Please help - condition worsening and unsure what to try next

Hi

Please can anyone advise me on the likely condition of our poorly axolotl and suggest if there's anything else we can try please?

We have 2 axolotls and have had them for we'll over 6 months. The wild type has grown more rapidly than the albino, and has periodically had a habit of nipping the albino's tail/gill, and although this hasn't been a problem as of lately, it has meant than the albino has been a bit stressed and hidden away more than the wild one.

Recently, the albino stopped accepting food and started getting a bit of fungus on its hand so we removed it from the tank and started fridging, along with salt baths 2-3 times a day, in line with the recommendations on the site.

This treatment is now well into its second week, and the axolotl is still refusing food due to the low temperature (we are trying to keep to 5-6 degrees, though it keeps dropping back down to 4 degrees). It hasn't eaten for well over two weeks now and is looking thin.

At first we thought that the salts baths and fridging were working - there were red patches where the fungus had been, but then the fungus started creeping up the arm and also spreading to toes (and I noticed this morning to its underbelly). The fungus on its arms now seems to have been replaced by discolouration - and I suspect at some point it will lose the arms as they look like the are rotting.

After reading about other treatments last night, I have ordered a new declorinator (Interrupt fresh start) and some methylene blue, but we live fairly rurally and there aren't any expert vets anywhere near us and so it's not going to be very easy to access that knowledge. It also seems to be difficult to get hold of alternative treatments in the uk such as mercurochrome or Nitrofura-G,

I have attached a photo to show the current condition, any advice would be much appreciated, as we are not really sure what to try next (other than the methylene blue).


Thanks very much in advance for any suggestions,

Nic

Extra photo - upload stalled after the first

Third photo

Also! I forgot to mention that it is looked much redder than normal in terms of its gills and veins/tail ridge, but I suspect that this is due to all the salt baths.

Hey there, I'm no expert and I'm sure someone more experienced will answer better but have you tried a tea bath. I'm under the impression that the salt baths, although quite good for fungus can be quite irritating also. I was going to suggest mecurochrome but you just mentioned it was hard to find...Perhaps it goes under a different name in the uk.I have a bottle and it says its active ingredient is Merbromin 20mg/ml...2%w/v in purified water...perhaps a compounding chemist could make some. My Axie had a fungus foot and I lifted him/her out of water a put a drop on the foot (not anywhere that it gets into their 'living'water). He showed no discomfort. It pretty much cured it instantly, the next day his foot looked perfect and he hasn't had a problem since...but I'm not sure if you can put it all over. I am worried about his feet though...that looks like lack of blood flow to me. Best to get him to a vet if you can.

Thanks very much for the advice Ciele, I'll have a look online under that alternative name for the mercurochrome, and check the forums for the advised tea as from memory it was a very specific type.

Hey, the tea bath is on this page.
Caudata Culture Articles - Illness Part 2

I really don't know what else to suggest other than have a vet look at the front legs. They don't look very good at all. Someone else might be along with some useful advise.

The only other thing is, were you using the right salt as it says in the salt bathing guide?

At the very least I'd relax about his weight, he's thin but I've seen much thinner (When I got Thor she was a stick!) and they bounce right back from that. As for the fungus if the salt bath isn't working maybe try tea. If that doesn't help either then it might not be a fungus, and a trip to a vet might be needed

Im sorry i dont see fungus in the pictures you posted :s i do see the white markings on your axies body? Is this what you mean? Is it fuzzy because it looks like normal coloring to me from the pictures at least! I learned that axolotls change colors continuously like dots and different color markings can just start to develop.

Have you tried taking him out of the fridge and let him sit out for a day and try to feed him? And while you have him out to try the tea bath as stated above? You have been doing a lot of salt bathes and that can irritate them more if its not needed. So maybe try the tea bath, try feeding him and then put him back in the fridge. See if the tea helps.

At this point im not sure if its the excessive salt bathes that are hurting him or not or if there is some sort of bacterial infection but until you know dont start the methylene blue. I read that it is easy to overdose with it because axolotls absorb things through their skin so be careful when dosing. Its also uneeded stress if you dont need to use it.

So try to tea bath first. And try taking him out to Fee him. He wont eat while in the fridge.
He really isnt that thin, and will definately bounce back once he does feel better so i really wouldnt worry to much about him eating. If in a day or two you dont see any improvement with the tea then try methylene blue. But as stated above if it is bacterial then a vet may need to administer antibiotics. Lets hope it isnt though!
You are changing his water daily too?

I would get it out of the fridge & just keep in cool clean water & monitor what happens to the redness.

Fridging is only recommended when there is fear of impaction from gravel or sever constipation. Fungus needs salt baths & clean water conditions inbetween.. Or just use a tub of fresh dechlorinated & change it 100% daily so you know it's perfectly safe. You can add black tea - (plain old boring tea nothing special) this helps to soothe the slime coat from the salt baths.

If there's no signs of fluffy fungus then there's no need to salt bath - if it comes back then you will need to give the bath again but only until the fluff disappears.

Here's the tea method...




<3 >o_o< <3

Thanks so much for all the advice.

Unfortunately, the fungus (definately fungus - cotton wool fluffiness all around the tops of the front legs, and on the toes of the rear legs) got worse again (the pics were after nearly a week of salt baths, and the fungus did die back for a day or two) and so we panicked and started the meth blue before we saw the point about trying tea first, but I am de fridging him now and trying a tea bath.

We also went to the aquatic centre where our axies came from as a couple of the staff are really knowledgeable and raise their own, and were advised that sometimes melafix and pimafix has been known to help axies, so we have ordered these to try next.

We have been doing daily water and salt bath changes, and used the table salt as advised on the site, I think we've been doing all the rights things, but as soon as we start easing off on the salt baths, it immediately flares back up. Hopefully the tea might have a better effect.

We really appreciate the support that forum members have shown and the reassurances about his weight, thank you again

Nic

Unfortunately he didn't make it, he died overnight. Perhaps the treatments were just enabling him to hang in there after all, as he seemed more perky when I took him out of the fridge last night but in honesty I am surprised he hung in there for as long as he did, as he has been sick and not eating for quite and while. My poor son is going to be so upset! Thanks for all the advice again.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss

Thanks Kerry

Njk said:

Unfortunately he didn't make it, he died overnight. Perhaps the treatments were just enabling him to hang in there after all, as he seemed more perky when I took him out of the fridge last night but in honesty I am surprised he hung in there for as long as he did, as he has been sick and not eating for quite and while. My poor son is going to be so upset! Thanks for all the advice again.

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Sorry to hear the bad news. You tried your best.

Thanks Beks

Looking at him (Simon) now, I am pretty certain that the main problem was septicaemia (as a secondary infection brought on by stress/fungal infection), as he eventually had all the signs of red leg - prominent/red burst blood vessels everywhere, more infection in rear legs, neck and back ridge, and then finally overnight severe swelling to his face/neck/girth. I completely refreshed the tank that he shared with our other axolotl last weekend and I'm very glad that I did so in the circumstances - despite some of the advice around. The remaining one (Ralph) has definitely been more subdued than normal - so hoping that it's because he is missing his pal as opposed to being infected.