# Turning black after fall?



## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

I posted a couple of days ago about a tumble one of my azureus took and now that same frog has a large black mark on it's back.

This is what he looked like before the fall:









And this is a picture I took just after this morning's feeding (the brightness is turned up a bit to make the mark easier to see):










Is this just a bruise that will heal or a permanent scar or a fungus? He didn't have any wounds that I could see when I found him out of his enclosure so my first assumption is that it's a bruise that has formed. I just want to make sure that it's nothing that needs to be treated (like a fungus, etc). 
To everyone reading this (especially those who responded to my post about his fall), thank you for your patience with my seemingly silly questions. 

*EDIT* Both frogs have been getting daily feedings with RepCal and Herptivite supplementation. The frog pictured has been only eating once a day instead of twice (like my other azureus) because it just doesn't clean up the flies as quickly. I considered that the fall might have caused enough stress to put it off it's appetite a bit and even today it was more aggressive during the morning feeding than it has been since escaping. Other than eating a little less than the other azureus this one seems in good health. Temps of about 78F and humidity of over 86% (just stuck the hygrometer in there and it's still climbing).


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## afterdark (Jan 16, 2007)

I had a Galact that developed a black mark on it's back - much smaller than yours. Here's a photo:









I was told that it looked like a scrape or a small abrasion. The frog didn't seem any worse off, so I didn't treat it at all. Now, the mark is still slightly visible, but has almost completely filled back in with orange. It looks like scar now. Just slightly lighter in colour than the surrounding skin.

If it was me, I would try to take a bigger photo and send it Dr. Frye ([email protected]) and see what he has to say. Since your black spot is much bigger than the one on my frog, he may recommend something to treat it.

Good luck with the little guy and keep us posted!


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## -Jex- (Mar 29, 2008)

You should send that to Dr. Frye. If it is some kind of cut then it could develop infections and other things.


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## ZeFrog (Apr 9, 2009)

Hi Marina, I remember reading that thread although I had nothing to add at the time. Did your azureus fall on it's back? This might be just a bruise or minor internal bleeding (hematoma) that should go away after some time. I would contact Dr Frye just to be sure. Does the skin texture feel/look different like hardened or lumpy?


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

Thank you for the quick replies (and Dr. Frye's email address) . I sent the images along with the rest of the info to Dr. Frye. Hopefully no treatment or medication is required but if it is then I'm crossing my fingers for a full and speedy recovery. In the future I think I will switch to sealed quarantine containers with a small vent/feeding hole in the top that can be corked...

*EDIT* Sorry Ze I didn't see your reply the first time . I didn't actually see the little one take the tumble so I don't know how it landed. About 30 minutes after feeding I found it on the floor a few feet away from the cabinet that the tank sits on. The dark mark doesn't seem to be raised or different in texture than the rest of the skin (I haven't touched the frog but the look is unchanged). It's smooth, wet, and black. I peak in on these guys several times a day without opening the containers but when I dumped flies in this morning I noticed the black mark. Without seeing it under decent light I couldn't tell that there was any difference.


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## ZeFrog (Apr 9, 2009)

Marinarawr said:


> Thank you for the quick replies (and Dr. Frye's email address) . I sent the images along with the rest of the info to Dr. Frye. Hopefully no treatment or medication is required but if it is then I'm crossing my fingers for a full and speedy recovery. In the future I think I will switch to sealed quarantine containers with a small vent/feeding hole in the top that can be corked...


Good luck, hopefully everything will be ok.  *fingers crossed*


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## melissa68 (Feb 16, 2004)

Everything should be ok - just keep an eye on him. 

Scratches or abrasions are not uncommon on our frogs - their skin is very sensitive. This is just a small frog with a big one.



Marinarawr said:


> I posted a couple of days ago about a tumble one of my azureus took and now that same frog has a large black mark on it's back.
> 
> This is what he looked like before the fall:
> 
> ...


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## ZeFrog (Apr 9, 2009)

Marinarawr said:


> Thank you for the quick replies (and Dr. Frye's email address) . I sent the images along with the rest of the info to Dr. Frye. Hopefully no treatment or medication is required but if it is then I'm crossing my fingers for a full and speedy recovery. In the future I think I will switch to sealed quarantine containers with a small vent/feeding hole in the top that can be corked...
> 
> *EDIT* Sorry Ze I didn't see your reply the first time . I didn't actually see the little one take the tumble so I don't know how it landed. About 30 minutes after feeding I found it on the floor a few feet away from the cabinet that the tank sits on. The dark mark doesn't seem to be raised or different in texture than the rest of the skin (I haven't touched the frog but the look is unchanged). It's smooth, wet, and black. I peak in on these guys several times a day without opening the containers but when I dumped flies in this morning I noticed the black mark. Without seeing it under decent light I couldn't tell that there was any difference.


Then it probably isn't much to worry about. The skin of frogs is very delicate and sensitive. Good luck


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanks all!  I'm gonna see what Dr. Frye says just because you can never be too safe... I needed to contact him about how to collect and pack fecal samples anyway so it's win/win.


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## michaelslenahan (Mar 10, 2009)

Can't help with the abrasion, but here is a link (with pics) on the fecals.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/care-sheets/36848-collecting-sending-fecals-examination.html

Good luck with your frog!


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## JL-Exotics (Nov 10, 2005)

Yep, that looks like a classic bruise. As long as he's only bruised he should be fine and eventually return to normal color. It's pretty common for frogs to pick up a few small bruises during shipping - particularly on the tops of their heads, but that one is a real doosie...


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

I just got a reply from Dr. Frye and he said that he was in a hurry and my pictures weren't very clear but from what he could see it appeared to be "bacterial and/or fungal dermatitis". He recommended getting a few things for a frog emergency kit as well. Now I feel bad for distracting him from the work he has at hand but I greatly appreciated his diagnosis. I'll have to acquire those froggy first aid goodies.

Thanks to everyone else for their replies . The afflicted froglet is doing well, eating regularly, and has become quite a bit more bold. Whatever the problem is.... it's not getting him down .


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

Marina, what were the recomended emergency kit supplies he recomended?


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## ZeFrog (Apr 9, 2009)

Hi Marina, I am glad you got the results back. I too would like to know what emergency things he recommended


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

This is what Dr. Frye recommends. I've omitted the prices he quoted me because I don't think that it's relevant.

"As a first aid kit, I strongly recommend having a few drugs on hand at all times. 
Metronidizole is an antibacterial, antiprotozoal, and APPETITE STIMULANT. 
Silversulfadiazene is a topical antibiotic and antifungal that promotes healing while discouraging scarring. It should be used on ALL skin lesions.
Baytril is a strong systemic a strong antibiotic that needs to be mixed carefully. It is mixed according to the size of the frog treated. Only a few drops are used daily.

Panacur is a powdered dewormer. It is very safe and easy to use."


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## ZeFrog (Apr 9, 2009)

Marinarawr said:


> This is what Dr. Frye recommends. I've omitted the prices he quoted me because I don't think that it's relevant.
> 
> "As a first aid kit, I strongly recommend having a few drugs on hand at all times.
> Metronidizole is an antibacterial, antiprotozoal, and APPETITE STIMULANT.
> ...


Thanks for the info Marina, I appreciate it and now I know what is important to keep.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

any news on the frog?


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

Thanks Marina. Did he recomend where to get the supplies from?


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

The little one still has the black mark but is active and eats well (and still climbs the sides of the enclosure for an attempted repeat escape ). I'm looking into getting some silversulfadiazine as a precaution but I don't know if I need to dilute it... And I'm weary of medicating such a wee frog unless necessary. I hate to sound like I'm undermining Dr. Frye because he seems to be a fantastic veteranarian, and it's not him that I'm questioning but my own lack of expertise in handling the application of medicated cream to a frog less than an inch long.

You can purchase all of those medications through most veteranarians and pharmacies granted that you have a prescription. This has proven difficult for me on more than one level, since it's hard to explain that these medications are for PDFs and I need them "in case of emergency". You can also contact Dr. Frye and his office will fill your order and ship the medications.


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

This is just an update for everyone who helped me out when I was panicking about my little one turning black . You have no idea how much I appreciated every word of advice and consolation. This is him/her as of today:

















What a porker!  You can see that there have been no problems with his/her appetite and the bruise is fading. I did a few precautionary swabs with SSD but it just seemed to scare the heck out of the frog and once it started fading (before the swabs) I was pretty certain that the mark was just a big bad bruise and not a fungal infection or anything scary like that. It'll take a little more time but I'm sure that he/she will be back to normal .


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## JoshK (Jan 5, 2009)

Thats really good news! I am glad to see the little guy doing so well.


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