Diluted 50% Silver sulfadiazine cream works much better. It is a prescribed medication though. It can treat both bacteria and fungus.

Continue to offer food daily. Continue to use calcium with vitamin D3 and multivitamin amphibian powdered supplements. Ca/D3 every other day and MVI once daily, not on the same day as the calcium/D3. Lightly dust the crickets with the shake-and-bake method.

The goal is to keep his housing as clean as possible to avoid further infection.

He should stay in the hospital tank until completely healed. If he's not fond of the tub, a ten gallon tank with a screened lid works nicely. Cover the back and 2 sides of the tank with a nice background to help him feel safe and less stressed.

Stress can weaken their immune systems, so try and minimize the noise and handling to the minimum needed to care for him.

If the wounds do not start improving or if they worsen, he'll need vet prescribed treatment. If you are in the USA there is a vet here who will send medications via mail. You have to send an email stating the situation with photos. He does not charge a vet fee, just meds and shipping. If you'd like his contact information, please let me know.

The salt soaks... Only use aquarium salt. Use a very small amount. Frogs absorb up to 4 times more than fish. They are like sponges. Fish have scales. Quite a bit different. Only do the soak once for now. Too high of salt level can cause electrolyte imbalance, kidney problems and shock. It is better to do a few spaced dilute soaks than it is a heavy soak.

My best recommendation is to get some SSD cream from the vet. I would actually email the vet I mentioned and seek his opinion. It's free advice. Whether you choose to buy anything is up to you. You can mention to him your funds are limited and he may have other options. Your frog may need systemic antibiotics. SSD cream is only a topical treatment.

It has been my experience here with others seeking help that they wait to long for treatment and it becomes too late. Best to at least have a vet assess him. Then go from there.

The frequent shedding is a sign of illness.

I will check back tomorrow. Hope he does well overnight for you.

[Lovino]

I would love to talk to the vet! Im just concerned about how long it will take to deliver meds, and applying it to my squirmy frog. I also dont have Ca powder, I get new crickets once or twice a week, and i get a few Ca dusted at the store. I'll keep an eye out for a 10 gallon at thrift stores, they always have them. lastly he seems to be recovering from the illness. Hes eating now! I was first alerted of his illness when he let crickets crawl on him.

[Lovino]

Ok I picked up a 10 gallon with a screen lid for 5 bucks at the thrift store (such a great price! ) and I picked up original neosporin, well store brand, but I checked the active ingredients, and I picked up Ca powder, I plan on giving him so calcium crickets as soon I finish posting.

I cant seem to find the multivitamin, is there something I can do to replace it? Like fruits or veggies, or wild caught bugs?

[LilyPad]

You can gutload (feed) the crickets with fruits and vegetables, I would recommend doing that anyway. You cannot feed your frog fruits or veggies though. You could do wild caught insects, but I'd probably stick to the crickets until you've got him healing. You could try some worms too, my friend had a leopard frog and it chowed worms. You can find a vitamin dust online if you can't find it in a store nearby. I have never had an issue finding one though, I seem to find them at even the smallest pet stores.

[Lovino]

I live in the middle of nowhere ^^; I can travel to either one of two walmart, or to the petsmart. I went to a walmart today, which has a limited selection; the petsmart is the other direction, I'll go there soon and try to pick some up when I go to get more crickets. Its a bit of a travel, like I said I live in the country side.

But, We often have fruit at our house, what fruits should I use? also Im starting an earthworm farm for my frogs.

As for Sage the sick frog, he seems well, he ate 3 calcium covered crickets, and he is favoring his injured palm. I coated his palm with neosporin. I think im going to place a cup in there for him to hide in, would that be a good idea?

[Heatheranne]

The orange cubes are good. They have vitamin C in them. You can use bananas, apples, oranges, romaine lettuce, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes, Cheerios. Just no cabbage (not even small pieces) and no tomatoes. Tomatoes are poisonous to frogs. Be sure to rinse all fruit and veggies well before feeding the crickets. I thoroughly rinse and then rinse again in dechlorinated water. Toss out anything that begins to smell or rot.

You can buy Repashy online. It's the best IMO.

http://www.joshsfrogs.com/repashy-ca...us-5-3-oz.html



I'm glad to hear he's eating. How do the spots look?

Are you dechlorinated his water?

Oh, and does the calcium have vitamin D3 in it?

[Lovino]

Our water doesnt have chlorine in it, as I said I live in the country with well water. I can taste the chlorine in the city water. I have had our water tested by the pet store when establishing my fish tank. I do have dechlorinater for fish tanks I received for free when buying s fish tank; but I don't know if its safe for frogs, I know the store sales stuff specific for frogs, I just dont have any. I can get my water tested again when going to get more crickets if needed.

His spots have cleared up, but the one on his back, which I wonder if its a scab from the fungus, so i dabbed it with neosporin too.

yes it has D3

[LilyPad]

Just watch out for heavy metals in well water. I have unchlorinated well water also, but the heavy metal content is ridiculously high. So I use bottled distilled dechlorinated water in my frog tank.

[Lovino]

I have a few of test kits for fish tanks, what should I use to test their water for heavy metal?
I tested tap for Nitrite (NO2-) and Ammonia, (NH3, NH4+) Both tested clean. But Im sure those are both fish waste test. I cant find any more test I have....
Distilled water, like the 98 cent stuff, will work?

[Lovino]

Ok so I did some research, I got distilled for the misting bottle, and I picked up some deer park (and a small thing of store brand for topping off) spring water for my frogs. My water did test positive for a heavy metal, but dont remember which one.

I also picked up rep-cal advance formula herptivite with beta carotene for them (Rep-Cal Herptivite Reptile and Amphibian Multivitamins | Health & Wellness | PetSmart)

I hope this is right. If I take a picture of the tank set up will you tell me if it looks right?


Oh darn! sulfadiazine has sulfa, which im allergic to! another person would have to apply if I manage to afford it.

[Heatheranne]

Great! Sounds like you're on the right track.

You can use non-powdered sterile gloves or use a Qtip to apply the ssd cream.

Most dechlorinating drops also have heavy metal detoxifiers in them. Spring water without chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals is fine.

Herptivite is good. Use it one day a week, lightly dusted, not on the same day as the calcium. Ca/D3... Perfect.

[Lovino]

I would snap a photo of the tank, but I lost my camera. I changed the tank setup, and I think chives loves the new set up. My original setup was based on the labs, which wasnt good I found out.


Sage's hand looks like its healing. I assume its scab/healing skin, its white like his other palm. He also didnt freak out as much when applying neosporin. He ate again today. He still loafs though and favors the hand, Like I said I would think its due to an injury on a high impact spot.