# Azureus with Tumor??? Please help ASAP



## JHicks3 (Sep 6, 2009)

I have a female azureus who has recently developed a small bump located above the right forelimb, below the jawline. The bump is not abnormally colored, and it just 'appeared' a few days ago. It has not changed size, and so far, the behavior of the frog has not changed (I estimate its diamter at 3mm). She is still a vigorous eater and very active. I will attempt to post a good picture, but I was hoping that someone may have some insight in the meantime. I have searched the forum and found a few simlar instances, but nothing that was really of great consequence. I am definitely trying to take care of this immediately before any adverse effects are realized. Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Jon


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

do you have a pic of the frog? what are your parameters?


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## Jeffey_Kasparek (Jan 21, 2005)

I had a development similar to what you are describing in your D. azureus with a female Surinam Cobalt. I had contacted Dr. Wright and sent a picture. He postulated that the mass I highlighted was potentially a granuloma, a cyst, a tumor, or a birth defect. In either case, I quarantined that frog from the other, and just maintained a little more vigilence over its behavior. Eventually the mass disappeared and I assumed that the proximate cause was from physical distress with a tankmate (i.e., a large internal bruise) coupled with some degree of heat stress (July temperatures in Phoenix overwhelmed the cooling capacity of my residence initially). Her appetite was fully maintained throughout and she showed no deviations in activity or mobility. From the diameter you describe and absence of any discoloration it sounds like a small bruise, though I'm greatly speculating. 

Having said that however, I'd still recommend having the frog examined by a vet coupled with a quarantine period. If the appearance of the mass loses color or enlarges, I'd think that would be indicative of some microbial abscess (amid other possibilities), in which case you would want that examined immediately with a cytology (e.g., think of mycobacteria!) and attain antibiotics should anything arise.


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## JHicks3 (Sep 6, 2009)

I appreciate the insight. Good consideration for the possible infection, although I have not seen any discoloration or change in the size of the mass. I have posted some pictures via the link below so please take a look. I am also unsure of the likelihood of it being a bruise, as there is only a smaller male in the tank (currently breeding pair). I have observed their interactions and they are pretty tame. She is also still doing well with no appreciable difference in activity level or eating habits. Any more suggestions after seeing the photos would be great. Thanks again for helping out.

Snapfish: Share:Registration


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## Jeffey_Kasparek (Jan 21, 2005)

After looking at it I'd suspect that the frog may have suffered some sort of abrasion/lesion (e.g., screen lid, driftwood, spines on a bromeliad). It's hard to be certain from the picture, but there does appear to be a little discoloring. A treatment that I am familiar with is to soak the frog for a period of four hours in a bath of Triple Sulfa (aquarium pharmaceuticals) medication as a general cureall, though I am not sure of the dilution off hand (I believe it is one packet to two gallons of water).

As a disclaimer, I'm not a veterinarian, and I'd still STRONGLY recommend taking the frog to a competent veterinarian if one is available to you locally, as there is still the possibility that what is observed is something entirely different altogether. If the mass has not started to go away by now or has become larger, I'd think it's likely that a secondary infection remains and needs to be addressed.

Try consulting either Dr. Frye or Dr. Wright initially. The idea of lancing the mass for a cytology/biopsy may due more harm for the stress incurred, yet at the same time, you're swinging in the dark - so to speak.

In another instance I had a D. azureus that had a mass develop four days after acquisition that I considered a secondary bacterial infection from a lesion and was concerned that it could be Mycobacteria. I paid to have a cytology performed and the analysis was somewhat inconclusive, but the general response was that if it was Mycobacteria, the frog would be dead in a couple of weeks anyway.

I took the measure of treating the animal as if it was infected anyhow and disinfected as much as was feasible. The frog finally died about a month later, but there was never any development with the other frogs. What I regret most, is not having a necropsy performed afterwards. In either case, keep me updated.


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## Jeffey_Kasparek (Jan 21, 2005)

As a side note, it appears that the mass is closer to the eye than I initially conceived, as though it resides actually on the jaw line, beneath the eye itself. Could you take another photo by chance where the angle is straight on and less overhead?


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## JHicks3 (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks for the continued feedback. I will defintely try and get another shot from a frontal view to show a profile of the bump. The frog is still eating well and behaving normally, and she actually had a clutch of five egss last night, so I would say that it has not adversely impacted her health to this point, at least from casual observation. Based on the fact that she is doing 'well' I am reluctant to engage in any remediation efforts. I took another look and think that the discoloration may be the result of the photo quality, because the mass seems to be dark blue skin color in real life. Could you possibly provide some contact info for the Drs you mentioned? Thanks again!


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## Jeffey_Kasparek (Jan 21, 2005)

*"The frog is still eating well and behaving normally, and she actually had a clutch of five egss last night, so I would say that it has not adversely impacted her health to this point, at least from casual observation."*

If she is maintaining a breeding condition then I'd think that it would be very unlikely then that she'd be suffering from an infection. I'm apprehensive to say "no need to worry" though because I'd hate to provide a false sense of security and have something happen. At the same time, premature aging from stress does not do you or the frog well either. 

The best advice I'd have to offer is to monitor the frog closely for any changes in appearance or behavior, but to put yourself in contact with a veterinarian and communicate your concerns about the mass and provide pertinent information that way you have at least some idea of what to do at a moment's notice, and they can also advise on the best form of action (i.e., should you have the frog examined further or does its asymptomatic condition - aside the mass - not merit the stress inclusion from capture, transporting, and handling).

*"Could you possibly provide some contact info for the Drs you mentioned?"*

Kevin Wright, DVM
Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital, LLC
744 N Center St.
Mesa, AZ 85201
(480) 275 - 7017 (Phone)
[email protected]
Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital

David Frye, DVM
Milan Area Animal Hospital
517 W Main St.
Milan, MI 48160
(734) 439-2273
Milan Area Animal Hospital Home Page

[Information retrieved via respectives websites]


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