here's an article on bloating, which it probably has.
Bloat" is a very common disease symptom in imported newts particularly in newly imported Cynops sp. Many people make the mistake of confusing "bloat" as a disease as opposed to a symptom. Bloat is a symptom of a number of potential diseases. Bloat can be indicative of bacterial infections (e.g. "red leg infections"), and of kidney damage from a variety of sources. Without performing a number of tests upon the newts the actual cause in each case will remain a mystery. However if one was to take an educated guess based on the treatment of these newts prior to arrival in the hands of the Herpetoculturist then the leading cause would probably be kidney damage. The most common cause of kidney damage in the newts would be due to dehydration sometime in the period after collection but before the newt ends up in Herpetoculturist's collection. Kidney damage can cause the symptoms of bloat days to weeks following the cause of the damage as the kidneys slowly shut down (Wright, 1996). Kidney damage would explain why these newts come down with "bloat", do not respond to antibiotic treatment, and do not pass the condition on to the other amphibian inhabitants of the enclosure (as would be expected in many of the bacterial infections). This would also explain why there are some spontaneous remissions of bloat (the damage was not so extensive the animal could not recover on its' own).
Many newt owners attempt to treat the condition with over the counter medications supplied by the local pet stores. In the majority of these cases the antibiotics may do more harm than good. The only currently available over the counter fish antibiotic (Hexamit is an antiprotozoal medication that has some specificity against anaerobic organisms) that was commonly used for the treatment of amphibians is tetracycline. However the majority of common amphibian pathogenic bacteria are resistant to tetracycline (Wright, 1996). Most of the other common fish medications are also ineffective in treatment of amphibian disease due to the advent of wide spread resistance and the fact that the amphibian's skin is only semipermeable at best to the antibiotic. This means that the antibiotic may not be able to reach therapeutic levels in the caudate's tissues. This only hastens the spread of antibiotic resistance. Many of the antibiotics that treat amphibian bacterial diseases are also potentially damaging to the kidneys if used improperly. This could make a case of mild kidney damage into an irreversible condition. The only way to determine if there is a bacterial infection or some other agent causing the bloat would be for a Veterinarian to draw some fluid and conduct a culture for bacteria. If positive, the culture can also be used to determine the sensitivity to antibiotics of that strain of bacteria thus allowing an effective course of antibiotics. Additionally a Veterinarian may also be able to supply an appropriate supportive fluid therapy regimen (such as by being soaked in amphibian ringers*). Also treatment of the enclosure with antibiotics may disrupt the biological filtration in the aquarium. The disruption of the biological filter will result in a subsequent rise of the ammonia, and nitrite. Ammonia has been well documented to have potentially lethal effect on amphibians. The effects of nitrite on amphibians have not been as well documented but can be a significant cause of fish mortality. If a newt comes down with bloat the newt should be removed to an isolation enclosure. This will prevent infecting other newts if an infectious agent causes the disease. The newt should remain in the isolation enclosure until the newt is cured or dies.
The discovery of "bloat" in a newt will mean that the Herpetoculturist will have to make some crucial decisions as to how to react to the symptom. The decision will need to be made as to seek medical assistance. If the disease is of bacterial origin then speed may be crucial as some infections may rapidly cause the death of the animal (for example Aeromonas a.k.a. "red leg") and potentially infect most (or all of the other amphibians in the same enclosure). Medical assistance will allow access to truly effective antibiotics and a potential diagnosis however the downside is that this may be an incurable condition (kidney damage) which may cause a slow and lingering death. In the case of severe kidney damage, the Herpetoculturist may need to weigh the merits of euthanasia. Each Herpetoculturist will need to weigh each of these factors for themselves on a case by case basis.
