ABSTRACT

Caecilians are a unique group of amphibians with little medical information available to veterinarians. While uncommon, they are present in many zoological institutions and information on their captive medical care is essential. This study collected medical data from various institutions including results from fecal examinations, microbiological cultures, antemortem and postmortem examinations. Results differed between aquatic and fossorial caecilians. The most prevalent diseases in aquatic caecilians were dermatitis and renal disease. Animals with skin disease succumbed quickly to osmotic disturbances if not treated immediately. Renal disease was rarely diagnosed antemortem and etiologies are still unknown. The most prevalent disease in fossorial caecilians was septicemia. Rapid therapy with antibiotics resulted in positive outcomes. In general, good preventative health surveillance allowed for rapid disease recognition and intervening treatments resulted in longer lived animals.