Oral tetracycline treatment should be initiated immediately. An aminoglycosides treatment may also be helpful. Once the pet has reached the final stages of the disease, he may have open sores on his back and legs. An antibiotic ointment such as Tritop or Neosporin may be used to promote healing of skin tissues and prevent secondary infections. A tetracycline bath is helpful in some cases, but not many.
Mycobacteria can also cause skin lesions and open sores in amphibians.
In contrast to the more common bacterial infections, amphibians with mycobacterial infections show rapid weight loss despite a good appetite. If open sores are present, diagnostics should include an examination of a skin scraping or biopsy to determine if acid-fast organisms are present. However, culturing of the mycobacterial agent does not alter the patient's prognosis, but may be important to determine if the agent is likely to be zoonotic. As in the treatment for redleg disease, the exact pathogen has to be identified before appropriate treatment can be begun. Unfortunately, an exploratory laparotomy or laproscopy may be necessary to detect similar lesions in the organs of the affected amphibian.