Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My pacman frog hasn't been eaten nor pooped in a while. Lately, he (she?..I'm not too sure of the sex) has been jumping around a lot. Today, he has been in his pond all day and is really bloated. He also has some translucent bubble-like things coming from his anus. See picture here:

http://ctap.lacoe.edu/upload/6/6c/Bloated_pacman.jpg

Please help!!

I'm am very unsure of this, but it doesn't seem like impaction. The fact that he is bloated and sitting around in his waterbowl, I belive rather points to some sort of infection or maybe a thing called "Bloat". Bloat, that is quite a common disease in African Clawed frogs is often caused by lever failure. Whether or not this is the case I don't know, look for some more answers/posts, there are people who now far more about this on this forum than me.
Though I reccomend if anyone else doesn't say anything else, that you should take him/her to a vet.

Hope it helped, and Merry Christmas.
-----
CokeOfMan

Your frog has a prolapse, which requires emergency veterinary care. It certainly could be caused by impaction. Please review care sheets on the proper foods and feeding techniques for Pacmans. In the meantime, I recommend keeping the frog on a wet paper towel substrate only, since the substrate you have it on can get stuck to the tissue involved in the prolapse. There is no ambiguity in whether or not the frog needs a vet, the prolapse needs to be taken care of immediately, and the impaction must be resolved.

-----
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Governor George W. Bush, Jr.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

>>Your frog has a prolapse, which requires emergency veterinary care. It certainly could be caused by impaction. Please review care sheets on the proper foods and feeding techniques for Pacmans. In the meantime, I recommend keeping the frog on a wet paper towel substrate only, since the substrate you have it on can get stuck to the tissue involved in the prolapse. There is no ambiguity in whether or not the frog needs a vet, the prolapse needs to be taken care of immediately, and the impaction must be resolved.
>>
>>-----
>>"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
>>Governor George W. Bush, Jr.
>>
>>"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
>>Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)
-----
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Governor George W. Bush, Jr.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Thanks for the responses. My original guess was that it's an impacted hernia and that an emergency trip to the vet would be necessary. Unfortunately, it being Christmas and being that exotic animal vets are few and far between (in my experience), our appointment isn't until tomorrow morning (two days after we noticed the hernia). At least by then they'll have a board certified vet in able to perform emergency surgery if need be. Thanks again for all the help, and happy holidays to everybody!

KEEP US UP TO DATE, PLEASE
HAPPY HOLIDAY's

I wrote that it was caused by lever failure, tough I haven't when searching (Well, just reading an article really) found anything that backs it up, it only mentions kidney failure. I don't know if it can be caused by lever failure or if it just was something that I had belived.
Though I do recall that (in Xenopus Laevis) that the fluid that is building up and causing the bloat is lymph and that the frog had been succesfully kept alive for years by regularly puncturing the skin an letting out the lymph. I don't belive this is the case of your frog though, since it may have been caused by impaction, just a "fun" fact.
Good luck, and keep us updated.
-----
CokeOfMan

According to the old pathologist at work, liver failure can cause bloat, the frequency is just not as common as kidney dysfunction.

Ed

We visited the local exotic animal vet this morning, and the vet immediately identified the rectal prolapse (apparently it didn't look like bladder tissue). She tucket the prolapsed rectum back into George and then said the next step was to figure out what caused the prolapse -- probably constipation, since George hadn't defecated in well over a month and is very bloated with swellings of feces in his belly. The vet said that a common cause is parasites; since prolonged constipation gives them ample time to divide and multiply, she prescribed Flagyl, Baytril, and Panacur which apparently should take care of things.

I'm a little worried about the rectum reprolapsing, especially since there seems to be a little bubble of tissue peeking through George's cloaca. But the vet said the prolapse (and potential reprolapse) is not life-threatening, and as long as the parasites are killed and any intestinal infections are cleared up, George should be in good shape. Next vet visit is in two weeks. I'll keep you posted... Thanks for all the comments!

Today George prolapsed again, so we returned her to the vet. At first the vet suggested another prolapse reduction, an X-ray, and a purse string. A purse string is basically a surgical thread stitched around the cloaca to close it up and prevent prolapses -- however these can often restrict bowel movements, and with George so hopelessly constipated we figured a purse string would probably be counter-productive.

So we tried to pursue other treatments. Since the vet was going on the assumption that the constipation was somehow caused by parasites (hence the antibiotics we've been giving George since yesterday), I asked what would happen if George didn't have worms. What if she'd been impacted (unlikely considering we keep her on Bed-a-Beast substrate) and just couldn't defecate? The vet assistant said they didn't do surgery on frogs, but we insisted that she ask the vet (who's a specialist in exotic animal care and surgery). The vet said surgery was definitely an option (and the assistant promptly apologized for her mistake).

The vet suggested we leave George overnight for prolapse reduction, X-ray, possible purse string, and any necessary surgery. We had to make a $200 deposit (just for the procedures -- they didn't charge us for the follow up exam) and said we'd get a call tonight or tomorrow to let us know what happens. We'll see how things go...

As promised, the vet called us this morning. Poor little George passed away last night. The vet had given her lactulose to loosen her bowels, which helped a little, but not enough to save her. George had been impacted; the vet said it was from her eating too much of her substrate (we use Bed-a-Beast). She was constipated for a while and that may have blocked her breathing. The vet asked if she could do an autopsy on George, and we said that would be fine. It'd be good to know for sure what happened.

Thanks for everyone's comments and support in figuring out how to care for George. It's really appreciated.

We love you and miss you, George!

Sorry to hear about your loss. I know I'll get chewed but that is why I dont a herp to the vet. It's a waste of money.
-----
0.0.1 Giant Pixies
1.1.0 Albino Pacmans
0.0.1 Green Ornate Pacman
2.1.0 Albino Clawed frogs
0.1.0 Brown Clawed Frog
0.0.1 Superlight Baby Sulcatta
1.0.0 Baby leopard tort
0.0.2 Fly river turtles
0.0.2 Savannah Monitors
1.1.0 Orange and yellow flame Niger uromastyx
1.1.0 Mali Uromastyx
0.1.1 Ball pythons
1.1.0 pastel Columbian boa