Neck Swelling

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The neck of one of my newts (T. dobrogicus) started swelling about a month ago and only seems to be getting worse. I have a great vet here who does a lot of work with amphibians but he’s stumped too. So far we’ve ruled out something swallowed, edema, abscesses, and any sort of infection. It could be fat deposits, but it’s grown so quickly (while she’s been on a diet at that) that I can’t imagine that would be it. Her bloodwork was fine, and the swelling didn’t respond to a daily three week salt bath treatment. They tried to do an FNA test but were unable to get any fluid. He put her under for a bit to get a good look at the inside of her mouth, and this was his report on its appearance:

Mel has an unusual swelling on the bottom of the neck underneath the oral cavity. We found soft tissue swelling within the floor of the oral cavity that was clear and "bubble" like. Manipulation of this tissue showed that it was continuous with normal appearing mucosa within the mouth. Some of the tissue appeared to be fat or glandular tissue, but there was no discoloration or changes that suggested that it was unhealthy tissue. We recommend continuing to monitor at home and we will contact you if we are able to find additional information about this condition.

She’s eating and pooping normally, and hasn’t seemed lethargic in the least. She was in a community tank when the swelling started and no other newts are showing signs of anything. Does anyone have any ideas, or any thoughts on tests I could ask the vet to run? He recommended watching her at home and bringing her back if she showed any other symptoms, but the swelling continues to get worse and it’s worrying me. She’s only 1.5 yrs and had been otherwise healthy up until now.

 

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