Sick Leopard Frog

[Iratus ranunculus]

That's okay, Paul. I was hoping there was still a chance-mostly because his eyes were still very bright-but deep down I figured it was too late. I did manage to take this picture last night when I placed him in quarantine. His colours are very dark, and he looked bloated.

I know it is too late, but if you see that in the future, the most likely cause is a type of Flavobactum. 1.2% salt solution will keep them alive while you get anti-biotics.

You can do that with 12 grams of salt per liter of water. Tetracycline baths work, available for fish OTC. For that, you will want 10 mg per liter in a .5% saline bath for 24 hours, made fresh daily until symptoms clear completely, then a few more days for good measure.

[bshmerlie]

I'm assuming that is just regular table salt you're referring to. And they're supposed to be kept in the water for 24 hours?

[bshmerlie]

Now if they didn't have a flavobactum this solution wouldn't hurt them would it?

[jtay]

Hi Jo-Anna, sorry about Finn. That really sucks

[Iratus ranunculus]

I'm assuming that is just regular table salt you're referring to. And they're supposed to be kept in the water for 24 hours?

Non iodized table salt will work, but aquarium salt is better. Keep them in there only for as long as you need to in order to get anti-biotics. It will dehydrate them--just not by too much

The bacteria screws up their ability to regulate water balance, and they start taking in/retaining water. It can kill very fast. Sort of like putting a saltwater fish in freshwater. The salt bath fixes the immediate problem and gives you time to get the necessary drugs.

If they dont have that, the salt bath will still fix the water balance issue. Thankfully most of the bacteria that cause that particular problem (there are a few, Aeromonas hydrophillus is another. Redleg will also present with bloating) respond to tetracycline. If you can get it, Baytril is more powerful, but in my experience vets not specialized with herps are nearly useless. I have had to teach myself how to diagnose and treat frog diseases through reading veterinary texts...