Butterball and Ginger passed tonight, and I don't know why.

[Schnauzer]

Butterball

Ginger

My two female toads , Butterball and Ginger, were with me for 2 years. Tonight they both died mysteriously after looking perky and healthy yesterday. Ginger was fighting a bacterial abscess on her face and it seems as if she may have lost that battle. One of her pupils was normal size and the other was the size of a pin head, indicating brain damage. Everything else about her looked normal. I imagine the infection spread from her jaw and eye all the way to her brain... at least that's what I thought before noticing something very strange about Butterball. Ginger's abscess presented itself about a month ago, and after much research I discovered there was nothing I could do about it except monitor the temperature to keep her immune system up. I found Butterball sitting up and she looked like she had just defecated by her thinness. She looked otherwise hydrated. When I picked her up I was in for a surprise. She was almost dead and the only sign of life was when she barely moved her leg! Normally when toads die they are flat on the ground with their head down. I found that Butterball was indeed dehydrated despite her looking the opposite, so I filled a cup with warm water to soak her. Her parotid glands and cranial crests were very red. Soaking a toad in warm water while dehydrated usually brings them back from the brink very quickly, but instead I found Butterball opening her mouth every once in a while as if she couldn't breathe. Those were her last breaths... so it seemed. After soaking what appeared to be a dead body for 2 hours, I went downstairs to wrap Butterball up and freeze her like I did Ginger until the morning when I can bury them. I thoroughly inspected her body and when I flipped her over, I noticed a slow heartbeat. Her eyes also did the same thing Ginger's did. The left pupil was very small and the right one was normal. I took her back upstairs and resumed soaking. It's as if she is in a coma, but I've never heard of this among amphibians. Her body is as if she is dead - completely limp, eyes tucked in and no signs of breathing. Yet, she has a heartbeat! This is bizarre, and I expect her little heart to stop beating very soon because she isn't waking up, and she isn't soaking up any water. That is why I'm just going ahead and pronouncing them both dead. Butterball was my favorite toad I've ever had, along with a Woodhouse Toad I had several years ago named Spring. I'm glad I was able to provide them with all the food they could ever want, a constant clean water supply and clean dirt to burrow in for their last 2 years of life. Sweet dreams my little ones.

My male who has been in quarantine has come down with Chytrid. I need a refill of itraconazole to cure him, but I'm not sure money will allow for it!

[PetBrags Pet Lovers Paradise]

wow Schnauzer - - I'm very sorry to hear about this. It is mysterious no doubt. 2 years is a long time, and I know you will miss them so much. I hope your male will be okay.
Take care,
B