A matter of life or death!?

[ediblelogic]

Please help me.
I bought my pet White's Tree Frog Leonidas last September, and I have never seen him like this. A week ago, or so- he stopped shedding his skin- he literally refused to shed. I checked his water bowl and I figured that it may possibly be because the bowl was unclean, or that the crickets were using his water dish as a 'bathroom', so I cleaned the bowl with boiled spring water and waited for it to cool before replacing the water with cool spring water. He went into the pool more regularly after that, but he has still yet to shed his skin. He now looks dirty, and his skin is very tight- and now recently he has been scaring me because it looks as if it is difficult for him to breathe. I wondered if maybe his excess skin was covering up his nostrils, so I wet down a paper towel with spring water and moistened the skin on his nose, and then I slowly and carefully peeled the skin away from his nostrils in the hopes that it may alleviate his breathing issue. No luck, I check on him every day and he seems to be having the same problem. He labors over breathing, and when I pick him up he seems to be 'gulping' for air. His mouth gapes open and then closes while he takes in deep troubled breaths. It is worrying me so much. His appetite has also receded, and I have found live crickets in his cage that have probably been around for some four days, which is highly unusual for him. I haven't changed anything different in his cage. He has a large artificial vine, a log to hide under, and two artificial plants that I rinse regularly while cleaning his habitat. For the bottom of his tank, I coat it with paper towels that are changed on a regular basis. He is starving himself, and I haven't found many droppings in his cage over the past two weeks after cleaning. I'm so afraid for him. His fingers are dark, his underbelly is splotched with dirt from walking around his cage. I've cleaned him up a little but he still looks terrible. His skin looks EXTREMELY tight and he is under weight. His eyes seem sunken in their sockets and I can look in and actually see the inner ridge of his eye. I am so afraid for him, I don't want to lose my baby. Please help- I am willing to try anything to make my frog happy and healthy, again.

[CaptainMorgantown]

I don't think that I can really help with this, but the big thing that stuck out to me was the dirty water bowl. I usually change my frog's water bowl everyday depending on how dirty they get it overnight, but it's at least every two days. If the crickets are invading the water, then you should probably think about not putting that many in there, or get the ones out that he doesn't eat.

[John]

It's very hard to diagnose but this is the closest I've seen to a description of a frog suffering from Chytridiomycosis (aka Chytrid fungus aka bd). Do a search on the forum for lamasil - you can medicate the frog yourself and hopefully it's not too late. Of course, I could be wrong in my guesswork and you should consult a veterinarian. However, I would try the lamasil treatment asap because a knowledgeable amphibian vet is very hard to come by. Good luck.

[ediblelogic]

Thank you, for the advice.
Uhm, I just wanted to say that I do change his water every day, and usually he eats all of the crickets that I feed to him, up until now.
I'll definitely pursue the Lamasil idea- I'm willing to try anything to help him feel more comfortable. Thank you. Also, I was wondering what is Lamasil, because my mother thinks that it is the treatment for a foot fungus in humans- or is it something specific that I have to find in a store or by a veterinarian. I was also wondering how I would administer the treatment. ):

[SethD]

Your mother is right, it is the foot fungus treatment for people. Make sure you get the lamasil AT which is the spray form.

[ediblelogic]

Thank you, Seth- I found an article on treating White's tree Frogs using Lamasil baths. I am truly hoping that this works. I am so afraid for him and I am going to run out and get it immediately so that I can hopefully help him feel better. Is there any way I can get him to eat? because he is not eating on his own- I wonder if I should try feeding him myself? Because he's lost a lot of weight.

[John]

Force feeding him right now may be a bad thing. Treat him with the lamasil and see if he improves first.

[Kurt]

I had what you decribed happen to one of my tiger salamanders. I treated it with a terbinafine hydrochloride (generic name for Lamisil) solution. I mixed 1 ml of terbinafine hydrochloride cream to 200 ml of distilled water. Set the solution up 24 hours prior to using it. Soak the frog in the solution for 10 minutes daily for 10 days. A deli cup with a lid makes the perfect container to soak the frog in. Within a few days of its first treatment, you should begin to see improvement. You should continue with all ten treatments, even if the frogs appears perfect with only a few treatments.

BTW, my tifer is back to its old self, eating like a pig, lunging and leaping for food.

Also, I agree with John, do not force feed your frog. He will come around soon after treatemnt begns and feed on his own.

[ediblelogic]

Thank you so much, you guys.
I followed Johns instructions last night (I didn't get yours until just today, Kurt- but I will follow them to a T.) And I woke up this morning to find that Leo was actually moving. For the past four or five days he did nothing but sit in his cage and choke on the air that he was breathing. Now, his skin is looking much better, his eyes are wide open and he seems to be getting a little more active. He has yet to get his appetite back, but he's moving around his quarantine container okay- which is incredibly relieving. I will continue the 10 day treatment. I cannot thank you enough. Without this website- I would probably have lost one of my best friends.

[Jace]

Glad to hear that Leo is on his way to recovery. Please keep us posted on his progress and post a few pics once he is back to his usual, cricket eating self. All the best to you and Leo. Hugs!

[John]

That's fantastic news but please don't get your hopes up yet - not until he's eating on his own should you celebrate.

[ediblelogic]

Oh believe me, I'm still on edge- I check on him every ten minutes just to make sure he's not in any distress. The Lamasil bath really helped him last night, even though he didn't too much enjoy sitting in the solution for five minutes. But in the end, I think he will be much happier when the treatments are finished. I will be sure to post some pics if/when he recovers and has gained back all of the weight he lost due to his sickness. I just don't want any one seeing him this way, right now. I'm crossing my fingers and I will keep everyone on a day to day update!

[ediblelogic]

Okay guys, day three of treatment, I have yet to bathe him in the Lamisil, but I plan on doing that, right after this post. After observing Leo for a while, he seems to be reverting back to just laying in his quarantine container. His eyes are closed most of the time, and I'm noticing a mucus around his right eyelid- it could be from skin that he hasn't shed yet but I'm unsure. It's got a very faint, gray-ish yellow tint to it. His feet and hands look kind of puffy, with a sort of cottage-cheesy texture to them, they're not peeling or melting or anything, they just look... bubbled up- which is scaring me... The only positive side of the treatment right now is that he is no longer choking when he breathes. he doesn't lay like he normally does, his little hands are splayed out like he's bracing himself against the surface of his container. He has yet to eat... I'm worried. I'll update you guys again, tomorrow.

[John]

Of course you followed our advice and looked for a vet in the meantime, right... ?

[ediblelogic]

Yes, John. I have been giving him Lamsil bathes,letting the solution sit for 24 hours beforehand. I'm changing the paper-towels in his quarantine container every day. We also made an appointment with a vet on Friday at 10:30 am. If he makes it through Thursday- the Vet is confident that he will be able to further diagnose his condition, and possibly offer treatment. I'm praying, and hoping, and crossing my fingers.

I noticed while giving him his bath for the day that he is developing white speckles all over his body, are these further signs of Chytridiomycosis?

[Kurt]

I don't think this is chytridiomycosis. I believe it to be another type of fungla infection. I could be wrong of course.

[ediblelogic]

Well, what ever it is- it certainly is taking it's toll on Leo. The white spots showed up this morning, and I saw them when I pulled him out of his quarantine container for his third Lamisil bath. Perhaps this is another sign of his infection? Because, he's always had a sort of white speckle on him since I bought him, but it was only one and it lingered on his left 'hip'. But these speckles are different, they are like faded white dots about as as big as a grain of salt. I hope that the vet can help me and Leo through this on Friday. Thank you guys again for helping me and giving me some advice. I don't know if he would have made it this far without your advice.

[IgbyKibbits]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I would have posted earlier, but I'm going through the same thing with my Kibbits : ( Little Leo will be in my thoughts. It sounds like he was very much loved.

[Malinda]

I am so sorry you lost Leo. I am a new frog owner and I also am surprised how attached you get to the little guys.

[ediblelogic]

Thanks, both of you.
Malinda, Tree Frogs are phenomenal pets. At first, you think that they won't have any more gravity on you than a fish, but then you realize that they all have individual personalities and individual, unique curiosities and quirks- and you come to the conclusion that White's Tree Frogs are just as inquisitive and intelligent as any other pet. You come to love them and adore them for the little critters that they are. The same goes for any other frog. They are all unique and sweet and beautiful. You grow attached whether you try to, or not. I loved Leo and I am sure that you will grow to love your frog.

Igby,
I'm so sorry to hear that Kibbits is suffering, I will certainly pray for him- and hope that he fairs better than Leo did. Just keep a positive attitude. Always stay close and do everything you can- I hope that he makes it through. Good luck, buddy.

I will still be on Frog Forum, that way if I can, I'll be able to give maybe a little bit of advice, based on the experiences I had with Leonidas. You guys are the best, and when I get a new frog one day- I promise you will all see pictures of him/her and we will start a new chapter in my amphibious obsession.