How to Cure Frog Dropsy

Frog dropsy is caused by an infection of the Aeromonas Hydrophila bacteria. Early symptoms of frog dropsy include food regurgitation and loose skin on the thighs. Advanced infections of frog dropsy cause the animal to bloat up to twice its size. The frog's body is so bloated that it looks like it swallowed a baseball. The bloating starts in the stomach and is caused by a heavy accumulation of body fluids in the frog's abdomen. Causes of dropsy include a poor body metabolism caused by improper nutrition and living in a unsanitary, dirty tank.

Things You'll Need

  • Quarantine tank
  • Salt
  • Stress Coat
  • Gravel vacuum
  • Replacement filters for pump
  • Fish antibiotic food with Oxytetracycline
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the quarantine tank. Add water to the tank. Add one tablespoon salt per five gallons to the tank water. Add one tablespoon per five gallons of stress coat. Isolate the effected frog and place it in the quarantine tank.

    • 2

      Do a full water replacement and thoroughly clean out the tank that it was living in, including vacuuming the gravel. Change all filters and wash out the pump.

    • 3

      Treat the bacterial infection that is causing the bloat. Feed the frog antibiotic fish food that contains Oxytetracycline, such as Metrodmed. Oxytetracycline is bacteriorstatic, meaning it will not kill off the good or beneficial bacteria that live in your fish tank. Metromed is a goof medicated fish food to use as it contains three types of active antibacterial medications, Metronidazole, Ormetoprim-sulfa and Oxytetracycline. These three medications can work quickly to help your frog fight off the infection. When the bloating clears up, return the frog to the clean tank.

    • 4

      If there is no sign of improvement after three days, or if the frog is getting significantly worse after beginning treatment, take it to a veterinarian immediately. It may need medical attention as the bloating can block circulation of bodily fluids, which can lead to death.

    • 5

      Prevent dropsy by regularly cleaning the frog's tank and feeding it a proper diet. The diets differ depending on the species of frog you have, so do some research to ensure proper nutrition.