Help! I stepped on a frog :(

[MsBlueRose]

Sorry about the second post, I forgot to mention how to feed him. He may not want to eat for a while, at least until he is not in as much pain. Try to feed him anyway. In order to keep him from having to hunt, try to feed him with a pair of tongs or tweezers, I feed mine by hand (I just pinch the cricket or wood roach between my fingers and hold it in front of the frog with in striking range) but don't hold the insect too closely to the frog or he may not be able to focus on it to tell that it is prey. It usually takes a few tries to get a frog to take food by hand or with tongs but don't give up; he will take it eventually once he is hungry. I also use a single chop stick or the blunt end of a skewer to push the insect closer to the injured frog so he does not have to move around to get to the insect. either method will work, just make sure the little guy does not have to work for his meal as this will keep him from healing as quickly and can even make him re-injure himself. It would be helpful to know what kind of frog you have in your care so we can better advise what to feed him, but in most cases crickets do just fine. To make sure the insect is not too large for the frog, only give him insects that are no bigger than the space between his eyes. You can pick up crickets from the local pet store and since it is summer, you can even catch them from the garden, just make sure if you catch them that there is not chance that the insect could have been exposed to pesticides or other harmful chemicals like lawn fertilizer as these will poison your frog. Please post a pic of the little guy if you get the chance. I can give you more accurate info on his care and treatment if I can see what kind of frog it is and how bad the injured leg really is. Thanks for taking the time to read the post and once more, good luck to both you and the little frog. I hope he makes a full recovery!

Best Wishes;
MsBlueRose

[CLAIRE555]

Thank you so much for responding! Unfortunately, I waited too long to check my account and made a couple of mistakes. By the way, I looked Gilbert (my injured 'frog') up and discovered that he is really an american toad. I put him in a regular terrarium with regular plants and soil for a more natural environment. I was afraid he would die of stress so i gave him stuff to hide under. This might've not been the best idea because when I last checked on him his injured left leg was much darker and puffier than the right. I'm afraid that he might have an infection but not sure what kind of neosporine to put on the leg. This is what I have: Family Dollar brand Triple Antibiotic (for minor burns, cuts, small wounds, scratches, and abrasions) with polymxyin b sulfate, bacitracin zinc, and neomycin sulfate (inactive ingrediants: light mineral oil and petroleum base)... I couldn't figure out how to attatch a photo so I just copied all the important information that I could find on the tube. Gilbert's left back leg looks engorged near the foot and a darkish brown with a white scab over it. If you could email me your email address i could send you a pic. Thanks so much.

[MsBlueRose]

I will send you a PM with my Email address. I will also look up the Family Dollar brand that you mentioned. It looks like it is the same as Neosporine though by the ingredients you listed. So long as there is nothing listed that says pain relief on the tube, it should be ok. I am so sorry it took me so long to get back to you. My baby tree frog tadpoles are morphing and I have been very busy with them and the family. If the toads foot still looks puffy and infected, you might try soaking him in a bowl of luke warm water to loosen the scab and allow it to drain. There is something you can add to the water to treat the wound as well, I will look it up for you and send it with my PM for my Email. I hope Gilbert is ok and doing a little better at least.

[Subatomicmatt]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I could just piggyback into this one.

At work tonight I accidentally stepped on a toad. It's a common American Toad. He seems to have no limbs broken, eyes are intact and he moves around somewhat. His pale underbelly shows signs of internal bleeding and he feels very bloated. His throat sac is puffed up as well and shows no signs of deflating.
His mouth seems full and I question if his stomach or other organs have pushed up from where they should go. He also displays a dark, purple translucent sac on the bottom left and right of his mouth at times. I've gently pushed these sacs back down and tried to see if a lubricated finger could carefully push anything out of whack back in place but it stays as is.

What can I do to help him?

Attached photos:

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5f2ba236.jpg

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...psb28af56f.jpg

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1569a1cc.jpg

The following dark bubbles can be pushed down into his mouth and as you can see by the last photo, they hide away into the bottom jaw.
http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4bb94608.jpg

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...ps278d1e84.jpg

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...ps350c10dc.jpg

[MsBlueRose]

That does not look good at all... You need to take that little guy to the vet. He looks like he may need a few stitches to hold his organs down and in lace until he heals. He may not make it otherwise. Sorry to say that, but he does not look good at all. Good luck with him, he may surprise us all and make it after all though. Frogs and toads are hardy little guys.

[Subatomicmatt]

Looking online, it seems that he is actually a she.

Her swelling went down significantly the morning after those pictures were taken (which was overnight). So two mornings ago.

I've since set her up in a quiet tank with lots of damp dirt for burrowing, a dish of water with smooth stones for gripping. I also purchased some small crickets in case she gets hungry. I also have a sun lamp that doesn't get hot but will provide warmth.

Her throat and belly have red blood vessel bursts from what may be the long amount of time she was swollen up. Her throat sack gives up a light seeping of clear/reddish fluid. Less and less as time progresses. It has not gotten any worse. Her throat sack, sides and belly seem to have looser skin too, I'm guessing from the severe bloating.

Here she is last night before I left for work:


http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6fb91cfd.jpg

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...psfe836a9c.jpg

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...psacfa2516.jpg

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...ps96a72ed6.jpg

[MsBlueRose]

Well I am glad she seems to be doing better. I doubt she will eat until her insides heal up completely. If there is anything you can give her to treat an internal infection, I would give it to her. I would bet money on it that the clearish/reddish fluid she is leaking out of her mouth is from and infection from the injuries. Call a local vet and see what you can give her to treat it, or look it up on here and see what others are giving their frogs/toads to treat internal infections. I know there is something that can be given to treat it I just don't know what it is. If I find out, I will post it here for you. Good luck with the little girl, and make sure she has a dry side in her tank to get out of the water. Toads don't usually stay in the water for long. I am so glad she is doing better though, congratulations. Best Wishes; MsBlueRose