# General Topics > General Discussion & News >  baby toad with possible injury/broken leg

## Soli

Hello, I recently caught a baby Fowler's toad near some woods. It didn't really hop away when I caught it, and now I think I know why. It appears to have a gash on its bum and one of its legs appear swollen. I had in it a natural setup and dirt was sticking to the possible gash. I have a photo but it is not that clear as I didn't want to disturb it too much. I washed off the dirt and applied diluted betadine to the wound and put him in a small cage lined with paper towels with 3 sides covered with paper. I gave him some pinhead crickets and he does eat them. It is very tiny, between the size of a dime and nickel. Its swollen leg does not have as much mobility as the other leg. 
Any advice appreciated, does he have a chance?

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## Lindsey

Hi Soli,
Awe, what an itty bitty thing!
You're doing everything right, keep his enclosure super clean, and change out the paper towels daily.  Provide a shallow dish with de-chlorinated water or 100% spring water only.  Do not use regular tap water unless you can treat it with a water conditioner that neutralizes heavy metals and chlorine (even if you have well water).
Also, betadine is a no-no for frogs.  It contains iodine which is toxic to them.  Please discontinue the use of betadine and use either bactine or neopsporin WITHOUT pain reliever.  the pain reliever in neosporin is fatal.
I say he has a good chance of survival.  Keep everything clean, water treated, and dab the wound with meds listed above with a clean Q-tip twice per day.
Keep an eye out for infection (swelling, pussing, etc.)
I'm sure others will chime in.
Good luck!

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## Soli

> Hi Soli,
> Awe, what an itty bitty thing!
> You're doing everything right, keep his enclosure super clean, and change out the paper towels daily.  Provide a shallow dish with de-chlorinated water or 100% spring water only.  Do not use regular tap water unless you can treat it with a water conditioner that neutralizes heavy metals and chlorine (even if you have well water).
> Also, betadine is a no-no for frogs.  It contains iodine which is toxic to them.  Please discontinue the use of betadine and use either bactine or neopsporin WITHOUT pain reliever.  the pain reliever in neosporin is fatal.
> I say he has a good chance of survival.  Keep everything clean, water treated, and dab the wound with meds listed above with a clean Q-tip twice per day.
> Keep an eye out for infection (swelling, pussing, etc.)
> I'm sure others will chime in.
> Good luck!


Oh no, my apologies. I had researched what I could before hand and found multiple places recommending betadine. Will he be alright after the dab with it? I will definitely switch to bactine or neosporin asap. Should I wash it out or is it too late? And as for the water, would distilled work? Or should I treat regular water, and how would I go about this? 

Thanks for the advice!

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## Lindsey

No apologies necessary!
I think he should be fine.  And I only know about the betadine thing because I had an injured RETF that I was going to use betadine on, and was told that it was not good for them.  If you research online, you'll find many using betadine on amphibians.  I don't believe it's fatal, but it is certainly not very good (from my understanding).  Like I said, I'm sure others more experienced will add to the conversation.
I know bactine and neosporin without pain reliever are both safe to use.
You can maybe soak him in warmish (not hot) treated water, or spring water.  That can't hurt anything.  Although you do want to minimize handling as it causes stress, and stress is know to inhibit healing as it suppresses the immune system.
Distilled is not a recommended water source for frogs.  It contains no minerals and therefore can leach them from your frog.  Distilled is only used for misting and never for soaking.  And if used for misting, one must be careful not to get it on the frog itself.  People use distilled for misting because it cuts back on mineral deposits on the vivarium, and keeps it cleaner looking.  But our froggy friends can't bathe in it.
If you can, purchase a water conditioner that neutralizes heavy metals and chlorine from the pet shop.  Try and find one that is specifically for use in terrariums and/or frogs.  But because he is injured, I would recommend boiling the water first, cooling, then adding the water conditioner.  The boiling kills any bacteria that may be present in tap water.  Or use 100% spring water.  After he's healed, you can use water straight from the tap, treated with the conditioner.
There is someone on the forum treating an injured toad, I'll PM him and see if he can help you out....

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## Soli

> No apologies necessary!
> I think he should be fine.  And I only know about the betadine thing because I had an injured RETF that I was going to use betadine on, and was told that it was not good for them.  If you research online, you'll find many using betadine on amphibians.  I don't believe it's fatal, but it is certainly not very good (from my understanding).  Like I said, I'm sure others more experienced will add to the conversation.
> I know bactine and neosporin without pain reliever are both safe to use.
> You can maybe soak him in warmish (not hot) treated water, or spring water.  That can't hurt anything.  Although you do want to minimize handling as it causes stress, and stress is know to inhibit healing as it suppresses the immune system.
> Distilled is not a recommended water source for frogs.  It contains no minerals and therefore can leach them from your frog.  Distilled is only used for misting and never for soaking.  And if used for misting, one must be careful not to get it on the frog itself.  People use distilled for misting because it cuts back on mineral deposits on the vivarium, and keeps it cleaner looking.  But our froggy friends can't bathe in it.
> If you can, purchase a water conditioner that neutralizes heavy metals and chlorine from the pet shop.  Try and find one that is specifically for use in terrariums and/or frogs.  But because he is injured, I would recommend boiling the water first, cooling, then adding the water conditioner.  The boiling kills any bacteria that may be present in tap water.  Or use 100% spring water.  After he's healed, you can use water straight from the tap, treated with the conditioner.
> There is someone on the forum treating an injured toad, I'll PM him and see if he can help you out....


Thanks for the warning, I'd rather be safe then sorry. 

I have some dumb questions about the water. I have no experience with frogs so I know little about the water aspect. I buy the jugs of "drinking" water from the store, is this the same as tap water? If so, I do have something that treats water, but it is for betta fish.
I will probably just try to get the 100% spring water.

Thanks again!

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## Lindsey

Here is a link to the thread about the injured toad that a fellow member is treating.  Try sending Louis a message and see if he has any tips...  (I don't keep toads, so he is probably a better person to ask questions that are specific to toads).

http://www.frogforum.net/toads/24334...tml#post187100

This is a link to info on water, it is very imformative and I believe will help you to understand the difference between drinking, distilled, spring, tap, etc....

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...hing-else.html

You're welcome for the help!  We love our little frogs around here  :Smile:

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## Soli

> Here is a link to the thread about the injured toad that a fellow member is treating.  Try sending Louis a message and see if he has any tips...  (I don't keep toads, so he is probably a better person to ask questions that are specific to toads).
> 
> http://www.frogforum.net/toads/24334...tml#post187100
> 
> This is a link to info on water, it is very imformative and I believe will help you to understand the difference between drinking, distilled, spring, tap, etc....
> 
> http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...hing-else.html
> 
> You're welcome for the help!  We love our little frogs around here


Thanks for the links! 
Can anyone tell me if its possible for the broken leg to heal?

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## Soli

Update: unfortunately I found him dead this morning. He seemed to be doing well and started coming out of hiding at night.

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## Lindsey

> Update: unfortunately I found him dead this morning. He seemed to be doing well and started coming out of hiding at night.


Oh, I'm so sorry to read this  :Frown:   I haven't been on the forum in a while.  I'm so sorry.
You were a good friend to this little toad.

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## Soli

> Oh, I'm so sorry to read this   I haven't been on the forum in a while.  I'm so sorry.
> You were a good friend to this little toad.


Thanks,
Poor little guy, I think there was more wrong than just a broken leg. At least he went peacefully (I hope)

Good news though, I have another toad that is doing very well and seems very healthy  :Smile:

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## ribit

I am so sorry.  :Frown:  I just found a baby toad in a simular situation, caused by one of my chickens. She seems to be doing well so far. I hope she heales up okay. I put some melafix on it to fight infection. Maybe she will pull through? Again so sorry for your loss.  :Frown:  May your baby toad rest in peace.

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## Soli

> I am so sorry.  I just found a baby toad in a simular situation, caused by one of my chickens. She seems to be doing well so far. I hope she heales up okay. I put some melafix on it to fight infection. Maybe she will pull through? Again so sorry for your loss.  May your baby toad rest in peace.


I think there was something else wrong with mine, it didn't eat or anything like that, ever. If yours eats I would think it will make a full recovery. Good luck!

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