EMERGENCY! No idea what this is!

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dkeat

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My axie had a fungus problem on one gill a few weeks ago and I treated it with salt baths and fridging. I kept him in the fridge for a few more days to make sure the fungus was gone. For some reason, the fungus came back even worse and now its growing all over his face and body and he has red rashes all over his body and tail. There's also a small black spot on his back. Any idea what this could be? I don't know how this could be a water problem. I've been changing it daily with dechlorinated water. He looks terrible and seems miserable! I really don't know if he's gonna make it... this has really taken a turn for the worst.
 
Here's pictures

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The temperature of the water he's fridged in is also cold enough if anyone is wondering... I thought the cold temperature was supposed to prevent the fungus from growing more but apparently there's something else going on here.
 
Anyone have ideas? Should I start salt baths again or look into antibiotics?
 
I think that what your axolotl is ill with is beyond salt baths and antibiotics added to the water. I would take it to the vet to see if they can do anything. :(
Please keep us updated.
 
Bette said:
I think that what your axolotl is ill with is beyond salt baths and antibiotics added to the water. I would take it to the vet to see if they can do anything. :(
Please keep us updated.
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Taking him to the vet may be an issue for me financially though. I'm a college student so spending money on myself is already hard enough... I just don't want him to suffer anymore. Do you think I should look into humanely putting him down?
 
You could at least give the vet a call in case there's something they would recommend to do.
 
dkeat said:
Taking him to the vet may be an issue for me financially though. I'm a college student so spending money on myself is already hard enough... I just don't want him to suffer anymore. Do you think I should look into humanely putting him down?
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I've seen Axolotls recover from tougher situations. Don't be so fast to end it. How much salt did you use? Salt treatments can also be very damaging if not done correctly. Especially looking at the curled tail. It seems you used too much salt or left in the bath for too long. Using too much salt will break down the mucus coat on the Axolotl and expose it to fungus or to other ailments.

Basically if you use too much salt or leave the Axolotl in the salt bath for too long you break down its natural shield of defense which is the mucus coat on the salamander. Keep it cold for now and see what happens. Cold water will slow down the spread of fungus and help the Axolotl recover its mucus coat faster. As far as salt baths...... I'd use normal amount but leave the Axolotl in the bath for a short period of time.

Good luck!
 
Neotenic_Jaymes said:
I've seen Axolotls recover from tougher situations. Don't be so fast to end it. How much salt did you use? Salt treatments can also be very damaging if not done correctly. Especially looking at the curled tail. It seems you used too much salt or left in the bath for too long. Using too much salt will break down the mucus coat on the Axolotl and expose it to fungus or to other ailments.

Basically if you use too much salt or leave the Axolotl in the salt bath for too long you break down its natural shield of defense which is the mucus coat on the salamander. Keep it cold for now and see what happens. Cold water will slow down the spread of fungus and help the Axolotl recover its mucus coat faster. As far as salt baths...... I'd use normal amount but leave the Axolotl in the bath for a short period of time.

Good luck!
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I'm not sure if the skin damage is from the salt baths though, The redness and skin breakdown started about a week after the last salt bath. I read online that I should use about 2 Tablespoons for every liter of liquid and leave him in there for about 10 minutes.
 
Doesn't look good....?septacemia/ bacterial infection. The tail tip is very hooked.Can't offer any further advice but I think realistically you shoul prepare yourself to lose him
 
Caudata Culture Articles - Illness Part 1

As a last ditch effort if you can't get it to a vet, maybe try salt baths again. There is so much fungus that I see...even on the face, poor thing. Perhaps try an antibiotic in the water just for the heck of it... that way you can say that you tried. I have had good results with API Furan-2. Check out the link above... the Triple Sulfa listed on the page says that it treats fungus too.
 
charleybambino said:
Doesn't look good....?septacemia/ bacterial infection. The tail tip is very hooked.Can't offer any further advice but I think realistically you shoul prepare yourself to lose him
Click to expand...

Yea I feel terrible, I've had Chippy since he was a tiny baby. He seemed fine a few days ago which is strange. The original fungus problem was completely gone and I was keeping him in the fridge just as a precaution. Then it started back up again and got worse and worse. What's really strange is that I rinsed out his container with hot water every time I did a water change. Whenever I change the water he is basically motionless when I pick him up. I know the cold temperature slows their movement, but he is way less active compared to a few days ago. I know he's miserable because I see him rubbing his face on the container to try and get the fungus off his face. Anyway, I'm just going to try to keep him as comfortable as possible and hope for the best.
 
Bette said:
Caudata Culture Articles - Illness Part 1

As a last ditch effort if you can't get it to a vet, maybe try salt baths again. There is so much fungus that I see...even on the face, poor thing. Perhaps try an antibiotic in the water just for the heck of it... that way you can say that you tried. I have had good results with API Furan-2. Check out the link above... the Triple Sulfa listed on the page says that it treats fungus too.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I'll look into whatever may help
 
For anyone wondering, Chippy ended up passing yesterday. The redness was even worse when I found him and his legs seemed a bit swollen. I'm still pretty shocked that this happened. I've dealt with fungus before and it's always cleared up well. I'm still trying to figure out what this exactly was and what could have caused it. The quality of water in the town I live in is notorious for being pretty bad, but he's been living in the same water for more than 2 years with only one other case of fungus which lasted about a week and was isolated to one gill instead of the entire body. I thought maybe I could have somehow passed something to him when grabbing him to do water changes, but I made sure I washed my hands every time before touching him. Is there a possibility that keeping him in the fridge for a prolonged period could make his immune system shut down?
 
I'm sorry for your loss. :(

I don't think the cold would have shut down his immune system. Some people keep their axies in sheds etc. even during winter where it can be that cold for weeks or moths. There could have been some underlying illness though that might've compromised his immune system.
 
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