Injured White's "Dumpy" Tree Frog!

[Tiffandi09]

Hey ya'll! I'm new to the forum and need some help...

I have 5 white's but one of them is injured. She got a little cut or puncture on her back. It's white in color and is a little *****. I noticed a white spot on her as I was running out yesterday and forgot to check her when I got back, so I think it's been there a day or two.

I moved her to a more secluded critter tote inside the 40 gal breader tank we have so the wound wouldn't get dirty. I have a wet paper towl, a leafy vine and a bowl of water in her enclosure.

Petsmart sold me Fluker's Repta-Aid and said to feed it to her. I'm not really sure how to "feed" it to her as she only seems to open her mouth when eating a cricket...

My questions:
Do I try to get this stuff in her mouth?
Can I mix it and put it on her skin?
Or should I put it in her water to be absorbed that way?
Is there anything else I can do to ensure she's okay?

I'm so nervous! She's the newest addition to our critter clan and she's got the most personality! She's *very* long/big and has a club foot so she's just unique and awesome in every way!

Your help is VERY appreciated!!!

Thanks!
~Tiffany

[John]

Welcome to the forum Tiffany. I don't see the cut - where is it?

[John]

Do I try to get this stuff in her mouth?

Let's be sure of what the problem is before we treat her - I don't see the problem area in that photo - can you point it out or describe it please? The white spot at the bottom looks like normal colouration to me.

Can I mix it and put it on her skin?

Without knowing what it is I would say that is dangerous. Trusting pet shop employees is a dangerous game when it comes to amphibians - they are not the same as reptiles. Does the container have a list of active ingredients?

Or should I put it in her water to be absorbed that way?

It's very hard to give the right dosage to the frog if you do that.

Is there anything else I can do to ensure she's okay?

Is she eating fine? A good appetite? Is she active? Does she seem otherwise healthy?

[Tiffandi09]

It's the big white spot by her right arm

[John]

I don't see anything on the arm itself - do you mean the white area near the arm?

[Tiffandi09]

The big white spot isn't normal discoloration. It's pussing and hasn't been there before. The first picture is just to show how big she is compared to the others. She's abnormally long (not sure if that matters, but I love that about her).

The dosage information is based on weight and has the info in the package. I have a scale to weigh her on, but didn't want to do anything until I got a second opinion from someone smarter than a petsmart employee...

The ingredience are listed and as follows:
Ingredients: Egg Product, Wheat Flour, Starch, Isolated Soy Flour, Corn Oil, Dried Brewer's Yeast, Dried Kelp, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Pollen, Dextrose, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Choline Chloride Supplement, Potassium Chlorine, Spirulina, Manganese Sulfate, Mixed Natural Tocopherols (Antioxidant), Zinc Sulfate, Magnesium Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ethylene Diamine Dihydroiodide, Biotin Supplement, Folic Acid, and Sodium Selenite.

Thanks you so much for your reply and help! I'm so nervous and don't know what to do!

[Tiffandi09]

Here are a couple better pictures and a link concerning the stuff petsmart sold me...

Healthcare for Reptiles: Fluker's Repta-Aid at Drs. Foster and Smith

[Tiffandi09]

Oh sorry, and I forgot to reply about how she's eating and moving around. She seemed to be moving around fine... now she's in a different place than normal tho, so she's just laying there. She did this when we first got her though. I have crickets to feed her, I won't touch them though so my partner will be home soon and put a couple in and see if she wants them. I was also waiting to find out if I should put this stuff (repta aid) on them as well...

[Kurt]

My advice is take it to a qualified vet. I can see the spot you speak of, but I cannot see how serious it is. It could be just a normal marking, I just can't really tell for sure. I cannot see any pus oozing from this spot, but if there is indeed pus, then you need to see a vet.

And I will back up what John said, you really can't trust pet shop employess to give solid advice in most cases, and thats not just for amphibians, it goes for reptiles, fish, inverts, birds, etc. Most don't have any real experience or training in the field of exotic animals. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but you generally don't find these people at Petco or Petsmart.

[Kurt]

OK I just looked at your new pics. I will stand by what I said, you need to see a vet. That is definitely an infection. Amikacin would be the drug of choice in this situation.

[Tiffandi09]

It is puss...unless they bleed white, then I guess it's blood. Here's the problem with taking her to a vet:
My partner has had white's since she was little. One of her white's got a cut on it's leg and she took it to several specialists. All of them said there was nothing that could be done for a frog because they absorb everything through their skin, thus it can't be treated.

The thing about this stuff I got is that it's supposed to have the nutrients needed to help reptiles and amphibians get the "critical nutritional support [needed] during stressful periods for your pet." To me, this means that the nutritional support provided may help her heal. What do you think???

[John]

There are no antibiotics or "medicines" in there then - it's basically a vitamin and mineral supplement. To administer it you would have to get it on the crickets you are feeding to her.

As long as she maintains a good appetite I think this will heal on its own. To treat it topically would require a multispectrum antibiotic.

If you must treat it topically here is some advice from Jan over on Caudata.org which is relevant to your frog. Flush the wound with spring water or preferably sterile amphibian ringers (non-sterile would do), dab a little 1.5% hydrogen peroxide on the wound using a Q-tip (1:1 dilution of commercially available hydrogen peroxide 3% using spring water = 1.5%) and apply a thin layer of Neosporin (without benzocaine or other pain-killers which can be lethal) on the wound.

[Tiffandi09]

Oh wow...awesome! I will messure the amount based on her weight on sprinkle it on some crickets and see if she'll eat them. I will also clean it as caudata.org suggests! Thank you so much for this!!! I was looking everywhere and just couldn't find anything helpful...

Quick additional questions... I have one of those purifiers on my fosset... is that okay to flush the wound and dilute the hydrogen peroxide? It's the same water all the frogs have in their enclosure. Also, will the peroxide burn her like it does humans?

[John]

That water should be alright - Jan is just being very careful. The peroxide will burn but the idea is to disinfect - don't leave it on for long, just dab it on the effected area, then rinse it off, dry it and apply the neosporin (the pain-killer part of Jan's advice is very important - you could kill your frog if you don't pay attention to this part).

[Tiffandi09]

Oh, and the Neosporin I have contains:
Polymyxin B sulfate 5,000 units, bacitracin zinc 400 units and neomycin 3.5 mg. Also contains a base of cocoa butter, cottonseed oil, olive oil, sodium pyruvate, tocopheryl acetate and white petrolatum.

Is this the right kind?

[John]

Yes - I don't see any anesthetic in there. It would tout the anesthetic if it had it.

[Tiffandi09]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You are *literally* a life saver (I hope)!

I'm going to keep her seperate from the other frogs and free of dirt until she heals (unless you tell me different).

****! I forgot to ask how often I should clean the wound... Hopefully this will be my last question! Again... THANK YOU SO MUCH! I appreciate all your help!

[John]

I would do it the one time and see how she does - I wouldn't hit it with peroxide again. Keep her on some paper towelling or in a bare-bottomed tank with a hiding place but nothing in there than could get into the wound. Clean this little hospital terrarium daily and keep an eye on the wound. I think it's quite likely she'll get better on her own but I am not a vet - as Kurt advised, a trip to the vet is probably the best thing for her, but if that's not possible for you then this is an alternative. Obviously we can't promise anything though.

[John]

Oh and you should find out what caused the wound in the first place and remove it from the terrarium.

[Tiffandi09]

I understand! Thank you very much!!! And I found a broken staple in the half-pipe log that was in the terrarium. I have removed it! Thank you, John and Kurt. You both have been very helpful!!! I'll keep ya'll posted on how your advise helps!