Please Help our sick Axolotl

Around a week ago our axolotl (Boris) started to puff up around his neck, under his mouth. This seems to have now spread to the rest of his body and his legs are the same. There has been no distinct changes to his conditions, usual water changes and feeding regime. We feed boris every other day with either live earthworm or defrosted bloodworm cubes, but now he is refusing to eat.
Looking through the forum I have spotted the FBI rule as previously posted, and this seems to be the problem that we have here with our Boris, but we don't know what to do to help him.
Please help if you can, pictures should be attached. One of the pictures, albeit dark is what boris looked like last week when he was his usual self, the others are since then.

I suspect I am having a particularly 'dim' moment..but what is the FBI rule? I suspect this may well be some type of mouth infection, but as I am not a vet it would be best to wait for one of our lovely vets to advise. In the mean time I would remove your axolotl from the current tank and fridge it. This article explains the process to you.
http://www.caudata.org/axolotl-sanctuary/Fridging.shtml

What is the substrate that you are using in your tank? Also is there any chance Boris has accidently swallowed anything odd?

Hi,

I posted about the FBI rule a long time back (haha someone actually reads it). Bascially, i approach investigating puffy throats with the following.

F- Foreign body impaction
B - Bloat
I - Infectious Stomatitis

In this case, if the other parts of the body are puffing up, it is almost certain it is a case of bloat. Bloat can be triggered by untreated stomatitis.

You would have to fridge your axie and send it to the vet for fluid therapy and antibiotics. All bloat cases should have some fluid therapy as it provides great relief. Generalised oedema is a form of fluid homeostasis and equilibrium problem.

Please do not delay too long. Bloat is considered an emergency and can quickly deteriorate if left untreated.

Thanks for the replies. I dont think that a vet over here will know what to do with our poor axy im afraid, is there anything we can do to ourselves to treat him? can you see the pictures of him ok?

The only thing you can do without a vet's help is to fridge the axie. Otherwise, i am happy to write a treatment plan for you to print out to bring to your vets.

sorry to hijack but you mention fluid therapy, as i think wilma has bloat is it possible you could give me some info also to pass onto my vet?

Hi Boris and Pinkangel,

Hope this helps.

Antibiotics are ideally injected into the intraperitoneal space rather than through oral route or baths. Oral route administration is quite a hassle especially if the axolotl is inappetant and refuse to feed on a 'medicated worm'. Manipulation of the jaw to drench can also result in nasty fractures. Baths are ok but its difficult to titrate to a level effective yet safe to treat a systemic illness (more for minor external sores).

Inject with a tuberculin 25-gauge needle (dog/cat insulin needle is fine) intraperitoneally, just in front of a hind leg, approximately parallel to the body and about midway between the dorsal and ventral surfaces: that is, dorsal to the bladder and ventral to the kidneys and too caudal to hit the liver or spleen. Attached is a link with a picture of where the shot should be given.

http://www.axolotl.org/health.htm

I would recommend use of amikacin + piperacillin. Alternatively, gentamicin or enrofloxacin can also be used but they have more serious side effects.

If your vet intend to use a nephrotoxic drug such as gentamicin, i highly recommend the axolotl be supported with fluid therapy for a day or so beforehand. The fluid therapy will aid in renal perfusion and minimise the side effects. You can basically soak the axolotl in amphian ringers solution or Holtrefeter's Solution. These baths aid in osmo-regulation. Although axolotls are fully aquatic, they can become dehydrated. Dehydration occurs in illnesses whereby the osmo-regulation is compromised, leading to celluluar and interstitial fluids being drawn out and excreted. Attached is a link for recipes for the fluid support baths.

http://www.axolotl.org/requirements.htm

The axolotl should also be weighed. You can use just the usual scales for small animals. Subtract the reading from water + tub from that of water + tub + axolotl. That would give you axolotl weight.

Use a dose of 5mg/kg of body weight of antibiotics. Because you are dealing with a small volume, you can constitute a solution of 5mg/ml in physiological saline and give a volume of 0.1ml.

The animal should get 3 shots of amikacin or gentamicin, each separated by 48 hours or 5-7 shots of enrofloxacin, each separated by 24 hours.

You can continue fridging the axolotl during the recovery and can still provide fluid support.

Thank you so much Darkmaverick for your comprehensive reply.
Unfortunately Boris died the next morning before we'd had a chance to speak to a Vet over here. I had tried again to feed him the night before but he just couldnt seem to open his mouth enough to take the food, even when encouraged by hand (he always used to try and eat my fingers before he'd eat a live wormm bless him). He'd given up on eating, and it was a week since he last ate something substantial, so it could have either been starvation that killed him, or the bloat.
Boris will be greatly missed, i'll always remember him.
Kind Regards, and thanks again for trying.
:angel: