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Quick question: possible broken leg

Spartacus

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I discovered my leucistic axolotl with a blood-specked cut up foot this morning. I quickly popped him in the fridge before work, and after inspecting him all day Ive noticed it just hangs limply behind him now, at what looks like an uncomfortable twisted angle.
He doesnt move it or try to stand on it so now Im wondering if its broken.
If so, are there any things that should be done to help treat it? Other than a fridge holiday.

Im quite puzzled as to how this happened. The sharpest thing in the tank would be the little nicks on a bottle's broken seal that I use for cooling. It doesnt seem like that would have cut his feet up that bad though (the back ones have a few red spots too). He has other tank mates but theyve never been violent to each other and theyve been together for months.
Unfortunately I cant get a photo :( parents took the camera on holiday
Thanks in advance for any advice
 

Greatwtehunter

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The best method is to just keep the water cool, clean, and the axolotl well fed. It should heal just fine on it's own. I would be willing to bet that injury was sustained from one of it's tankmates. You may have never noticed any aggression but this may actually take place at night time when they are most active and you are sleeping.
 

Darkmaverick

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As justin mentioned, with proper tank maintenance and nutrition, the wound will heal on its own.

One possible problem though is that if your axie's limb is dislocated from the joint or avulsed, even though it will still heal over, the regeneration could still result in a 'deformed' looking limb. Because axie's bone is really pliable and cartilagenous, the twisted limb could still persist. Some axies also end up as chronic 'hip dislocators' where the hip joint becomes a bit 'loose' and can pop in and out occasionally.

Other than tankmate aggression, the axie's leg could get caught between awkward tank ornaments or even by the filter. Have a look through the tank to make sure any potential 'limb traps' are rectified as a safety measure.
 

Spartacus

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Thanks guys! I'll be sure to keep everything clean and healthy.
The only thing it could possibly get stuck on is in between strands of the fake plants. It would have taken an awful lot of thrashing to get stuck in there though.
Can anything be done if there is a dislocation?
 

Darkmaverick

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That you would have to bring your axie to a vet to examine for limb function. In many cases, the joint can pop back in by itself without any manipulation. However, some cases can still result in long term ailment. The limb will still tend to be functional but with a 'gimp'. Your vet will be the best person to assess that. There is nothing additional you can do at home except monitoring and providing good nutrition and water conditions.
 

suexxxxx

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Hope he is ok,i lost a wee boy this way,he was ok for about a year and one of them had a go at him.
 

Spartacus

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Thanks for your concern, I hope so too.
Just thought Id update on the situation. Found he'd been fighting with my wildtype and both have sustained foot injuries. Ive finally got the camera back so Ill post some pictures, just wondering if any of the wounds look like theyll need a salt bath or anything. Some of the injuries look kind of fuzzy or like cotton, but Im unsure whether its fungus growing on the wound or just shredded skin off their toes.
Photos are as follows:
1. skin grazed off toe
2. skin completely off two toes, splitting down middle. Fuzzy/dead skin?
3. Leucistics possible broken foot, large red area, the fingers are completely white, no blood seems to be reaching them. Covered in what may be loose skin or bacteria/fungus.
4. The other mangled foot, skin off toes
Any opinions on whether its something unhealthy growing on the wounds or just dead shredded skin would be appreciated. Both axies are being housed in the fridge for now to recuperate
Thanks :)
 

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Darkmaverick

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The good news is that as the injured areas are quite superficial and only a small localized area of the digits. They have a good chance to heal over uneventfully without loss of function or grossly malformed regeneration.

You are doing a good job so far with your monitoring and fridge therapy. I would say in both axies, the fuzziness is a combition of necrotic skin as well as fungal elements. I would not go with salt baths for now but i would try use a cotton bud Q tip to try tease off any necrotic tissue. Debriding the area will help with healing and reduce chances of fungal infection. Continue to monitor and if you see a fungal infection taking hold, you can perform the salt baths then.
 
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