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Help! Whites Tree Frog - Pus & Bloating

johnny_k Jan 08, 2007 04:49 PM

Okay, this one's feeling a bit urgent on my end.

The problem is this:
One of my frogs has had a couple little bumps by his hind legs (on his little saist-ish area above where his legs are attached) for maybe a week now. I never thought much of it since they seem to be prone to little changes in their looks now and again. Well, just yesterday I also notices a little canker-sore looking thing on his hind leg. I was a bit worried, but other than the minor spot (maybe 1 cm in width) there didn't look to be any other problems. Just the same, though, I figured I'd err on the side of caution and soak him in a Melafix solution for awhile and see if he didn't heal up a bit overnight.

Well, there my troubles began. Today the wound looks worse, though it looks like it's begun to heal. The big problem is this: his leg looks like it has a huge blister on it that covers half of it's upper length. I tried another Melafix bath with something else I bought from the petstore (part of a little turtle-wafer looking thing) and left him in it for awhile. One of the little lumps on his lower back/waist oozed out some rather thick and creamy (sorry) pus, which I cleaned up. I also took a thin, sterile needle and tapped at the bubble in his leg, and a thinner, watery liquid slowly oozed out. There still looks to be another bubble closer to his waist that I'm nervous about touching since it doesn't look like it could pop comfortably.

I think I got alot of the infectious area cleaned, but it was a long and rather nauseating process, and the poor frog looks like he saw a ghost afterwards; he sat still on his rock in his tank for awhile in an awkward position until he snatched up a cricket. I clean the tank often (in fact, this is a new tank), so it should be a safe environment for him... Still...

...any other help/ideas/solutions?

Last time when I took my frog to a vet, only one of the vets in town would help, and he obviously didn't know what he was doing. I paid $45 for him to less than the internet provided me with, so I'm almost positive that going to the vet wouldn't be at all helpful.

If anyone can add anything, or direct me to a good site, I'd be very appreciative.

Replies (1)

EdK Jan 09, 2007 07:03 AM

You may want to invest in a copy of Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry (2001) Krieger press so you can show the vet some concrete information.

I would suggest being very careful with the use of melafix as this is tea tree oil extract. This extract is very skin permeable and liver toxic (it has basically the same effect on the liver as turpentine (which many years ago was used the same way).

You are going to have to get these lesions biopsied to determine the actual causative agent. The reason I say this is that in White's tree frogs lesions like this can be caused by encysted tapeworms or other parasites (as well as by fungal, viral, protozoal and bacterial infections) and if the cause is not treated it will continue to occur or temporarily clear and then reoccur. If it is due to encysted parasites then you are going to have to treat the frog with an effective vermicide which will require a prescription.

Ed

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