Foot Rot in Phyllobates terribilis: Treatment and Recovery

Back in May 2020, I noticed one of my Phyllobates terribilis frogs had injured her foot. After scouring hobbyist and veterinary literature and consulting with a zoo veterinarian, I made a couple of husbandry changes and applied silver sulfadiazine cream to the injury once daily for ten days. The wound healed quickly, but it would take months for my frog to regrow her toes.

This video contains my suggestions for prevention and treatment of pododermatitis (foot rot) in Phyllobates dart frogs, based on this experience. The basic takeaways: 1) hobbyists report adding extra leaf litter and a rock perch (as rocks do not become waterlogged) can prevent pododermatitis. 2) If your pet develops pododermatitis, talk to your veterinarian about what diagnostics/therapy is right for your circumstances - I had success with SSD every 24 hours and noticed improvement fairly quickly; some cases may require culture or biopsy.

Apologies for the crappy audio - I was attempting to be considerate of my housemates by remaining masked as I am currently home on a mandatory ten day quarantine after a confirmed COVID exposure, and I didn't realize it would cause so much clipping.

References:

1) A Phyllobates pododermatitis treatment regimen that was used to successfully treat four zoo animals with itraconazole brew and gentamicin salve is decribed on the VIN message boards: https://www.vin.com/members/boards/di...

2) Hobbyist husbandry advice to avoid foot rot: https://nebulaexotics.com/available-d...

3) Hobbyist message boards describing experiences with foot rot: i)https://www.dendroboard.com/threads/f...
ii) https://www.dendroboard.com/threads/t...
iii) https://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forum...
iv) https://www.dendroboard.com/threads/t...

4) SSD dosing: Carpenters’ Exotic Animal Formulary 5th edition; Table 3-1; p55; ISBN-10: 0323444504

5) Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry; ISBN-10: 0894649175

7) Biology of Amphibians (pelvic limb anatomy Fig 13-41; p357); ISBN-10: 080184780X

8) The doomsday scenario is reportedly pododermatitis secondary to Mycobacterium infection, which is hard to treat and depending on the species may be zoonotic. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/def...

Music Credits: "Sunshine on Sand" by Unicorn Heads, "Jungles" by Text Me Records, and "Amazement" by Freedom Trail Studios, are free tracks obtained from YouTube audio library.

"Derpy Music" is an original track by EtherNate and is used with permission.

Disclaimer: This video is intended to be used to supplement - not replace - veterinary care. Prognosis and treatment will depend on the underlying cause of illness. Some pathogens that infect amphibians (eg Mycobacterium) can be spread to humans or other pets, and consultation with a veterinarian is recommended to assess risk and guide treatment. The opinions presented in this presentation are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organizations I am affiliated with. I have no affiliation with any of the sources cited, nor any of the products discussed.