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Well, everyone knows how ADFs sometimes
can be very secretive, espescially in a
well planted tank with many hiding spots.
Sometimes they will remain unseen for days or
even weeks.
Well such is the case with my 3.

Yesterday, I saw one, and you wouldnt
believe it. His whole back foot has become
nothing but bone.It looks almost like some
kind of flesh eating disease.
I have no idea how this happened.
This frog was fine last time I saw him, about
1 week ago. What do I do? If there is nothing
to be done, as I suspect, how does one
euthanize a frog?

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below. Images are very graphic.


















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I am not sure how to go about euthanizing a frog, but his wound looks very similar to one my albino ACF had a few yews ago. My frogs injury was casued by a koi who tried to eat him alive. I saw it and it was horrible! My little frog guy was fantically trying to swim away but the koi one of his back legs completely in his mouth. Sadly my frog did not survive his injuries. He died id quarantine about a month after the incident. Good Luck.

That looks like a condition loosely known as redbelly, its a disease common to populations of south american frogs and it has spread globally. It is often started by a wound and spreads from there. Basically its an aggressive necrotising bacteria rather like staphylococcus in humans, and it will spread relentlessly unless countered with subcutaneous injections of drugs like baytril administered in the skin over the posterior part of the belly, which is by any standard on a small frog, a very , very , difficult injection to perform.

Should the cause be simply a wound , it is far too early to euthanise the frog, it should perhaps also be worth mentioning that many frogs get on fine even as amputees , being that their weight is largely supported by water the loss of a leg is not the biggest disability. If the leg becomes useless a vet could easily remove it and cauterise the stump. They have some stunning regenerative abilities so to call time too early would be unwise.

the pictures are a little rough, but to me it looks like an injury.. the frogs skin is very thin, and sometimes with an injury/or infection, i think it would be almost too much to treat... im not sure on euthanizing a frog, other than the quick smashing method! good luck with either, whichever you choose. the frog looks a little skinny too, do you know if its suffering, does it eat and act normal despite the injuries? :: shrugs ::

*Chelle*
_______________________________________________
I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...

Well thats my concern right.
It definetly looks like some
type of wound that has turned into
some type of flesh eating bacteria/
or gangrene.
The frog has been eating...not much though,
but its behaviour is odd.
It will swim to the top as usual to get a
breath of air, but if when it comes
down it ends up upside down on its back,
it will just lay there for hours upside down.
It seems like its eyes are "glazed"
and while it doesnt demonstrate any sign of
actual pain in reference to the wound,
but it seems to be in shock.
And yes, this frog has always been very thin,
thats why I moved him temporarily to the
10g tank, to try to see if he could get more
food and plump up a bit.

How would I treat this?
I have oodles of fish meds...
what should I try?
I contacted every vet clinic in town
yesterday, none have any vets experience
with frog medicine.


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Oh Koran I'm so sorry! One of my guys went this way and I had no idea what it was or what to do for it. And it did take a long time for it to go.

Question, as frog's skin is so thin does the baytril have to be injected? I would think and I may be wrong but couldn't it be absorbed through the skin? If the dose is administered in the bowl the frog is in it would then be more concentrated than trying to dose the tank. Please Longhairedgit respond to this question if you think it is at all possible or dead wrong.

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

I have 8 of these frogs and never came across anything like this before which they have there own tank I dont put any fish in there with them.
Did you have this frog in a tank with other fish, one of the fish might of attacked it.

or you could try this site [link]http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/doctor/sick.html

It might actually be too early to talk about euthanising your frog.

Amphibians are able to regenerate damaged tissue of this kind if they're given treatment. You'd need to administer antibiotics in the food, apply topical antiseptic preparations to help, and keep the frog in a scrupulouslky clean hospital vivarium for the duration, but it's potentially reversible.

in the past, some amphibians have even demonstrated the ability to regenerate whole lost limbs, so you're some way from euthanising your frog.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

You could try to put a topical antibiotic on the site of the wound, and if its early enough you might catch it before it spreads but, red leg or red belly as the condition is sometimes known is aggressive and systemic, the frog usually dies from septacaemia, so the drugs used really need to be systemic. Baytril (enrofloaxin)can be orally administered, but with frogs its not unusual for them to vomit, sometimes to the degree that they will extrude the stomach from the mouth in order to empty its contents. If no vet can do the injection for you I guess an ingestible antibiotic is the only option. While a frogs skin is permeable to water and a certain amount of gaseous exchange there are various chemical barriers and osmotic regulation that prevent most medications from simply being absorbed.

Most fish meds unfortunately dont work on frogs, and a great number of them are actually toxic to frogs, especially the formaldehyde based ones. You could try baytril in the water, and hope for some incidental ingestion of the med, but I dont know how successful it would be, but its worth a shot if you have the cash.

Red -leg can be highly contagious too, so I would definately quarantine the animal.When animals are saved from this illness its usually in the early stages, (ie: when the leg or belly is starting to go pink, but the flesh isnt falling off) but yours has already started to lose tissue, so the prognosis might not be good in this particular case. If its just a wound the frog should recover, but if it is red-leg its chances are slim.

I have personally performed the injection to the belly myself during my stint in animal rescue, it is a very risky procedure, but nothing a qualified vet should not be able to attempt as long as they know frog anatomy and have a steady pair of hands, Im sure most vets realising that it is a "nothing to lose scenario" would probably give it a go. The only thing that makes me wary in this case is that the frog is tiny, and the injections I have performed were on frogs and newts/salamanders with at least 10 times the body mass of your frog.

If the worst comes to the worst ( much as I hate to say it) the old bash on the head is the surest way to kill a frog, much like fish they feel freezing if not knocked out with drugs, and their nervous system is more like a lizards than a fish's and they have a large secondary nerve backup in the spine, so beheading the frog is not an option. The only painless way is to drug it to death with pharmaceuticals that only a vet can get hold of or kill the brain with a sharp blow to the head.Dont be too quick to make the decision though, as Cal and I already pointed out, frogs have some amazing abilities in tissue replacement. You should wait until the frog is completely debilitated before euthanising it,its only then that you can be sure the frog wont recover.Sometimes a little suffering is worth a shot at survival. If you fail you fail, but better that than call time too early if youre unsure. If its any consolation, some necrosis often leads to the deadening of the nerves in the immediate area of infection, so while the frog will feel weak and sickly, it might not actually be in serious pain, even if the wound looks horrific. If its only a wound, it will probably recover, ive had frogs torn up by cats, dogs, birds, lawnmowers, and RTA's that had injuries you wouldnt believe its possible to recover from, but recover they do.

Good luck with the frog.

What about a topical like Polysporin?
Would that work?
How about Melafix?
Heres a list of all the meds I have:

Melafix
PimaFix
Maracyn 2
Jungle Parasite Clear
Jungle Bacteria Clear
Furan-2
Prazinquental
EM Tabs

Would any of this be of any use at all?
Would a clean 1g fish bowl work for treatment?


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Polysporin and melafix are about the only ones that would have any effect,working on a contact only basis but theyre no replacement for antibiotics.If you want to try something water soluble i would give metronidazole a shot.

Well, when I got up this morning the frog
was gone.
Poor Froggy...but im glad he didnt suffer
anymore.
R.I.P Frog.


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Sounds like it might have been red leg after all, it was too late to save him. Red leg is transmissable , so id get on some hefty water changes and clean the substrate well to minimise chances of infection, and watch the others closely for reddening in the tissues in the rear of the body, from the belly to the legs. It might be worth a quick telephone conversation with a vet that practises small animal medicine or herpetological medicine to see if you can get hold of an effective drug should others be affected, it never hurts to be prepared.

Sorry for your loss.

Thanks long.
I did in fact do a good 50% water change and
a deep gravel vacc the day after the frog passed.
I checked both the other frogs and neither
seems affected...both look normal and healthy!

The frog that died was always smaller and more
...behaviorally slow, than the other frogs.
Perhaps more genetically unsound, or e
to such conditions.

Thanks for your help and kindness Long,
it has been appreciated!
Thanks everyone!


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