Bloated CB alpine newt

I've recently (about a week ago) acquired an alpine newt from someone who neither filtered nor tested their water, and who had kept it that way for a couple months. It is pretty bloated in the lower part of its belly, and has apparently looked that way without getting much worse for at least the last month (but doesn't look gravid to me). I believe the animal was captive bred, so everything I've read here and on other sites about the stress of being wild-caught doesn't seem to be a factor. I was hoping that the rather odd look of the bloat might help point me in the right direction as to a potential cause.

It seems to be worse-- a bit lumpier-- on the right side. Does this look like a potential impaction? Both myself and the previous owner have kept it bare-bottom tanks. I just fed it for the first time yesterday (frozen bloodworms and newt pellets), and it has yet to defecate as far as I can see; however, there was a pile of strange white substance on the bottom of the tank today, as though a small lump of clay had disintegrated on the bottom. Has anyone ever seen some seriously abnormal feces or vomit that looked like that?

Is kidney damage likely to result from about two months of potentially bad water quality? I realize that water quality is likely to increase the chances of bacterial infection, but I was also curious if anyone knew exactly how the pet trade manages to damage newts' kidneys.

Is there anything else I can look into doing to make it more comfortable in the meantime while I'm trying to find a herp vet who knows newts? I'm familiar with fridging axolotls but not newts-- could the same procedure help?

Thanks for reading and for any advice to make the poor little thing more comfortable.

I don't know a lot about alpines, but this just looks like a gravid female. It certainly isn't showing any of the classic bloat symptoms.

Thanks for the opinion. When I've seen gravid newts of other species, it seems like the eggs are distributed up the body more evenly; this alpine seems to just have a bubble on either side of her lower abdomen, with a little light able to shine through the skin if she bends her body. Is this often the case for gravid animals? Please excuse my ignorance, as I've somehow ended up with mainly male newts over the years. It would be fantastic to find that I've been overreacting and she is actually healthy!

Your animal looks very similar to my female Iaa this time of year - gravid and round! While it's never a bad idea to have new acquisitions checked out by a knowledgeable vet, I don't think you have too much to be concerned over if she is eating well and acting normal otherwise.

HJ

Thank you for the reassurance-- I'm making a mental note that gravid animals can have a different shape from what I'm used to. She does indeed seem to be acting healthy, and I'm very glad to find that I was overreacting!!