Illness/Sickness: Colloidal silver for newts?

[laurenb]

Hi,

I have two Eastern Newts and one has developed some kind of infection in the last couple days. One of his hind toes is encased in fuzzy grayish material - I'm guessing fungus, but not sure? Also not sure how a fungal infection would differ from limb rot. It's only on his toe right now, so I'd like to treat it asap before it gets onto the rest of his leg. The way he's treating it, it looks like it hurts

So I guess I have a couple questions. I was going to try a salt bath, but I wondered if anyone had tried diluted colloidal silver on amphibian infections. I know it's very effective when treating any number of infections in mammals. Any thoughts? I don't know of any vets in my area (Minneapolis) who treat newts, so if this salt bath / colloidal silver doesn't work, does anyone have a recommendation on the best antibiotic treatment? I was thinking maybe the trisulfa, but I've never dealt with this before. Any suggestions or info is welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Jennewt]

One of the recommended treatments for newts is silvadene cream, which is 1% silver sulfadiazine. I don't know enough chemistry off the top of my head to know if this is a form of colloidal silver or not. People have tried all the various antibiotic preparations that are sold for fish, but it's hard to say which ones "work". All accounts are anecdotal.

Another treatment option is amputation, but I don't recommend doing this without a vet and/or some expertise.

 

[laurenb]

Thanks! I talked with a guy who makes colloidal silver and sells it to stores around here, and he said that he thought it would be safe to use on newts. I'll drop a little onto the toe a couple times a day and see if it helps. I'm also keeping him in a dirt quarantine... well, a pebble quarantine. I don't know how to find a vet who treats amphibians around here - I wouldn't hesitate to take him in for an amputation, but I wouldn't know where to go. Are there any websites that list vets?