Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a Chinese fire-belly newt. This morning I was cleaning his tank and noticed he has a quite large open sore on his tail. He hasn't eaten in about a week; however, we just went through a move and I have blamed the non eating on stress. Does anyone have any suggestions for my baby? Thanks.

You might try using "MelaFix". It is an all natural fish medication that works wonders on healing fish with damaged fins, open sores, etc. A teaspoon treats up to 10 gallons of water and it will NOT cloud, color, or foul up the water. You can add it to your newts water as well as apply some to the actual sore with like a q-tip. If you use any type of carbon filter you should remove it while treating with MelaFix. . . other than that it is a safe, all natural, inexpensive medication, and can be purchased at any Petsmart or Petco. Good Luck!

Icy

I would suggest being very careful with the melafix as this is an extract from the melaleuca tree and has been shown to be toxic to mammals and is readily absorbed through the skin (see Villar D, Knight MJ, Hansen SR, Buck WB. Toxicity of melaleuca oil and related essential oils applied topically on dogs and cats. Vet Human Toxicol. 1994;36(2):139-142.

Abstract: "Cases of melaleuca oil toxiosis have been reported by veterinarians to the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) when the oil was appled dermally to dogs and cats. In most cases, the oil was used to treat dermatologic conditions at inappropriate high doses. The typical signs observed were depression, weakness, incoordination and muscle tremors. The active ingredients of commercial melaleuca oil are predominantly cyclic terpenes. Treatment of clinical signs and supportive care has been sufficient to achieve recovery without sequelae within 2-3 days."

"Toxicity: The most common clinical signs reported to the Animal Poison Control Center by veterinarians with adverse reactions in dogs and cats after dermal exposure of melaleuca oil include ataxia, incoordination, weakness, tremors, behavioral disorders and depression. The acute toxcicity (rabbit dermal LD 50 and rat oral LC 50) for the major terpenic compounds (linalool, ocimene, alpha-terpinene, 1,8-cineole, terpinolene, camphene) ranges between 2 and 5 g/kg body weight, which is considered a moderately toxic range. From a toxicologic standpoint melaleuca oil can be compared to oil of turpentine, which is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and skin."

Any bactericidial or bacteriostatic medication homeopathic or not will adversely affect the biological filter if it affects gram negative bacteria. If it does not affect gram negative bacteria then then it will not be effective for most amphibian bacterial pathogens.

I would recommend contacting a veterinarian to examine the tail and possibly treat it.

Ed

Ed. . . nice sum of info. I also agree with the suggestion to see a vet to see if there is something better suited to treat the newt with. However I can speak from past experience regarding the MelaFix. . . I have used it in my newts water after removing the carbon filter with no problems that is why I suggested it.

Icy

Okay lets look at this problem here,
What information is available that this is a bacterial infection as opposed to a lesion caused by a fungal infection? Melaeuca oil is not a fungicide.
Additionally the problem with melaleuca oils are that they are liver toxic and stress the kidneys and readily pass through the skin. With items like this it is easy to cause long term damage to the animal which will not be evident until death and a necropsy is performed.
I have seen pet stores attempt to use melaleuca treatments and crash entire filter systems resulting in massive fish kills. Did you test the ammonia and nitrite levels of the tank after the treatment? Did you monitor them on a regular basis for the next several days?
People used to use arsenic, radium and turpentine as ingested treatments for various ailments also, and were unaware of the damage it was doing to the body until much later. The fact that it is a homeopathic remedy does not make it safe. Which is why although tansy was long used for treat skin ailments in people they stopped using it as the side effects (death) were eventually considered unacceptable. So your newts survived this round of treatment. Will they continue to survive further treatments (like people ingesting arsenic) or will they develope liver damage and suffer and die? Only time will tell.

Ed

Again Ed, your brilliance astounds me. We could probibly argue the Melaeuca fact for another 20 posts but I wouldn't want to. Because when it comes right down to it. . . we both are seeking the same thing. . . a way to make a hurt animal better.

Icy

Hey there. I ran into a similar problem with two Chinese Fire-Bellied newts I recently bought. Both had small sores, and one had a larger sore on its tail. I immediately separated them, which turned out to be a good idea because the one with the hurt tail got worse... but the other one improved and is now healthy. Unfortunately the one with the sore on its tail continued to get worse, until the entire tail rotted off. No vets in our area are familiar with newts and salamanders and although I tried tetracyclene it was really too late and the newt died.

Fortunately the other one survived and is doing well now.

From what I understand there are frequent infectionproblems with Chinese fire-bellied newts - especially those bought at large pet stores like "Petco" "Petsmart" etc... which have to do with the way they have been captured and the way they were cared for before they arrived at the store...

If you haven't already, I definatly suggest separating the sick newt from any others you might be keeping him with, and as Ed recommended - get in touch with a vet immediately if you are fortunate enough to have one who is familiar with Caudates.

Good luck.