Illness/Sickness: Dislocated / Broken Front Leg :( leave it or "snip" it off? =o

After much watching of my little one 'Splat' in his new tank with room to finally stretch his legs instead of pretending to fly & hitting the tiles with a splat.... I have noticed his front left leg is not working as it should ... It seems to be either dislocated or broken at the highest joint closest to the body & the leg is basically facing at a strange angle & not functioning properly a possible consequence of the high flying circus act

So my question is - will the limb heal if its dislocated or broken without staying permanently deformed? I spoke with a guy at a pet shop today that actually kept there axies in perfect conditions & seemed to have knowledge & he suggested "snipping" the leg off completely 0.0 & guaranteeing the new limbs healthy complete regeneration!
This seems extreme & to be honest I'm not sure I could "snip" my babies leg off! =O

I'd be very interested in other people's thoughts & experiences (with what I would imagine would be a very common problem) are on this topic.

Thank you in advance



<3 >o_o< <3

I've never had to experience such an injury personally but one of mine has had a leg deformity since he was born. His front right leg stays in the upright position constantly and when he swims it looks like he is waving. To this day, it hasn't caused him any problems and he's otherwise healthy. The problem with amputation is things can and do go wrong for example the wound can become septic or fungal. It's also best to amputate as far away from the body as possible, which doesn't seem like it will be easy in your little ones case. If it were me, for now, I'd just keep an eye on it. Look to see if it is bothering him and causing him stress. As it was caused by damage he may just loose it. If you feel the limb starts to change color or becomes immobile in the sense its hanging or he's not using it, the tissue may be dead in which case amputation may be inevitable.

I'm not sure anyone should be cutting off axolotls leg unless they are a qualified vet! I've no doubt this method would work but it is certainly not to be encouraged by anyone at home. If you really want it done then at least see if your local vet will do it. Axolotls have amazing recovery powers and I would let your axolotl sort itself out. So, one of it's legs might be a bit wonky at the end of it all but I'm sure it won't have a problem moving around or feeding itself. It will only be you that has a problem with it. Anyway hope it all works out well.

Regards Neil

That's ok - I'm more than happy to have a "special" axie that likes to wave
I've been prepared for him to be a wee runt without back legs until they finally grew - he's special no matter what & I'm sorry if I seemed in favour of the concept of amputation.

I could never imagine snipping off any part of my axie baby - especially given how tiny the little guy is.... There's no way I could! Unless of course it was a worst case scenario due to fungus etc - but then I'd look for a vet with steadier hands than me



<3 >o_o< <3

Hi Nikki

I may have similar problem with my dude. Got pictures and movie in thread "strange arm placing...". Please have a look and tell me do you see any similar behaviour...

Mine seems to be in distress cos of it so i need to find some answers asap.

Thanks.

Methodzki said:

Hi Nikki

I may have similar problem with my dude. Got pictures and movie in thread "strange arm placing...". Please have a look and tell me do you see any similar behaviour...

Mine seems to be in distress cos of it so i need to find some answers asap.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I've watched the video & read your thread on your axies arm since you posted it & yours seems to "lock" in a backwards position - which does look like it would be uncomfortable
Does it return to normal position ever? Can yours walk around using the leg normally when it's not locked backwards?

My little ones arm seems to flail about (just not in the right direction - more upwardly loose) rather than lock into a wrong position like your axie. Can't use it when walking at all
I'll try & get a video / pic of his arm today.



<3 >o_o< <3

Well... He seems to use it less and less... It used to last just for couple of hours and would go back to normal for a week or two, but now it is getting worse, when it is not locked he stretches it and uses it really occasionally.

The worst is that it is a distress for him, he is really quiet and moves about a lot less he used to. I will try the fridge as he hasn't pooped for a week now. Hopefully it will help... If not... Vet