We had a beautiful wild Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog brought to BBEVS after some good samaritans noticed it had two large open wounds on its back. Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs are a small species of frog that only reach a size of 2cm (males) and 3cm (females) when fully grown!

All frogs have special, delicate skin that they use for drinking and breathing – they literally absorb moisture and oxygen through their skin in order to stay in peak physical condition. However, this means that all impurities are also easily absorbed through the skin. The vets and nurses put on fresh gloves rinsed in purified water before handling the patient to avoid contaminating the frog with the natural oils that occur on human hands.

A thorough health check was done and it was decided that the best approach would be to treat things conservatively in the hopes that we would be able to avoid taking this creature to surgery. The wounds were gently debrided (removal of dead skin that may promote infection and impede healing) and the frog was placed on a course of antibiotics and pain relief. Daily tube feedings were also given. Unfortunately after a week of treatments that patient had shown minimal improvement. The next step was to take this petite frog, weighing only 2 grams, to surgery!

A special surgery setup was required as our usual surgical drapes and materials are quite absorbent. Cling wrap was utilised as this would prevent the frog from losing moisture from its skin. The doppler was set up so the nurse could monitor the strength and frequency of the patient’s heart beat during the anaesthetic. Dosage rates for the anaesthetic agent were carefully calculated and diluted. Since frogs quickly and easily absorb fluids through their skin the vet slowly dripped the anaesthetic agent onto the patient and monitored until the patient was asleep. Performing surgery on a 2 gram, 2 centimeter patient requires very steady hands! The wounds were cleaned up and the skin was then sutured back together. The patient was rinsed with purified water to ensure all the anaesethic agent was washed away. Minutes later the patient woke up.

During the course of the procedure the frog’s colour started to darken and become dull. This is not uncommon for a frog that has been anaesthetised and undergone a procedure. However, dull colouration could otherwise indicate illness or injury in a pet frog. By the following day the little frog had recovered very well from its procedure and was bright, active and alert! Its beautiful bright green colour had also returned!

Frogs are certainly remarkable creatures who bounce back quickly from surgery!