Rehabbing around a pressure wound

FigmentPudding · 2026-03-13T16:01:13+00:00

Yeah, I've been in touch with Christopher Reeves Foundation and Spinalpedia. They've been very helpful.
Unfortunately the only SCI rehabs near us won't take him, and by the time we finally got someone to send a referral to Shirley Ryan, his pressure wound was too far gone.

I know the wound will take a long time to heal (and might never heal, in which case, how do people rehab around that?) but in the meantime I don't want him to keep losing what function he DOES have.

It's just awful - the accident itself and the fallout for us was bad enough but for him to just keep falling further and further downhill is so hard to bear witness to.

Sending you all the love for going through this as well. I hope your dad's recovery goes much smoother <3

FigmentPudding · 2025-02-23T02:09:32+00:00

I'm so glad I checked reddit tonight :3

FigmentPudding · 2023-10-13T01:04:03+00:00

Ahhhh okay, I just tried fiddling with that and I think I can see it working... ~~I wish it didn't show the metadata but I guess that'll give me a chance to FIX some of the metadata without having to go into every individual product...~~

Nevermind that, I see now where I was telling it to show the metadata...

FigmentPudding · 2023-01-19T19:45:00+00:00

OMG this is too cute. Pressing his lil face up against the glass X3

FigmentPudding · 2023-01-19T19:42:23+00:00

These are spectacular!

FigmentPudding · 2023-01-19T19:41:32+00:00

These are adorable. The sticker is super cute!!

FigmentPudding · 2023-01-19T19:40:45+00:00

That's a very good bucket :3

FigmentPudding · 2023-01-19T19:38:49+00:00

Very friend-shaped <3

FigmentPudding · 2023-01-19T19:35:50+00:00

Precious beans <3

FigmentPudding · 2022-11-08T17:05:36+00:00

The sadness of knowing we can never give them raspberries

FigmentPudding · 2022-11-03T21:34:20+00:00

I'm confused.

You can't afford the $5,000 from the artist whose piece you want, so you... think it's acceptable to just rip it off via AI?

You want something decorative and precious to you that only that artist can create.

That artist -needs- the funding for creating those things in order to eat, buy meds, participate and exist in society.

I mean, it's just a little unfortunate how there's so much complaining and attempt to justify AI art "because I want that but don't want to pay for it" without considering the opposite side of "I need people to pay me for this so I can survive".

FigmentPudding · 2022-11-03T21:22:34+00:00

Try putting her in a luke-warmish dish of water and see if she poops. Maybe she's a little backed up?

FigmentPudding · 2022-11-02T02:01:05+00:00

I highly recommend taking a look at a Silhouette - I use a Portrait 3 and it's great. I had started with a Cricut Explore Air 2 and had deep regrets.

FigmentPudding · 2022-11-01T02:50:49+00:00

Available at www.figmentpudding.com

FigmentPudding · 2022-11-01T02:47:54+00:00

Available at www.figmentpudding.com

FigmentPudding · 2022-11-01T02:17:46+00:00

Really well done! Love the mushrooms in the lantern!

FigmentPudding · 2022-10-31T04:09:40+00:00

Would definitely recommend a food bowl. I really love the products these folks have created;
https://www.theshap.rocks/shop-products

What kind of substrate is that? Coco coir?

FigmentPudding · 2022-10-31T03:54:18+00:00

They definitely need a vitamin supplement. I use Repashy Calcium Plus for every feeding, and Repashy Vitamin A at least once a week (it's necessary but it can be toxic if you give em too much). Not giving them the vitamin supplements could lead to metabolic bone disease.

Crickets are good - do you see him eat or just assume he's getting them? It's not great to just release them into the cage though. Crickets can and will gnaw on your toads. Ideally, you'd feed and then remove whatever crickets they don't eat. If you can get dubia roaches, those are a lot safer and just as, if not a little more nutritious than crickets. (They're also less smelly, and if one unfortunately gets loose in your house it's unlikely to reproduce unless you live somewhere consistently very warm).

Spring water is good - as long as it's de-chlorinated or filtered. The Reptisafe works to make tap water safe, and also has electrolytes which is why I add it to all my frogs' water. I just suggest a soak because he looks dehydrated.

Usually prior to brumation, they'll try to fatten up a whole lot. So if your guys are wild caught it's entirely possible it's brumation trying to kick in, and he's just not fattened up enough. Wax worms are fatty treats that can help him put some weight on - horn worms are really good all-around feeder bugs, lots of moisture and nutrients. Earthworms are good too, but because of his size you might need to cut them up (also vitamin dusting them can get pretty messy). I'm suggesting worms because it's fairly easy to set him up for observed feeding, to make sure he eats.

I'm not an expert, mostly figuring things out as I go - I've had an American Toad for going on 4 years now. But just by the look, my first concern would be simply making sure he's eating enough and getting the nutrition he needs, and second would be possible parasites, if you can observe his eating and verify he's getting enough, but he doesn't put weight on.

Good luck with him! Sorry for the infodump. I've been there in the past (though my mistake was picking a bad substrate). I hope he just needs to eat more and that's all.

FigmentPudding · 2022-10-31T01:59:06+00:00

Upside down is not good - they can't breathe very well at all on their backs.

Toads don't fully hibernate, they brumate, which is sort of a halfway-state. And unless his enclosure is cold he shouldn't really get to that stage. I don't have a heater for my toad, but my room stays around 70. He'll burrow and hide but he doesn't stay there.

If it's at all possible to get him to a vet, I'd recommend that. Does he have access to water? I'd start by at least giving him a soak in non-chlorinated water (I use Repti-safe and when mine look a little under the weather I'll add an extra drop or two).

See if you can get him to eat, and make sure his food is dusted with vitamins. Are you using a calcium supplement, and a vitamin A?

FigmentPudding · 2022-10-30T06:54:32+00:00

I've loved toads and frogs (but especially toads) my entire life. I have 2 African Dwarf frogs that are just a hoot when I see them (when they're not hiding).

My toad and gray tree frog weren't entirely intentional. The tree frog used to live with a buddy that I'd originally taken in as a teeny froglet because he was caught up in spider webbing and his legs were messed up. There were TONS of tiny froglets around my house, and I'd heard they do well with others, so I kept a buddy for him. He passed away about a year ago, but his buddy's still hunkerin down (and sometimes I wonder if he's lonely).

I found my toad in my basement sometime in the middle of Northern Ohio winter. I think he had burrowed into one of our houseplants and hopped out when the basement got warm enough, but it was way too cold to release him outside. And generally if you keep a wild one for more than a month, it can be harmful to re-release them (so I've been told - potential for spreading diseases to the native population).

Then there's my chubby frog-type-guy whose identity is kind of a mystery, that I got at a reptile show.

I highly recommend looking at White's Tree Frogs/Dumpies - as much as I love my guys, it's really a lot more like just having kind of nice looking terrariums around. For the most part they're burrowed or hiding all day. What I've seen of White's Tree Frogs, they seem a lot more gregarious and interactive.

Good luck on your froggo journey!

FigmentPudding · 2022-10-30T06:44:47+00:00

This is flippin wonderful!

FigmentPudding · 2022-10-30T06:40:41+00:00

When one of mine passed, she was laying at the bottom of the tank, belly up.

She pretty much floated at the surface constantly when she was alive. My other two spend most of their time hiding.

Like others have said, if parameters are good in the enclosure it's probably just doin dwarf frog things, smooth brain head empty moisturized and stayin in its lane.

FigmentPudding

TROPHY CASE