How to treat a tail wound on a terrestrial salamander?

[devehf]

I am caring for an Ambystoma macrodactylum with a major deep wound on her tail. Her usual yellow color is very pale. She just came out of her hiding place after being there for days and i noticed some clumped dirt in the wound. I sprayed it with some water and could see that the wound is very deep with blood showing.

I have read about dirt quarantine, refridgerator quarantine, anti-biotic cream, and salt baths. What would you reccommend?

Thanks in advance. The situation needs some quick attention and I don't know what to do.

 

[devehf]

I put some nesporin on the wound to keep it from getting infected.

 

[Jan]

Dave
I would recommmend going to an exotic vet. You indicated there has been a change in the sal's color which may indicate a systemic problem secondary to the wound and potential infection. Here is a listing for two such vets in your city and state: http://www.herpvetconnection.com/idaho.shtml.

I would place the sal in a hospital set-up. Something like a size-appropriate clean plastic bin, Rubbermaid container, extra aquarium, etc. Use paper towels moistened with spring water or tap water that has been treated to remove chlorine/chloramines. You want the toweling moist but not overly wet. Also place a few crumpled moistened paper towels in the set-up as hides to reduce stress. Change the paper towels daily or if it becomes soiled. Keep the hospital set-up in a cool place and keep feeding the sal.

I would flush the wound with spring water (preferably with sterile amphibian ringers), dab a little 1.5% hydrogen peroxide on the wound using a Q-tip (1 to 1 dilution of commercially available hydrogen peroxide 3% using spring water = 1.5%) and apply a thin layer of Neosporin (without benzocaine or other pain-killers which can be lethal) on the wound. But I highly recommend your getting to an exotic vet - the above are just immediate measures.

How did the animal get this wound?

 

[flyangler18]

Jan's advice is excellent- a trip to the vet is definitely in order.

 

[devehf]

Thanks for the help. I am not sure how the wound occurred. Maybe it is a symptom of something more systemic. She has been lethargic for weeks. Not really eating as much, etc.

 

[flyangler18]

Where did you acquire this salamander? Collected on your own?

 

[devehf]

Where did you acquire this salamander? Collected on your own?

I was cleaning up an old wood pile with my family's cabin way up in the backwoods of Idaho. We came across an old rodent den. As I was chucking out the old feces laden nest materials I discovered that we had destroyed this salamander's home. I didn't know what to do b/c it was late fall and I didn't think the animal could survive after the disturbance. I made a makeshift nest in a paper cup with some wet leaves and left it nearby. A day later, back in the city, My father-in-law showed up at my house with the salamander and said, "Here, you need to take care of this now." It was like a penance.

So I have had this animal for about 1.5 years. This is the first health care issue. As you can see in the photo of the individual in the salt bath, the tail tip fell off. I am really having trouble applying the neopsporin ointment. It is too viscous and won't spread easily on the tail of a wet salamander who is flipping around.

 

[Jan]

Dave, I agree that Neosporin application on a wet salamander wouldn't work. Wait until the salamander is dry then use a Q-tip to apply a thin film on the wound. Are you housing it in a container with moistened paper toweling? It is hard to tell from the photo, but the wound appears to be looking better than it did in the initial photo... although the tail tip is gone. Has the lethargy improved and is the animal still eating?

You are using salt baths? Was this because the wound or surrounding tissue looked fuzzy? Generally salt baths are used to treat fungal infections or to treat renal dysfunction.

 

[devehf]

Wait until the salamander is dry then use a Q-tip to apply a thin film on the wound.

Boy, even that is tough. The ointment doesn't wipe off the Q-tip.

Has the lethargy improved and is the animal still eating?

Yes, a bit more activity.

You are using salt baths? Was this because the wound or surrounding tissue looked fuzzy? Generally salt baths are used to treat fungal infections or to treat renal dysfunction.

That was one of the recommendations I read about for wounds in general. Should I not do this? What about hydrogen peroxide?

 

[Jan]

I would not be inclined to use salt baths for this tail ulcer/wound. With a bath, the entire animal is exposed to treatment rather than just treating what appears to be a localized problem. I might use the salt solution to gently flush the area twice a day. After flushing, wait 10 minutes or so, then gently rinse the area with spring water. The area does appear to be healing and developing scar tissue from what can be seen in the photo. Would you agree that the wound appears to be healing?

I just saw that this thread was started two weeks ago. If you have been using Neosporin for two weeks, I would be inclined to stop using it at this point. Reason is that there is a potential of percutaneous absorbtion (especially of neomycin) which could lead to other problems with toxicity. If antibiotic treatment is still indicated, there are other agents available from a vet,,,silver sulfadiazine cream comes to mind. At this point, I would not use the dilute solution of hydrogen peroxide.

Out of curiosity, what substrate were you using prior to the tail wound? From the initial photo, there appears to be a rock(s) with many crevices - could the animal have caught his tail in one of these crevices?

 

[devehf]

I would not be inclined to use salt baths for this tail ulcer/wound.... Would you agree that the wound appears to be healing?

OK I will stop the salt baths, hydrogen peroxide and neosporin. Yes it does appear to be healing.

Out of curiosity, what substrate were you using prior to the tail wound? From the initial photo, there appears to be a rock(s) with many crevices - could the animal have caught his tail in one of these crevices?

the substrate is coconut husk. the wall of the tank is tree bark adhered to the glass with 'great stuff' foam. i was considering that since she likes to burrow under the ceramic water dish that she might have caught her tail under the dish. or maybe a cricket bit her and the bite became infected.

 

[Kathleen]

I brought home two newts that were emaciated from a pet shop. I treated them with Melafix (all natural)and Fungus Clear. I knew NOTHING about what was wrong, with the exception of abnormal nose and blistered lower jaw.

One is health as a horse now; the other did not make it.

If you cannot visit a vet; call one!

 

[devehf]

....

If you cannot visit a vet; call one!

I can't find a herp/amph vet in Boise. I've called the recommended places but they don't have a provider who specializes in these classes of animals.

 

[rigsby]

the treatment i use on all terrestrial amphibians is flamazine cream (in the US its called silvadine) you can get it from any vet and i find in 99.9% of cases it works a treat. Looking at your sal i don't think its been a wound it looks more like its an infection that has spread causing the tail tip to fall off if so the tail may not regrow.

 

[Jan]

Rigsby just an FYI - Silvadene Cream is the brand name for silver sulfadiazine cream 1% in the US.

 

[Kaysie]

I brought home two newts that were emaciated from a pet shop. I treated them with Melafix (all natural)and Fungus Clear.

Just because it's natural does not mean it's safe. The main ingredient in melafix is melaleuca oil, which is also a key ingredient in turpentine. It's rarely recommended for amphibian use, and can be quite toxic.

 

[Jennewt]

Where there crickets in the tank with the sal? I had an incident recently where I suspect crickets munched a hole in a lizard's tail, so this just occurred to me as a possible source of the wound.

Also, I would mention that many vets - even those that won't touch a herp - are happy to sell you products. I don't know how common Silvadene cream is, but it may be possible to purchase it w/o an examination of the animal.

Keep us posted.

 

[John]

Also, I would mention that many vets - even those that won't touch a herp - are happy to sell you products.

I found that to be true in Europe but so far here in the Dallas Metro that does not seem to be the case.

 

[rigsby]

Thanks Jan I knew that but I thought it would be easier to ask for the brand name.

 

[devehf]

Where there crickets in the tank with the sal?

yes, she really likes to chase them down and chomp on them. not so much since the illness.