Injured Axo

[tony]

I have an axolotl that has suffered a cut to one gill which has apparently damaged the artery and is bleeding quite heavily, the vet didn't know what to do with aquatic animals so he just put some superglue on the wound to stop the bleeding...now it kind of stopped bleeding but it bleeds again when it moves too much and it wriggles about violently when i give it food...what are the axolotl's chances of surviving...and is there anything i can do to help it's?
Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[kapo]

How did it cut it's gill? Does the vet usually use superglue on animals? (just wondering wouldn't the chemicals make your axie sick or worse - the glue could be irritating it - I certainly wouldn't want any vet to use the stuff on any of our axies, the fumes are bad enough)

You could try saltbaths, which might help or put him in the fridge.

Use 2-3 teaspoons of salt per litre or 2 pints of dechlorinated water.

Bath him for 10-15minutes maximum

How old is your axie, do you have a photo of the damage done and how long since the cut occurred or you noticed it?

(Message edited by kapo on December 22, 2006)

 

[celes]

The cut has healed up now i think because it's not bleeding anymore but now looking very pale and it's lost it's appetite.
It's also floating strangely at the top, i think that's probably due to it gulping air at the surface...
And on top of that, it's looking stressed with gills turned forward though i had the filter off for the afternoon so i know it's not caused by water flow....
what should i do now.....

 

[kapo]

You may have to put your axie in the fridge as long as its above 4 degrees celcius

Check your fridge temperature first by placing a glass of water in the fridge with a thermometer in it.

If you do fridge him/her:

Fill a container with dechlorinated water, place your axie in. If necessary take out some of the water so it's just above his top fin but allows his feet to rest on the bottom, so he doesn't float and is less stressful.

Placed lid on and wrap in a teatowel. Place in the fridge.

Also, fill a bottle with dechlorinated water and place in fridge next to container. You will need to use this to do complete daily waterchanges.

Keep him in the fridge till he improves.

Note: While in the fridge he may not eat if the temperature is lower than 8 degrees.

If unable to keep in the fridge, due to it being packed with Xmas food! or other, then I would still put it in a container of dechorinated water and lower the water so it rests on the bottom (as long as your temperature is below 20 degrees celcius. Do daily waterchanges (make sure to cover it if you have a cat; and so it doesn't jump out.) Try feeding before you do the waterchanges.

What do you usually feed and how often did it usually eat?

Regarding your tank have you tested your water parameters - ammonia, nitrite and nitrate; and what is the tank temperature?