Illness/Sickness: Help Please

If you really cant get her to the vet, i would fridge her personally, no colder than 6C and in a tub with 100% daily water changes.
Put a towel over the tub to keep her in the dark (if you adding a lid to the tub dont forget air holes!)
The fridge will slow down her metabolism so eating is less of a worry but she does need professional help :(
 
Karis said:
I've tried feeding Roxy Bloodworms (the ones that are in the little frozen cubes) and she actually moved away from the tweezers and my fingers. This has been the result in trying to feed her anything. She is just not interested in food.
It's going to cost me $85 just to get her in to see a specialist and at the moment, this close to Christmas, I just don't have that kind of money spare.
Can I try putting her in the fridge? Could that help? Or should I just do the kind thing so she's no longer in pain :'(
Click to expand...

You've got difficult decisions to take, if this was my axolotl and I was sure it was a hernia I would be euthanasing it. The problem is I am outside my expertise zone and wish someone with authority could confirm the diagnosis. In humans obstructed guts are very painful so I'm not keen on the idea of an animal hanging round in the fridge for weeks with no prospect of recovery.
 
Based on the images alone without physical examination. It looks like an eventration of the intestinal tract. This is a protrusion of internal organs outside the body cavity caused by various factors such as physical trauma and congenital abdominal wall defects.

In my opinion, there are only two viable options. The first is to have the animal humanely euthanased. The other option can be costly and difficult to find expertise to perform.

Surgery will be necessary in this case. No amount of internal medication or palliative support can rectify the situation. The vet surgeon will examine the patency and tissue viability of the affected areas of the gut. In many cases, eventration can lead to other complications such as necrosis or cellular death of the affected tissue. Additionally, sometimes scars can form within the organs such that strictures are formed and the animal can no longer properly digest food. Either way, secondary infections are very common.

Long term prognosis is grave without treatment and poor with treatment. For some reason a lot of axolotls after prolonged inappetance/digestive problems become ill thrifty and don't recover to the same level of body condition. They remain sickly and sometimes quite emaciated looking despite best feeding efforts.

The condition is non transmissible/contagious but I would recommend you house the animal singly from other axolotls. The area is already a weakened exposed area and another axolotl may traumatise it further. Undigested food can contaminate the tank water and unfortunately the animal may also die and foul the water of a common tank.
 
Roxy has gotten worse and I can't afford to take her to a specialist vet. She now has a prolapsed cloaca (which is full of blood) and the protrusion from her stomach.
I don't want her suffering anymore.
What's the kindest way to put her to sleep? I've heard putting them in the freezer?
 
Freezing as a form of euthanasia is considered unacceptable.
Euthanasia for Amphibians is an article that goes into depth on the acceptable methods and procedures.

I would read it over and come back to us with any questions you may have. It's not going to be easy and it's best to be fully informed beforehand.
 
Freezing is for undeveloped eggs, and not acceptable for animals
Clove oil and alcohol are the easiest for a layperson to administer - sad and emotionally hard, but technically and physically not difficult. Read the articles for further advice on concentrations etc.
 
I'd favour clove oil over alcohol or clove oil then alcohol. But even if the method of euthanasia is suboptimal it is probably preferable than allowing this animal to linger. Euthanasing any animal is emotionally hard but it sounds like this animal has little chance of anything other than prolonged suffering as an alternative.
 
I remember reading a post about euthanizing very poorly amphibians the other day. The majority of posters within this forum appeared to favour clove oil over alcohol and certainly over fridge/freezing, as Auntiejude said, fridging and then freezing any axolotl older than an undeveloped egg is considered to be cruel as it's a slow death. Benzocaine-containing gels, such as the branded dental relief gel known as 'Orajel,' were also mentioned.

Clove oil or benzocaine gels appear to be the mediums that cause the least distress. I am sorry that you are in this situation, and my heart goes out to your baby, but I think you know that what you are doing is right if the axxie would otherwise suffer.

May your axolotl swim under the Rainbow Bridge.
 
Last edited:
She's gone now. I put her to sleep this afternoon with many tears.
I was told by a specialist to put Alka-Seltzer which is an asprin in to the water as it slowly puts them to sleep. She didn't fight or wriggle about so I'm hoping that it was very peaceful for her.
I read somewhere once that the Chinese believe that koi fish turn into dragons when they pass. I would hope the same for my little Roxy.
Thank you all for your support and wisdom.
 
does anyone else use bleach to euthanize axolotls? i euthanized some of burritos babies last year in pure bleach when they got sick
it was a quick death and the bodies dissolved completely in it
 
Um, did you research that first????? Bleach sounds pretty intense. I just had to keep myself from some expletives.
 
seagull said:
does anyone else use bleach to euthanize axolotls? i euthanized some of burritos babies last year in pure bleach when they got sick
it was a quick death and the bodies dissolved completely in it
Click to expand...
You did WHAT?
No. No. No.
This is animal cruelty, it will hurt and cause no end of distress.

Try sticking your hand in bleach until the skin starts to dissolve, then come back and tell us if you still think it's a good idea.
 
Have you ever gotten bleach on your fingers and felt the burn whilst seeing your fingers turn white? Its not pleasant.
Id liken that method of euthanasia to being dropped in a bath of acid until your body disintegrates :(
Is there any research on this?
 
Just to clarify, alka-seltzer produces CO2 which would then euthanize the animal. Aspirin seems to be irrelevant unless large quantities were use to disrupt the water chemistry.
CO2 as a form of euthanasia is also mentioned on the Euthanasia for Amphibians article and a read is highly recommended for anyone looking for further insight into this topic.
 
auntiejude said:
You did WHAT?
No. No. No.
This is animal cruelty, it will hurt and cause no end of distress.

Try sticking your hand in bleach until the skin starts to dissolve, then come back and tell us if you still think it's a good idea.
Click to expand...
i thought it would be a very rapid death because i am aware of how strongly basic it is and these were tiny dying babies
next time i need to euthanize one i wont use it
i didnt think it was causing them pain
 
Is there anyone else at home who could have tossed some pellets into the tank? I've had them before when I first started out and didn't have a clue...Pretty sure the nuggets are commercially bought Axie pellets that have been left in the tank for a few days. They get a fluffy wooly kind of fungus growing around them.
 
Could your vet euthanise her? :(
 
I am sorry for your loss, but if she went peacefully and painlessly, that's all we as animal lovers need to know. I can imagine it was very difficult, but she is resting peacefully now.

I hope she becomes a dragon too. A big beautiful one that eats humongous worms :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    Finpearce: Hey, are these still for sale? Thanks +1
    Back
    Top