I do agree gas bubble disease is a possible (and high on list) differential. This condition normally occurs when axies are kept in water supersaturated with gases (any of the air composition). Supersaturation of water tends to occur around hot summer months. Elevated water temperature results in decreased solubility of gases. What is the current water temperature and ambient temperature? Is it summer for you? Have you noticed any bacterial or algae bloom? Have you introduced any new live plants? A combination of all these factors can contribute to supersaturation of water by gases.
Thank you so much for your help, Rayson! Summer just began here very recently, and I am in one of the U.S.'s hotter states. The current water temperature is just "room temperature"- my guess, maybe somewhere around 70 degrees fahrenheit. I have a few axie tanks and a few bowls with fighter fish, and yes, I have noticed a slight increase in algae bloom in my bowls and cycled axie tanks. The tanks house the older axies, however. The younger axies are all kept in separate plastic containers, and they receive daily water changes and container scrubbings, so algae does not have a chance to accumulate in the containers. The axie in my photos is one of the younger ones that's being kept in a container. I guess the warmer weather may have contributed to the water being more gaseous, but I do let the water sit overnight before changing the axie water, just to help remove bubbles and gases, and this axie is the only one who is affected by this air bubble problem.
Axies presented with gas bubble disease have air emboli or bubbles in their blood stream. Gases can also accumulate subdermally under the skin and even in internal organs with cavity (ie stomach).
Yes, it appears to be subdermal.
Eerily, you can even sometimes see bubbles between the toe webbings and in the eyes themselves. Left untreated, axies can die from the emboli as it severely disrupts blood circulation and perfusion. This can lead to multi organ failure due to infarctions (no blood supply). Blood capillaries can be ruptured, leading to ecchymotic bruises. These are huge purply bruises that quickly lead to skin necrosis and sloughing. You can actually see what appears to be some subdermal haemorrhage around the midline and cloacal region.
Yes, I see the hemorrhage to which you're referring.
The axie will be greatly stressed. The condition weakens its immune system, cause inappetance and floating and render it very susceptible to secondary infections like saprolegniasis or aeromonas infections. They will also become severely uncoordinated and has compromised mobility due to equillibrium deficits. The clinical picture quite evidently fits a lot of your patient history.
Yes, it does fit. And I have noticed that he is experiencing equillibrium problems.
Treatment wise, i would recommend you do perform some changes to the general husbandry. Try to cool your water down to around 16-18 degree celsius.
OK, the fridge will take care of that.
If you use an airstone or filter, reduce the setting such that you get mild aeration only. Check that your tubings are not leaky as sometimes leaks in the tubings can increase the aeration substantially. When you perform water changes, let the tap water sit in the bucket overnight to allow air to dissipate. Using water ager is a necessity. You can also consider using a spray bar for the filter outtake. Let the water return to the tank via a fine mist or trickling down the sides of the tank surface. This allows gases to dissipate and avoid stirring up more gases.
I don't use a filter with my younger axies, because they're just kept in separate containers. My older axies, who are in tanks with filters, seem to be doing well, and their filtration system is very mild.
If there is a concurrent bacterial infection. Antibiotics will be indicated. At this stage, i would recommend you fridge it for a month at least while you work on your main tank. Keep monitoring and if the condition deteriorates, a vet appointment will be necessary.
OK, I'll keep him fridged. What are the characteristics of a bacterial infection? What should I be watching for?
Other differentials i had were bloat and ascites. Based on the photos, i would say they are less likely as the swelling is confined to the abdominal region with no evidence of fluid accumulation. The limbs, neck region etc all look pretty normal.
I agree.
The reddish region where you indicated the air bubble is where the liver and heart is situated. There seems to be some degree of liver enlargement (hepatomegaly), possibly due to blood congestion. Have you ever fed raw liver to your axies?
No, never.
Diet wise, bloodworms although nutritious, i find them not as wholesome as a diet for adult axies. For adult axies, i recommend earthworms and pellets as staples and blackworms and bloodworms as a healthy snack. Freeze dried tubifex worms are definitely not nutritious. I would do away with them. I also tend to avoid feeding tubifex worms, even live ones as they are normally reared in rather yucky waters and i would not be surprised if they brought along diseases or parasites.
I understand. All of my other axies are on a diet that's a combination of pellets, dried tubifex forms, and earthworms from the garden. I find that the pellets often dissolve before they're eaten, thus fouling the water, so I don't like to feed them pellets unless I don't feel like getting my hands wet. But sometimes pellets are the most convenient feeding choice because I can just throw them in the water. My axies eat earthworms whenever I dig them up, but I like feeding them tubifex worms because they can just bite it out of my hand, so the water does not get fouled by the tubifex worms. I would not imagine that freeze dried tubifex worms could harbor any diseases, would you?
At any rate, when he axie is floating on the surface of the water like that, pellets are not an option, because they sink, and then he cannot reach them. Tubifex worms are easy to feed to him because he can just bite it out of my hand. I offered him an earthworm today, and he was absolutely not interested in it. So at this point in time, it looks as if tubifex worms or bloodworms are his only feeding options. He eats both very voraciously.
As for the tear in the shoulder region, there could be many reasons. Firstly, the incoordination and floating may have caused physical trauma like you suggested. It could have rammed itself into something and tore the skin. Alternatively, there could be a gas emboli trapped in the fine blood capillaries in the forearm, leading to skin necrosis and sloughing. The tear in the shoulder could in turn aggravate the incoordination. There is network of nerves called the brachial plexus just around that region and sometimes an injury around that area can cause quite bad pain.
All of that sounds very accurate, and very terrible. I will have to keep a close watch on him.
Summary - Work on tank, fridge, vet appointment, +/- antibiotics, analgesics and anti-inflammatory
Tank water has been addressed, fridging has been addressed, I still haven't found any vets in my area who are willing to treat axies. If I do notice bacteria (please tell me what it would look like), antibiotics will be necessary, so would treatment with tetracycline be adviseable? If so, do you know what the doseage would be, and how I would administer it? Can you also recommend analgesics and anti-inflammatory medicines, and do you know what the doseages would be? And lastly, should I consider euthanasia if I notice severe hemorrhaging and/or necrosis?
I looked here:
http://www.axolotl.org/health.htm, and it states that Holtfreter's solution will help with wound healing and will also help guard against bacterial and fungal infections. I don't have Holtfreter's solution, but it states that I can, instead, use a mixture of 1 tsp salt and 2 liters water. I'm thinking about just giving the axolotl a ten minute bath in the saltwater mixture. Any thoughts?
Thank you again!
