Desperate - we need to euthanase Sam

[Mary]

This is a very urgent message as my daughter (the loving carer of a once beautiful, healthy axolotl called Sam) is absolutely desperate.

Sam was left with friends of my daughter's for several months while my daughter was overseas. It seems they did not care for Sam properly; she is only a tenth of her original size and so malnourished she can hardly move.

My daughter has done everything you have all advised (thank you). The water is fine (been tested); the food is right. My daughter has spent hours at the tank coaxing Sam to eat. But she cannot. Sam tries to get the worms, but she is so thin, her head is too heavy to hold up. It seems she cannot even open her mouth.

My daughter is in tears. We are all dreadfully upset. We cannot go on any longer.

Yet still Sam just survives, day after dreadful day.

Is there any way poor Sam can recover from this deplorable state?

If not, how do I humanely euthanase poor Sam before she and my daughter suffer any further?

Please help. We are all distressed.

Mary.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

If you could please post a pic before you decide to euthanize it so we can see just how far gone this axie is. But from the description it doesn't sound good. Well if you must do the deed then here is a link to the proper methods you will need.

http://caudata.org/cc/articles/euthanasia.shtml

 

[paullism]

Mary

I would suggest that you post some pictures of Sam on here so we can have a look at him & also please list the foods that you have tried without any success. I have attached a list of foods and you can see if there is any thing there that you haven't tried yet.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Mary,

I am sorry to hear about Sam. As suggested by the others, a photograph would give us a better idea of his condition, and there may be ways to salvage the situation.

However, in the worst case scenario and the event of an euthanasia is eminent, i would highly recommend you bring Sam to a vet rather than try to euthanise him yourself. The vet would anaethesize him and then administer intraperitoneal lethal barb (pentobarb) which would ensure a swift and painless passing. This would also take the pyschological trauma out of performing the euthanasia yourself.

I sincerely wish Sam the best.

Regards

 

[kira]

I am so sorry to hear about your distress

 

[blueberlin]

Hi Mary,

There was a discussion here about force feeding salamanders, and someone wrote about some kind of liquid you could drop onto the amphibian's skin that would provide them with emergency nourishment. I have tried every search phrase I could think of and couldn't find the thread; I only mention it now in case someone else here knows what I mean.

Beyond that, it occurs to me that perhaps you could try "baby food" - surround the axolotl with small foods like Daphnia and mosquito largae, etc. You can find these at many aquarium shops. If the axoltol is in a small enough container, you could surround it with food and all it would have to do is "yawn" to eat.

My condolences, in any case, for your having to go through such a situation.

-Eva

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Eva I am not quite sure what the name is but I have seen pedialyte recommended for frogs when they are pretty bad off. I have no clue if it would work for an axie but do you think it's worth a try or how you would even administer it. With the frogs your supposed to sit them in a dish and let them sit and soak in it. Obviously thats out of the question with an axolotl. I dunno just throwing out suggestions hope its not a bad one.

 

[felicity]

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I'll add some photos of Sam in the next posting...I just want to warn everyone now that the photos are really quite disturbing - don't look at them unless you've prepared yourself. I nearly cry everytime I look at her and you probabaly will too - she's that skinny and sick.

I've tried feeding her bloodworms, blackworms, mealworms, pellets and a variety of earthworms. I try to feed her twice a day and always leave heaps of food in there for her(I clean the old food out twice a day so the water doesnt pollute). It's not that she doesn't like the food I offer, she wants to eat - she knows the food is there and she tries to get it but she can't. For the past few days she has been sticking her head into the pile of worms I leave there and gulps in but she doesn't open her mouth while she does it. Other times she opens her mouth but doesn't suck in, and when i place the food inside her mouth it just falls back out. It's like she doesn't remember how to eat.

After looking at the photos if you could please tell me if you think it is possible for her to recover from a state such as this, or is it just going to be too painful for her? I don't want loose her but I also really don't want her to suffer anymore. She has looked like this for over a month now...

 

[felicity]

Sam...

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I am sorry Felicity but I don't see this little guy pulling through. I would recomend taking it to a vet and let them do it.

 

[b00f]

Im going to agree with everyone

go to the vet, let them do it

when i had to put my dog down when i was younger it was the hardest thing ever.

 

[Jacquie]

Hi Felicity,

It's the hardest thing I've ever had to type...I'm crying too.

I think taking Sam to a vet for euthanisation would be best, it will be quick and painless.

 

[paullism]

Hi Felicity


Sadly I totally agree with "the usual suspects" i.e. my friends.
I believe it would be best for Sam to RIP.

Well all really feel for you

 

[inkozana]

I would suggest putting Sam in the freezer as a form of euthanasia, it is kind of expensive to get an animal euthanised let alone a tiny axolotl.
It also saves your daughter seeing an axolotl injected if she were to come along to say goodbye.

 

[froggy]

I really do feel for you; the situation is horrible.
If you do want to continue trying, I have had success using a syringe attached to a short piece of airline tubing, which is inserted into the gullet to deliver a small amount of pureed food (I used a meat-based baby food). It must be a small amount at first in order to avoid killing her by refeeding syndrome. I have never tried this with such an emaciated animal though...

Chris

 

[gr33neyes]

I would suggest putting Sam in the freezer as a form of euthanasia, it is kind of expensive to get an animal euthanised let alone a tiny axolotl.
It also saves your daughter seeing an axolotl injected if she were to come along to say goodbye.

Putting an axolotl in the freezer isn't a good way to euthanize an axolotl. They can survive a spell in a freezer (although I doubt this axie would survive this). It is a slow death. The best way is to take it to a vet and let them deal with it. There are various methods but you would need to know what you were doing.

While you are deciding what you want to do, persist with trying to feed the axolotl. My axolotl was sick for a while and refused food for 2 weeks, I kept persisting and eventually got her to eat. You could try warming the tank water up a little, warmer temperatures can boost appetite.

 

[Abrahm]

I'm going to have to agree with everyone else. I think this axolotl is too far gone to save. Shame on your daughter's friend for their neglect! It looks as if Sam hasn't been fed the entire time your daughter was overseas. Even if you tried to feed her there is the possible problem of refeeding syndrome. A starving amphibian that is fed often dies due to shock.

There was a discussion here about force feeding salamanders, and someone wrote about some kind of liquid you could drop onto the amphibian's skin that would provide them with emergency nourishment. I have tried every search phrase I could think of and couldn't find the thread; I only mention it now in case someone else here knows what I mean.

The solution you are referring to is calcium gluconate. It passes straight through the amphibians skin and provides calcium and an essential sugar that can help a starving animal bounce back. I've only heard of it being used a few times myself but it sounds interesting. In the US you can buy it from farm supply stores (like Fleet Farm) as it is used for livestock. It needs to be refrigerated.

I would suggest putting Sam in the freezer as a form of euthanasia, it is kind of expensive to get an animal euthanised let alone a tiny axolotl.
It also saves your daughter seeing an axolotl injected if she were to come along to say goodbye.

The freezer is a very inhumane form of euthanasia. The animal dies slowly over a period of hours or more. Never euthanize an animal by freezing. It is far better that a lethal injection is performed as the death with be swift and painless.

 

[blueberlin]

@Abrahm: Calcium gluconate. Thank you so much; it's been driving me crazy not knowing. I thought at the time, and still do, that it sounds very interesting.

@Mary: You've already been through enough for me to offer my condolences. I reckon either decision you make now is going to be rough. However it goes, you know that we'll all be thinking of you, for what that's worth.

-Eva

 

[John]

Hello Mary. I've seen a lot of axolotls over the years but never one even approaching how thin Sam is. In fact I don't think I've seen newts quite that thin, and I've seen some awfully sick newts. The advice you've been given here is solid (except the freezer business, please don't put Sam in the freezer). I have to concur with the others though - it looks like Sam hasn't been fed in all of the time your daughter was away.