Illness/Sickness: Fat vs bloat vs impacted [pictures]

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Azrayel

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Hello all,

I have searched for this topic and although I think it is likely from my research that my newt has bloat, I'd like a second opinion.

He's a 7+ year old Chinese fire belly and has always been a BIG eater. I have to keep a close eye on his tank mates as he'd easily starve them if left to his own devices.

Recently, he's been getting bigger and bigger. Trying to balance the feed going into the tank is a nightmare and I have (perhaps foolishly) been resisting putting him in his own tank.

Now, he looks like this (see attachments)

He's huge. Scarily huge. And probably has developed bloat but there are a couple of things that seem odd. Firstly, he doesn't have that classic "balloon" look where the belly is very rounded and tight. He has what I can only describe as "rolls" along his body. The size also shows in his tail and legs, rather than just his throat and abdomen.

I know obesity is not common in newts, but could he just be really, really fat?

(also, I'll be moving them onto sand this week, when I next get a day off work)

Thanks in advance.
 

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Judging by how his neck and head look in that first picture, I'd say it's bloat. Here is what the Culture articles say about bloat:
"Bloat" is a very common disease symptom in imported newts, particularly in newly imported Cynops sp. Many people mistake "bloat" as a disease as opposed to a symptom. Bloat is a symptom of a number of potential diseases. Bloat can be indicative of bacterial infections (e.g. "red leg"), and of kidney damage from a variety of sources. Several less-threatening conditions can present bloat-like symptoms. These include constipation, egg retention and ovulation. However, these conditions do not present in the same manner. Constipation, egg retention and ovulation usually only involve the abdominal region close to the cloaca or, at most, the torso of the affected caudate. Bloat on the other hand, will usually involve the torso and neck at a minimum, and the entire body and limbs in severe cases. If a newt comes down with bloat, the newt should be removed to an isolation enclosure. This will prevent infecting other newts if an infectious agent causes the disease. The newt should remain in the isolation enclosure until the newt is cured or dies. The discovery of "bloat" in a newt will mean that the herpetoculturist will have to make some crucial decisions as to how to react to the symptom. The decision will need to be made as to whether to seek medical assistance. If the disease is of bacterial origin, then speed may be crucial as some infections may rapidly cause the death of the animal (for example Aeromonas, a.k.a. "red leg") and potentially infect the other amphibians in the same enclosure. Medical assistance will allow access to truly effective antibiotics and a potential diagnosis. However, the downside is that this may be an incurable condition (kidney damage) which may cause a slow and lingering death. In the case of severe kidney damage, the herpetoculturist may need to weigh the merits of euthanasia. Each herpetoculturist will need to weigh each of these factors for themselves on a case by case basis.
Click to expand...

That is not all the article says, but here is the link to the article: Caudata Culture Articles: Bloat
 
Thanks Xavier, I must have missed that line about bloat potentially affecting the entire body.
 
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