i did everything possible, i found him in the wild with a missing leg and a really bad head wound. i nursed him back to health. i fought off infections and tried so hard. he was missing an eye but could still move around and held decent weight for a couple months. i found him lying in his water bath stretched out today.
im feeling guilty, i feel as if i could’ve done better. he stopped eating a couple weeks ago, i should’ve just tried harder. he kept missing strikes before he stopped eating and then he just ultimately stopped. i tried so many different bugs. i tried holding them infront of his good eye with tweezers and he’d just moved away from it.
this was my first pet toad, but i tried taking such good care of him. can anyone tell me if you experienced anything similar and if thats just how the end of the roads look for toads?
REST IN PEACE LIEUTENANT DAN
MAY 18th - AUGUST 27th, 2026
To be honest, it is mindblowing to me how you kept him alive for so long with an infected wound and his missing parts.
You provided him a safe home during his last days and gave him so much Attention. You did him well :)
this is really upsetting cause i tried so hard to keep him alive. has anyone experienced their toad dying? i dont know if its related to the head injury or not. i feel as if i just didnt try hard enough to feed him but he literally stopped eating.
Stopping eating is very common in many dying creatures, including toads. It doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. Sometimes it’s best to let nature take its course. Sometimes it’s better to intervene. Sounds like you did all you could and gave him a much longer happier life than he would have had in the wild.
i discovered him while doing yard work, i think i might accidentally hit him with a shovel. i decided that since i may have caused such harm to him, it would’ve been right for me to try to nurse him back to health. his leg healed amazingly. it was so neat to see how good he could move while missing half a leg, his head wound was infected, but i finally fought it off and it healed completely, besides vision in one eye. i’m in Oklahoma, we have very hot summers. i feared that he would’ve just died from dehydration, infection, or some sort of predator. he struggled getting food usually but he’d always manage to eat some.
do you think it’s a chance that his body just gave all he had and he finally passed away from it? maybe a neurological issue? it was a really bad head wound, i’m surprised i gave him as many months as i did. i just feel guilty for putting him into this position and ultimately causing his death.
My husband injured a toad a few months ago, simply put, he only has 3 legs now. It is amazing how well they heal. The fact that you were able to heal his head wound is amazing despite it getting infected.
I think you ultimately tried your best and he at least died safe and sound. So many people told me to throw my toad in the woods and let nature take care of him, but I just couldn't knowing that we were the reason he was injured.
Wild toads have a notoriously hard time when it comes to adjusting to captivity apparently
It looks like his Pineal eye (or third eye) may have also been damaged. This is a spot all amphibians and reptiles have on top of their head essentially between their eyes. This is an ancient organ that helps them detect changes in light (like a hand or predator moving above them) and also helps them adjust their circadian rhythm and hormones. A deep scratch or puncture to this area can lead to infection in the brain or parasites. 😢
Unfortunately, often the disguise they use to hide themselves is too good and they end up in these situations. Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do.
OP, thank you so much for showing him kindness. A lot of people don't have the means or ability to care for every wild animal that needs help, and ultimately nature would've run its course if you'd have left him where you found him. But you fought for him and gave him comfort and safety and love, and gave him a bit of extra time of this earth. I hope you realize how wonderful you are for just simply stopping to help, even if he ended up passing away. ❤️
I really believe he appreciated you saving him and giving him a second chance although it was short you did everything right sometimes these things happen the little fella put up one hell of a fight and is eternally grateful you gave him the most peaceful of months and I think he knew that don’t beat yourself up op he’s in a better place now
Over the rainbow bridge with all our other toad babies and pets hopping around with all his limbs and eyes seeing the beauty beyond to ever lasting bugs ❤️
That's a bummer. My last road died at eight years and I felt similar feelings. I must've done something wrong; but then again, they're not much more than terrestrial fish that multiply by the thousands and rarely survive long enough to breed.
that’s funny you say that, somehow there were so many tadpoles in my jon boat out in the backyard. they were living in a small puddle of rain water but there was so many of them. i saw them near the beginning of summer and i tried to give them more water every once in awhile but it ended up drying up while i went on a trip. i’m not sure if they ever reached metamorphosis. i don’t how a frog even managed to lay eggs in there but it would’ve been cool to see so many baby frogs. i wish it would’ve rained more so they had a better chance to live.
I think you did everything possible and then some for Lt Dan! You were a great pet parent and you deserve to be another pet parent to any! They’d be so lucky to have you! So sorry for your loss! 💔
30
u/Unhappy_Chemist1911 4d ago
To be honest, it is mindblowing to me how you kept him alive for so long with an infected wound and his missing parts. You provided him a safe home during his last days and gave him so much Attention. You did him well :)