Illness/Sickness: PLEASE HELP!...Axolotl Paralysed?

[michaelm]

Hi all
this is my first post and I am at my wits end.
Axol is approx five years old and up until recently he has always been healthy.
About six weeks ago he went off his food and just turned his nose up at it, he looked like he was struggling to swim.but nothing overly out of the ordinary as he has done some really odd things over the years i left this for a few weeks as I had read that this was not uncommon. I then spoke to my local aquatics centre and they suggested a diet change so i bought some earth worms which he ate after they were dangled under his nose. At the time it looked like he had lost the use of his back legs and was swimming with just his front.
He seems to be paralysed from the back legs down. when i touched his rear legs they seemed very swollen and hard and he spends all of his time in this vertical position

Over a period of a week he seems to be getting worse. I took him out of the tank and put him in a tupperware dish for an hour yesterday just so he could remain horizontal. He had stopped eating as well. He did eat two worms when he was in the tupperware pot so i put this down to the fact it was easier to eat in the horizontal position
This morning he was in the position of the last photo but when i just looked he was lying on his back.
I have now put him in the fridge in a tupperware pot with water from his tank and have covered him with a tea towel. I have never done this before but i am at a complete loss of what to do. All of the water parameters are OK
Looking at the way the photos have uploaded it looks like he is horizontal...he is actually vertical and his head is on the bottom of the tank so they need to be rotated 90 degrees towards 12 O'Clock
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Any ideas?

I write this with tears in my eyes as I just cant bear to watch him suffer.
Michael

 

[Skudo09]

Do you have a vet in your area? I think veterinary attention may be best for him. Wishing all the best.

 

[charleybambino]

I can only comment from my own experience...but to me he looks full of fluid...in my case it was due to kidney problems and sadly the two affected brothers died at 6 years old. I would second getting a vets opinion....I think all home treatments won't help and you need a diagnosis

 

[Bellabelloo]

I agree that a vet will be needed here.

Contact your local vet and ask them if they treat exotic/ amphibian animals, they will advise you if they can offer treatment, or suggest who can.

Please let us know how he gets on.

 

[Bambikill]

I can't give any explanation about the symtom on an Axolotl - I haven't got the slightest clue to how they work but since I would have a clue to what the cause is in mammals - I googled a bit to see if amphibians are similar in the areas that I know cause this in mammals. These are just theories - since I don't know enough about amphibians - I'm just reasoning around causes on mammals and a possible connection due to the fact that amphibians are alike in some areas.

A common cause for sudden paralysis in mammals - is cardiac dysfunction. Blood clots can cause paralysis (and that, in turn, causes swelling) in many cardiac malfunctions - for example hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is common in the breed of cats that I have.

I found a study that connected the lymph hearts that amphibians have - to the cardiac heart's pumping system and that may be a clue - since mammals that get problems with their lymphatic system can swell quite a lot due to leakage of lymph fluid. I'm not sure about the paralysis connection - but IF the problem is in the cardiac heart, which is related to the lymph hearts in amphibians - it would be reasonable to assume that the swelling could be lymph fluid leakage due to a cardiac dysfunction.

Another reason for swelling is kidney failure - like charleybambino said. This is - as far as I know - the same in all vertebrates.

Yet another reason is an infection or inflammation. Not just in affected limbs or areas, but anywhere in the body if it has spread to affect the cardiovascular system or vital organs.
A typical reason is a wound but also different diseases.

Also toxins or pollution of some kind can cause these symtoms.

My guess would be (IF they resemble mammals in their systemic response) would be one of these reasons - and my best guess is the heart or kidneys.

But I also suggest that you seek veterinary help immediately. If it's an internal organ failure - likely, it won't be treatable and euthanization will be the only solution.
But if it's infectious or inflammatory - it will probably be treatable and therefore you need rapid veterinary consultation IMO.

I really hope he gets well soon

 

[michaelm]

Hi All
Thanks for the advice.
I took him out of the fridge and but him in a really cold area of the house. he is still alive this morning. i will try and see if there is a Vet that is open on a Sunday.
Thanks for the responses. I will let you all know the outcome...Michael

 

[michaelm]

Hi
I could not find a vet today, On the off chance i put in a small earthworm and he gobbled it.. along with another two !
I still need to get to a vet but usually when you are feeling unwell you stop eating.
Bambikill thanks for the info, it really is appreciated.
Keep you all informed.
Michael

 

[Bambikill]

No problem
I just flipped through the Amphibian part of Merck's veterinary manual and found quite a lot of info that seems to apply to the situation.

Lemme get back to you when I've read through it and taken some notes.
(My initial theories seem to be correct.)

 

[Bambikill]

Okay - this is what I found in Merck's about amphibians and the symtoms Axol shows;

The balance issue is probably a neurological symtom that can have multiple causes - of which the most common are environmental issues - poor water balance, wrong temperature but above all - improper nutrition. What did you feed him earlier since the aquatics center advised you to do a dietary change?

Another possible cause for neurological symtoms are different infections by parasites, viruses and specific bacteria but none of those listed cause swelling so those probably aren't applicable regarding the equilibrium issue.

Quote; "Hydrocoelom and subcutaneous edema (anasarca and ascites) are commonly seen and may be caused by lymph heart failure, cardiac failure, renal (kidneys) or hepatic (liver) disease, microbial infection, parasitism, toxicosis or other unknown factors."

The sudden swelling of body parts of amphibians is called "Bloat" or "Dropsy" and is very common apparently. It's a symtom, not a disease, so there is an underlying reason for it.
All sources I can find suggest the factors I listed above (plus stress) but it's main cause suggests to be due improper living conditions, with incorrect diet as a huge factor - metabolism issues - making the animal succeptible to infections and other health problems.
It occurs in amphibians and fish. (Possibly in other species as well, that I didn't research further.)

Treatment of Dropsy/Bloat has to be administered quickly, otherwise is turns fatal. The "hard" variety seems to be the most lethal and serious. ("Soft" and "hard" seem to be two different types.)
From what I can find - there are some things that can be done if the cause isn't system failure.Draining the fluid from the swellings to relieve the pressure, antibacterial treatment and first aid seems to be salt baths. (Which makes sense since salt water will drain fluids.)

If the bloat is caused by bacterial infection - it's contagious, so if you have other Axolotls, keep check on them.

Well, this is what I could find and it sure looks like it's a "classic bloat" - whatever the reason might be.
You need to get him to a vet asap but perhaps I would try a salt bath then? It shouldn't be harmful in the situation, I'd assume.

You can google the stuff I cited and find clinical reports as well as experiences from other amphibian owners.

I cross my fingers that he'll be okay...