Newt healing abilities?

RanRan

RanRan

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I just adopted a fire bellied newt today, and found that he has wounds to his hind legs at the bend. His previous owner housed him with fire-bellied toads, and they attacked him (which is why she gave it away). Would these wounds threaten his life?​
 
Ah, thank you. I think hes has them for almost two weeks now from what I heard from the previous owner... He also looks underfed, which might be contributing to the lack of healing?
 
he might be stressed therefore wont be feeding much. He might also have had to compete for food with the other animals in the tank.

Keep trying to feed him, encourage him if you can to feed.

If your water conditions and tank conditions are well and he starts healing fine then his appetite might come back. Fingers crossed for you.
 
I was able to feed him half a small earthworm today, which is some good progress, but from the articles you link it doesn't seem like the wounds have been healing at all. I'm really hoping that after he regains some energy he'll start healing normally... What are some high energy/fatty foods I could try feeding him?
 
On another note, how should I go about reporting a pet store for animal abuse? Because from what the previous owner has told me, they don't know how to care for animals at all...
 
I've no experience in reporting pet stores, but off the top of my head I would guess the best places to start might be with the Better Business Bureau and perhaps the even the local SPCA.

Though if you plan on taking it that far, it might be best to witness the lack of care yourself rather than to base it on second hand information. Even then, maybe the better course of action would be to talk to the store manager/owner about inappropriate practices before taking it to that next step.
 
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waxworms are nice and fatty if you are wanting to feed him up. I agree...best to go to the store and see for yourself what the score is xxxxxxxx
 
Yeah, I completely understand that the secondhand information could be faulty, and misleading as the wounds may have been caused by the previous owner them self... It was just an idea just in case I found more evidence. When might you expect the newt to start healing? And what might prevent him from doing so?​
 
Is he in a tank on his own? If not I would quarantine him while he's healing.

I read up a bit more on old wounds and read this on a caudata care sheet: "Any wound greater than 12 to 24 hours old or contaminated with large amounts of material should be considered infected."

You need to be on the lookout for discharge, increase in wound size and/or depth, or fuzzy, white growth. You may have to get him looked at by a vet if possible.

As for how long it will take to heal... I have no personal experience (yet...knock on wood) of a newt with any kind of wound. So im not very clued up on how long it will take. Hopefully someone with more experience of this situation will be able to provide you with sound advice.
 
Thanks for pointing this out:
"Any wound greater than 12 to 24 hours old or contaminated with large amounts of material should be considered infected."
as I seemed to have missed that while reading that article myself, and now I'm pretty worried seeing as he has apparently had the wounds for at least two weeks. From the time I've had him (30 hours or so) the wounds have not appeared to have grown larger, but they haven't been showing any signs of healing either.

He is in his own tank, a 30L plastic tub I use for new critters.

What would be the best antibiotic method to use in this situation?
 
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I would go by the care sheet.

"Seek advise from a veterinarian versed in the special medical needs of amphibians. They will be able to prescribe appropriate antibiotics and treatment regimens for your pet. Often, injectable antibiotics can be used topically, either as a medicated bath or by merely dripping a calculated dosage onto the animal’s back. (Due to their highly permeable skin, amphibians can absorb medication this way.) Commonly-used antibiotics include enrofloxacin (Baytril, Bayer) or amikacin. Your veterinarian will be able to take samples of the site and run testing to determine the antibiotic to best treat the infection"

But if you cant find a vet or this option is not viable to you i would go with:

While professional veterinary advice is recommended, some may not have access to a veterinarian knowledgeable enough about amphibian medicine. In these incidences many keepers will use medications commonly available over the counter for aquarium fish (kanamycin, tetracycline, Maracyn, Maracyn 2, or nitrofurazone). It is imperative to follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully. However, these medications are only beneficial for aquatic animals. For terrestrial or semi-aquatic animals medicated baths may be prepared using these medications in high concentrations and allowing the animal to soak for 15 minutes daily."


Let us know which you decide and how the wee dood gets on. As I said, maybe someone with 1st hand experience of such a problem would be able to give you better advice on it all than I. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a vet that can work with amphibians in my area. Also I'm a poor college student, so I doubt I could afford to pay for a vet in the first place... I don't want to let him waste away, I want to do everything I can to keep the little critter alive...

I was thinking about removing him from the tank and placing him in a damp coconut substrate with a water dish near by to promote healing, with daily antibiotic baths.

But I would really love to hear some opinions of people who have dealt with an incident like this as well >:

Gosh, I just feel so bad for the guy that he had to go through this...​
 
That poor animal has severe ulcers caused by flesh-eating bacteria. This is a common illness suffered by new imports.
Salt baths are usually sufficient for the first stages of the condition, but at this point i doubt they´ll do anything. You might want to try Neosporin (WITHOUT painkillers).
Sadly, given the physical state of the animal and the several ulcers, it has almost no chance of surviving. I´m sorry, these things are very unpleasant....:(
 
That makes me quite sad to hear... I had a feeling that would be the case though...
Hes stopped eating at this point as well...
 
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