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Thread: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

  1. #1

    Default Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    My leopard frog is very bloated and it hasn't relieved itself in a long time. It's also shedding right now, so I was wondering if both these things could be related to that. (It's not behaving like a shedding frog [but then again, I've never seen it behave like that] but I noticed some filmy stuff attached to it when it was in the water)

    ...could be a water quality issue because I went longer than usual without changing it water, but I'm hoping it's something more normal.

    Another thing that comes to mind is that the substrate ran drier than usual (but it was still humid...just not that much).

    Every now and then it gets bloated, so that in itself wouldn't worry me enough to write about it, but it's looking particularly bloated this time.

    I usually handfeed her worms, so I don't think blockage is very likely, however, I do leave crickets for it to hunt (less than) once a week, so maybe the last time, it ate a mouthful of the substrate or two, so blockage is not impossible.

    Is there any easy treatment for a constipated frog?

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    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Yes there is and its honey and water. Take a small tub or clean tank and put about about 4 to 5 drops of honey in it. Add some declorinated warm water, mix the honey in and let him sit in here for about 20 mins. Put the tub/tank in a quiet and dark room and just let him be for the 20 mins, you can put a towel over the top of the tub to keep the heat in so the water doesn't cool off to fast. After this transfer him to just a normal bath in warm declorinated water for about 20 mins to rinse the honey residue off. This should work and if it doesn't tonight you can always do it again tomorrow, the honey wont hurt him. Sometimes they don't go in the water and they wait till there back in there home to go so look out for it. Hopes this helps. Almost forgot, you want to use a really good pure honey. I use the billy bee stuff and it works like a charm.

  4. #3

    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Ok, I'll try that.

    Are we talking eyedropper size drops or bigger?

    I'm assuming the water should not be too much warmer than ambient room temperature...

    Hm... not completely sure if my honey is pure. It's local honey, not big brand honey...it doesn't have an ingredients list, which I take to mean its pure (because preservatives in honey would almost be redundant), it's not a guarantee, but I think it should be good.

    Any idea why warm water and honey can deconstipate frogs. I have some idea of why warmth might be good, but not honey.

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    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Ya pretty much eye dropper size or abit bigger. My drops in the bottom of the tank are probably about the size of dime. Just put enough water so its up to his chin, I use a little 5 gallon for my frogs bath. And ya the temp of the water I usually try to get it around the 80f.

  6. #5

    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    One time did not work. I'm trying again, today.

    What if the bloating is from kidney failure. Is there an easy cure for that?

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    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Have you tried a pedialyte soak? It literally always makes my guys go. I would guess that the low levels of salt in it cause some sort of osmotic reaction?

    After a soak and "relief" I put them back into the fresh water in the enclosure, and they almost always choose to stay in there for a while and it seems like a kickstart for appetite as well.
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    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    If your going to do a pedialyte soak make sure its the unflavoured kind, you can usually find it in the kids medicine department of the pharmacy. You want to make it into 1;10 ratio, so every 1 OZ of pedialyte add 10 OZ of water. If its kidney failure or damage there isn't a cure, its irreversible. If you think he could maybe be toxed out from going a little longer on the water change you can put him a spare tub/tank with warm declorinated water and let him sit in here for awhile to let the good water help clean his system out. This can sometimes take a couple hours so you will have to change the water after awhile because he will pee in it and you want it to be as clean as possible. if it is toxed out syndrome this should help the bloating go down. Hope he ends up getting better for you.

  9. #8

    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Still no poop.

    Next step, I'll keep trying the honey soak but I'll make the following clean soak last a couple of hours. I'll probably use spring water, since I read that helps (although I suspect regular clean dechlorinated water is just as good). I'll also cross my fingers that the bloating is due to bacterial causes because of the delayed water change and not to kidney failure.

    I'll keep the pedialyte trick in mind for tomorrow, but a quick online search on local store websites only revealed the flavored version. I'll have a look in the actual stores, just in case.

    I can't find the question list that we're supposed to use to provide more information, but here's a few details:

    Species: Northern Leopard Frog
    Age: I estimate its 2-3 years old (I've had it for 1.5 years and I don't believe it has grown much since)
    Terrarium size: 20 gallon long
    Substrate: Coconut fiber
    Diet: Nightcrawlers (about a third of a worm every other day, or less often, depending on how well fed it looks) + 1 or 2 crickets once a week, tops (usually less often than that)
    Old diet: I used to feed it only crickets and mealworms, but I stopped that several months ago.
    Supplements: calcium with D3 once a week (quantity = 1/3 night crawler coated, sometimes only half of it is coated, sometimes all of it is)
    How long has it been constipated and bloated: I don't know exactly how long its been constipated, but it has definitely been for more than a week (last time I fed it was a week ago; it hasn't pooped since and I'm pretty sure it had already been a few days since the last time it did, maybe even close to a week). I stopped feeding it a week ago because it looks like it was becoming a bit overweight, but a few days ago it became obvious its bloated now.
    Last food eaten: Crickets dropped in her terrarium... so, like I said, maybe she ate a few mouthfuls of coconut fibers at the same time and it caused a blockage, but would that kind of blockage keep it from passing water?
    Other things of note: It's been relieving itself a lot less often since I switched its died to worms, so at first, I wasn't worried by it not pooping for a bit.

    This is definitely more than just temporary bloating. It doesn't look particularly in pain, but it stays still in positions that it would not normally hold that long. For instance, right now, it's been standing on the edge of its water bowl, looking up and with one leg in the water for hours. Also, sometimes I see it compressing its body (or trying to), so it really looks like it's trying to pass something that just won't make it out.

    I really wish I could afford a vet visit, but I can't, at the moment.

  10. #9

    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Is there any chance a massage, or gentle pressure on its belly, might help?

    Granted, it would probably be hard to get this right, what with not knowing if the direction of the intestines is the same as in humans, and with the frog doing its best impression of someone who no longer wants to stay still... but is it an option?

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    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Yes that is an option, is actually something that's suggested to do. I had to do it with a pacman I used to have that was infamous for getting constipated. I would just rub in a circular motion going clockwise on his side. And another place you can massage is on his spine right above his vent rubbing down towards the vent. If he has something really big in there he may not be able to pass it without help from a vet, but I would try everything you can before that because a vet visit isn't cheap.

  12. #11

    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Well...

    It just passed away, during my third soaking attempt.

    I don't know if it's an indication of the cause of all this, but there was a moderate amount of bloody discharge that seems to have come from its mouth. I'm guessing the swelling itself could have caused the internal bleeding by crushing the poor frog's organs, though.

    Must have been a horrible way to die. It was probably in pain for the past two days, at least.

    Fk

    Anyway, I'd like to thank all of you for your help.

    Do you have any idea what the cause might be? Or which one is the most likely? I'd like to avoid something like this happening again.

    Is my husbandry at fault? Could it be organ failure due to old age? (It's hard to tell but I don't think it has grown much since I got it, so it could have been closer to 4-5 years in age, which would be old for a N. leopard frog.) A mix of both?

    So many questions... Was the bloating the cause of the constipation or the constipation the cause of the bloating? Was it all caused by bacteria, internal blockage, kidney failure, or something else? And more... I'm guessing most of them can't be answered without a visit to a vet.

    P.S. Cory, I'm assuming that when you rub the flank clockwise, its relative to the frog standing right side up, but which way should it be facing? (Are you rubbing back toward the rear end when your finger is on the frog's back or on its belly?

  13. #12
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    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    Im so sorry he didn't make it. When I did the massage he would be sitting in the honey bath and so when going clockwise on the side you would be massageing the lump towards the vent. When doing the back one again he would be sitting in the bath and I would just rub his lower back applying the pressure towards the vent. For the cause of death if he seemed fine before the feeding he could have maybe gotten a small sliver of something that may have punctured the intestine or stomach which could have caused internal bleeding and the swelling may have been from him going septic from the waste leaking into his system. Again im so sorry for your loss.

  14. #13

    Default Re: Bloating and constipation because of shedding?

    I noted all of this to make myself a reference document in case something like this happens with my next frog.

    Thanks again for all of your help

    I've started another thread to seek help identifying the cause (or narrowing down the possibilities), since this one's title is no longer appropriate: http://www.frogforum.net/showthread....156#post269156

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