Leucistic going through puberty?

oceanblue said:
I'm glad to hear it's going well. It looks like API General cure might become a first try medication for anchor worms in the USA. It is probably safer environmentally than Dimilin and easier to obtain.

For the UK Praziquantel is available over the counter unrestricted to dose cats and dogs either by tablet or a transcutaneous preparation but working out dosage for axolotls is off label and guesswork.
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I got the API General cure at Petsmart, I believe. It's wonderful! It comes in 10 packets of powder, each packet is directed to be mixed with 10 gallons of water. The directions say to leave it in the water for 3 days, then remove 35% of the water and leave it in for another few days. What I did was use one treatment for 3 days, then I removed all the water, rinsed of Wilhelm, and then put him in another treatment for another 5-6 days. I can't give advice on fridging while using this medication because I am in a small dorm room and my fridge isn't at a constant temperature.

It takes a lot of patience, and I he didn't each much during the treatment (maybe about 3 times during the 9 days) because he was so ill at that point. However, like I said... he's doing amazingly well right now, and I hope that he continues to improve. I'd say he's almost better than before!
 
He's a lot better, now! His eating has improved so much that I'm feeding him the proper amount that he should be eating (it's tempting not to give him more because he is still rather skinny, and is so reactive now!)

+Here is a new picture of him. Please ignore the havoc that his tank is in.. it's much better than it was a couple of days ago (and yes, the rocks are bigger than his head-- they just look odd with the angle). I just got back from Thanksgiving, and things have been a bit messy.

His activity has increased largely--he's swimming around, and always swims up to the edge of the tank when I talk to him. When I first got him, he was sickly and spent a lot of time in his hiding holes. Now, he spends less time hiding and much more time swimming around.
 
hey randy did you treat him in a smaller tank and decontaminated his main tank?

im looking for a way to treat my axies and decontaminate the main tank at the same time. does the general cure powder kill attached worms and free swimming worms?
 
waster said:
hey randy did you treat him in a smaller tank and decontaminated his main tank?

im looking for a way to treat my axies and decontaminate the main tank at the same time. does the general cure powder kill attached worms and free swimming worms?
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Hey, Waster! It WOULD decontaminate the larger tank (it does kill free swimming as well), but the gunk that falls off of the axolotl wouldn't be too helpful for your axolotl(s). I ended up moving Wilhelm from his 10 gallon tank to a smaller tupperware container. Axolotls normally shed their skin a bit more, but during the treatments, you have dead parasites AND excess skin floating throughout the tank, so it would probably be best if you move your animals to a separate tank or a tupperware container (or bucket). The animals would be crowded, but because you probably have hiding places, sand, and/or rocks in the normal tank, the parasites (dead or not) are more likely to get attached to those things and/or in the cracks between them.

When I decontaminated, I simply threw away all of his 'toys', cleaned the larger tank, and started all over again on decorations... JUST TO BE SAFE. I seem to have found this 'new' treatment and have been able to use it first among the caudata.org users, so you may have other successes other ways. Whatever you do, let us know! I certainly plan on using this product in the future for any other issues that I have with hookworm.
 
ANOTHER UPDATE ON WILHELM:

Hey, everyone! Wilhelm is still completely free of hookworm, and I should probably move this to a blog, but I wanted you all to know some exciting news! As you know from reading earlier posts, I originally got Wilhelm from a pet store in very poor conditions. He got hookworm from the pet store along with malnutrition and was also missing a leg when I originally got him.

I can't say much about the leg, although he has started to use it again. I am always jealous of those axolotl owners who have beautiful fanning gills on their axolotls. Well.. Wilhelm's are finally growing! I'm very happy about this because it means (to those who are newer to axolotls/less researched) that his water conditions are good and that he's feeling less stressed and at home... FINALLY! My baby is on the mend!

Thanks to all of you for your continued support, and to anyone who has any questions about hookworm/anchorworm, or the treatment that I used, please ask! I'd love to help all that I can.
 
got back to my two axies today

seems to have a couple of tiny hookworms on them
they both have big pimples on them (growing hookworks ready to break through the skin i imagine)

i will begin the API General Cure tomorrow.
Instructions say, 1 treatment for a 10 gallon tank. wait 48 hours then 1 dose again, wait 48 hours again then make a 25% water change.

@Randy
my set of instructions seem harsher than the one you followed randy.

I will probably go with something in between then, wait 48 hours then make a 33% water change before dosing a second time.

Ill post updates and hopefully this thread will become useful for other owners that have or will have hookworms in the future
 
I believe that the instructions on mine may have been like that (will confirm tomorrow when I can snag a look at the box). KNOW I stretched out the treatment process because he was I'll and covered in the buggers. I also didn't want the stress to kill him, so I did not take him out every day like the instructions may have said. My reasoning behind that is that the treatment wasn't axolotl-friendly. We all know the poor guys get stressed out. Your tank will look nasty with the treatment, but that just means that it is working. Resist urges to clean the tank multiple times! Two treatments should work fine. Don't stress them more than you need to.

Good luck, waster! I'm keeping an eye on your thread as well.
 
I just have to set something strait. Hookworms, a nematode intestinal worm are found inside the body. Anchor worms are a copepod crustacean found on the outside of the body. Closer in relation to fish lice, and actually not a worm at all. Just needed to set the record straight. I would hate for others to be misinformed to think these two parasites are even in the same phylum, so might I suggest you edit your posts?

Just a friendly reminder from someone in the vet world. And yes people at work hate me for being an anal know it all. :happy:
 
Information found by kuphie from the manufacturer suggests that general cure has been recently re-formulated and while the old formula worked against anchor worms the new praziquantel version does not.

It appears API general cure will not usually work.

I don't think posts can be edited more than 24 hours after posting, I am stuck with a few late spotted errors scattered across the forum.
 
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