As some of you know, I have raised a Leopard frog from a tadpole and named it Finn. In the last week, Finn was not acting normal and I took step to monitor food intake, ensure a clean bowl of fresh water, and note overall appearance. Up until two days ago, he was still eating and relatively active. In two days, his food consumption has been zero, he has been in his water dish for 24 hours, and his normally bright colours and patterns are now almost black. He also appears bloated, and is definitely lethargic. I honestly don't believe much can be done for him at this point, but any suggestions would still be welcomed. He has been removed from his natural setup into sterile quarantine.
Jace..Im so sorry. I hope something can be done to help little Finn.
I saw this a little late. Jo, would you post a pic please. My first impression is parasites but I don't know. I hope he is still alive.
Thanks Ebony. However, Finn did not make it. In 48 hours, he went from a bright, active, spastic Leopard frog, to what I found last night. Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning, he had died. He was still an amazing frog and I am glad for the chance to have raised him from a tadpole.
****!!!
I'm sorry Jo.
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.
Im so sorry Jo...
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.
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?
Now if they didn't have a flavobactum this solution wouldn't hurt them would it?
Hi Jo-Anna, sorry about Finn. That really sucks
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...
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