January 10, 2011 Avian and Exotics

Albus Froggy’s House Call

Albus Froggy’s House Call

We have a pet frog. He is a South African clawed frog who we sometimes call Albus, after Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. Albus is Latin for white, and Froggy, which is his other name, is an albino frog.

Albus Froggy’s first home was a 10 gallon fish tank with snails, tropical fish and one giant plecostomus, Platus. He was about the size of a quarter and he would eat bloodworms and shrimp pellets. I guess we didn’t recognize how big Albus Froggy was getting, but suddenly, fish were missing. We just thought they had died, but pretty soon Albus Froggy was looking very full and supporting himself on the leaves of the plants like he had a stomach ache. The next thing we knew, Albus Froggy was as big as your hand and he became the consummate predator, polishing off four neon tetras and a little school of fish we called the Police.

Albus Froggy moved to his own private Baby Biorb tank. Every week he would get 10 or so 19¢ feeder fish from the pet store who would be his friends — only long enough for him to eat them. Then one day, Albus Froggy had a bloody nose. On closer inspection, there was a swelling on his face on the same side as the bloody nose. In another day, both nostrils were bloody. Being an oncologist, I was sure Albus Froggy had a tumor, but an Animal Medical Center specialist veterinarian knew how to save his little frog life. Dr. Kathy Quesenberry suggested Albus Froggy might have an infection and recommended antibiotic therapy. She prescribed an injection of a powerful antibiotic, gentamicin.

So much to the delight of our Saturday night dinner guests, slippery Albus Froggy was captured, weighed in a Gladware box on the kitchen scale and given exactly the right dosage of antibiotic in the fanny. For several days after the injection, we stood around the Baby Biorb trying to convince ourselves he was better. And he was! First the bleeding stopped a couple of days after the injection and then the swelling decreased. And now Albus Froggy is back to eating and swimming around the Baby Biorb.

The successful treatment of Albus Froggy is a good example of how important it is to find the right specialist is for your pet. In this case, I was just a regular pet owner who could recognize my pet had a problem. Albus Froggy needed the exotic pet specialist to hone in on the correct diagnosis and treatment leading to a successful outcome.

This blog may also be found in the “Tales from the Pet Clinic” blog from WebMD.
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For nearly a century, The Animal Medical Center has been a national leader in animal health care, known for its expertise, innovation and success in providing routine, specialty and emergency medical care for companion animals. Thanks in part to the enduring generosity of donors, The AMC is also known for its outstanding teaching, research and compassionate community funds. Please help us to continue these efforts. Send your contribution to: The Animal Medical Center, 510 East 62nd Street, New York, NY 10065. For more information, visit www.amcny.org. To make an appointment, please call 212.838.7053.

Tags: albino frog, AMC, animal, animal hospital, animal medical center, animals, ann hohenhaus, antibiotic, baby biorb, dumbledore, exotic, exotic pet, exotic pets, frog, harry potter, health, new york vet, pet, pet emergency, pet health, pet healthcare, pet owner, pets, quesenberry, tales from the pet clinic, vet, veterinarian, veterinary care, WebMD,

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