Feeling Bloated?

Hydrops and Hydrocoelom in a Green Frog

Amanda Igeta, Colorado State University, DVM Candidate 2016

Signalment

Green Frog (Rana clamitans), male, approximately 2 years old

History

An approximately 2 year old wild-caught Green Frog was presented for a 1 week history of generalized swelling and a 1 day history of anorexia. He is housed alone in a half aquatic 20 gallon tank with a stone substrate, a hide box, and fake branches. The temperature is maintained at 75 degrees F with a room humidifier and heater. A canister is used to filter the water, and the water is changed monthly with tap water. The daily diet consists of crickets and a multivitamin. 

Physical exam

On physical exam, he was quiet, alert, and responsive. The coelom and hind limbs were swollen and edematous, and transillumination of the coelom revealed no abnormalities. The eyes were clear, though there were red abrasions ventral to both eyes and a bloody discharge from the left naris. Oral examination revealed swelling of the dorsal aspect of the mouth, located ventrally to the eyes. He was able to ambulate on all four limbs, though there were noticeable musculoskeletal deformities of the long bones, which were softened and mildly rubbery on palpation. A 1 cm diameter, dark red swelling was present on the caudal aspect of the dorsum in the region of the cloaca.

 

Differential diagnoses

Initial differential diagnoses for hydrocoelom and hydrops include renal failure, lymph heart failure, and liver disease. The underlying etiologies of these organ failures vary and may include bacterial (Mycobacterium) or fungal infections (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) that are often secondary due to poor husbandry, malnutrition leading to immunosuppression or hypoproteinemia, osmotic imbalances, and hypocalcemia which can lead to decreased function of the lymph hearts. Differential diagnoses for the musculoskeletal abnormalities and the mass in the region of the cloaca include metabolic bone disease and cloacal prolapse, respectively.

Diagnostics

It was decided that we would drain the subcutaneous and intracoelomic fluid and analyze it via cytology and refractometry. On presentation, the frog was 145 g. Celiocentesis was performed with a 25 gauge butterfly needle attached to a 6 cc syringe. Prior to puncturing the skin, the coelom was transilluminated in order to identify and avoid any organs or blood vessels, and 29 mL were aspirated. The same procedure was repeated for the right and left hind limbs, which yielded a total of 27 mL. A total of 56 mL of a serosanguinous fluid were removed from the frog to yield a new body weight of 89 g. The total protein of the fluid was 0.2 g/dL. Direct microscopic examination and a diff-quick stain of the coelomic fluid revealed 3+ erythrocytes. A gram stain did not reveal any bacteria, though there was a moderate amount of proteinaceous debris.   

VD whole body radiographs were taken after the 56 mL were aspirated from the frog. The radiograph revealed an increased soft tissue/fluid opacity of the thorax and hind limbs. The lung fields appear to be clear, though perhaps mildly decreased in size. There is generalized decreased bone density of the long bones, and both humeri are bowed. There is no foreign body or mass appreciated on evaluation of the coelom.

  

Treatment

He was hospitalized and provided with earthworms overnight after receiving one subcutaneous injection of 8.9 mg calcium gluconate. Treatments during hospitalization included 8.9 mg calcium glubionate PO once daily, 1-2 drops of tobramycin ophthalmic solution applied topically to the skin once daily, and a 10 minute soak in amphibian ringer’s solution once daily (1 part LRS to 2 parts 0.45% saline + 2.5% dextrose). He was sent home the next day with instructions to continue applying 1-2 drops of tobramycin ophthalmic solution once daily topically to the skin for 21 days, 0.09 mL calcium glubionate (2.07 mg elemental calcium) PO once daily for 21 days, 8 mg piperacillin IM once daily for 14 days, and to return for a recheck in 21 days. Recommendations for husbandry were also made and included 10 minutes of supervised exposure to sunlight when temperature permits, using dechlorinated tap water for 25% water changes, removal of pebbles from the tank to decrease bacterial load and the possibility of ingestion, wearing gloves during handling, adding a 10.0 UVB light bulb, and improving his diet by adding earthworms with three times weekly calcium powder dusted on top and a weekly multivitamin.

Follow up

A week after initial presentation, the Green Frog returned for a recheck appointment. Over the week, the generalized edema improved, although the hind limbs continued to remain more swollen than normal. Several days after the frog was sent home, aquarium salt was added to his water, but when a color change of the ventral surface of the frog was noticed, the water was switched to distilled water. In addition, the owners were syringe feeding the frog because he still had a decreased appetite. On examination, the 61 g frog was much improved with regards to the cloacal swelling, the abrasion ventral to his left eye was healing, his left naris was no longer bleeding, and there was only moderate edema of the hind limbs. However, there were multiple areas of the skin that had a gray discoloration with petechiation (ventral abdomen, ventral thighs, lateral carpi) suggestive of chemical burns that were likely due to being soaked in salt water and distilled water. The owners were warned that while the skin may heal with care, it could also potentially become necrotic and slough off. The frog was then sent home with instructions to soak 10-15 minutes once daily in amphibian ringer’s solution for the next two weeks, to syringe feed an insectivore supportive diet as needed, to continue administering the previously prescribed medications, and to return for a recheck in 14 days.  

 

References

Mader, DR. Reptile Medicine and Surgery. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier, 2006.

Wright, Kevin M. and Brent R. Whitaker. Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry. Malabar: Krieger Publishing Company, 2001. 

A Study in Corrie

Gabrielle Woo, Cornell

I am somewhat of an anomaly among my colleagues because I did not grow up in a household that included animals. Oh, I’d done my share of pet-sitting, lived in several places with multiple animals and, like many other kids, I asked for a puppy every Christmas – but to no avail. In hindsight, though, I am sort of glad my parents said no.

I say this because now, as a student living away from Toronto, I’ve had the immense privilege of making friends with an animal of my own for the very first time.

Pet adoption occurs frequently among my vet school friends, but it seems far more significant when you are the one taking the animal with you. Corrie, short for Cornelia, is a 1.5-year-old polydactyl calico kitty who was spayed by one of my classmates while I monitored anesthesia during a surgical lab at school. She came home with me less than a month ago.

Since then Corrie and I have packed up and moved to a new place, argued about which of my possessions is appropriate for napping on (laptop keyboard is forbidden, everything else is fair game), gone adventuring outside in the woods, and taken more than a few naps on other people’s couches. She is a funny sort of cat who sometimes acts like a dog, especially when she greets me at the door and doesn’t stop talking until I oblige with a good scratch behind the ears. Before I met Corrie I was prone to talking aloud to myself on occasion. Now I can say I was talking to the cat.

I suppose it is strange that even after two years of vet school, I didn’t quite understand the bond between humans and their companion animals until now. Corrie has had something to do with this discovery, of course, as have other people I’ve met while doing pet photoshoots. One of my favourite moments as a photographer is when my animal subject decides we are to be friends and pushes my camera aside in order to say hello. It makes pictures harder to get and sometimes leaves sloppy noseprints on my camera lens, but it also brings laughter to all the humans who are watching.

I think having an animal friend must have something to do with a sense of family and of home, especially for those wanderers who dare not stay in one place for too long. The weight of this bond makes me feel strangely more responsible as Corrie’s human and as a vet in training. Mostly, though, it makes me grateful to be where I am.

On the next edition of Life as a Vet Student....

Kirsi Gove from Utah State takes it to the next level with a love of Vespa Scooters.  Congratulations to her "Life as a Vet Student" award-winning submission, and check out her cool story below!

I developed an interest in Vespa Scooters after High school, I has always wanted one, especially one of the older ones from the 50's. I liked the classic lines and being able to ride a cool bike that was over 50 years old. I worked at a coffee shop and was about to start my first semester of undergrad. I bought a repair manual for a Vespa P200 (made from the 70's-80's) after finding a basket case of a scooter on a local classified website. The scooter needed new electrical and an engine rebuild, none of which I had ever done, but I was up for the challenge and decided to take it on. One thing I like about vespas is that an engine project never takes up more space than the kitchen table and with time and practice I can now rebuild an engine in less than 4 hours. I fixed that scooter, rode it for the next summer and sold it in the fall. I made money on the sale that covered my time and then some. Thats when I decided to keep doing it and buy more and more projects. This is how I ended up paying for my undergraduate degree and it was a pretty fun side job and hobby, at one point during my junior year I had 27 bikes ranging from small Puch and Jawa mopeds to Vespas and Lambrettas.

Memes on Memes.. part two!

Muzzy Sayyid - St. Georges

Noah Seifman - St. Georges

Lindsey O'Connell - Coloroado State

Creative Corner Awards (Part Two)

"Macey" by Yung Ying Zoe Hsi - UC Davis

"Lazy Days" by Lauren Greenfield - Florida