Please help with sick axie. ??Impaction/Infection??

ember20

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2011
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Country
United Kingdom
Hi all, apologies for length of post. I hope someone has some advice for me.

Bennita is a 15 month old golden female. She laid eggs 3 weeks ago (a first for me) and up until a few days ago she was fine.

Friday she lost her balance and looked very bloated. I can't see any obvious obstruction through her abdomen but she seems to sink on one side and float on the other. I put this down to a rather ravenous worm feeding session and I think she 'may' have swallowed a few bits of substrate (they have a habit of continuing to hunt well beyond meal time!) To clarify, the substrate is a maximum of 1mm diameter, far below the diameter of their bowel movements and in 2yrs hasn't been a problem.

She went in the fridge on Sunday where she did 2 small bowel movements and the bloatedness reduced. She's eaten a few bloodworms each day and although she's a little lethargic she can be tempted to eat occasionally. She came out of the fridge yesterday because her toes were a bit red, and went into a separate hospital setup.

On the understanding that laying the eggs and now this may stress her I started prophylactic Myzaxin in case she developed an infection. We're now on day 3 of the Myzaxin and her gills look to be infected (I don't know what it's called, that fluffy cotton wool looking skin infection they're prone to in the summer).

I'm struggling to keep the hospital tank water clean. It's gathering bits of that cotton wool like growth on the surface and develops malodour in just a few hours after a water change, so it's difficult to ensure the Myzaxin is kept at the correct dose.

I'm at a loss as to what more to do. Should I continue with the Myxazin alone for the full 5 day treatment or do salt baths as well? Will salt bathing AND Myzaxin be too aggressive? Or has anyone got any other Antibiotics they can suggest? The Myzaxin has always worked against this infection before but it doesn't seem to be having the same effect this time...
 
IMAG0646_zpscgr3xqt_edit_1399049490320_zps0zc1kvwq.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Myzaxin is a fish medication for fin rot? If so stop using it unless directed by a vet. Axolotls are not fish. They do live in water however their bodies are very different - the have no scales and absorb chemicals very quickly into their skin so a dosage used on a fish can be far too strong. I would stop immediately. If she develops fungus then a salt bath is what needs to be done.

Egg laying can be stressful so I'm sure it's not contributing to her health. Bloodworms are not nutritious enough for an adult axolotl and she should be switched to a staple of earthworms. If they feed off the floor you should try using a bowl, plate or jar.

What are your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and temperature? Posting a pic might help us - your last one didn't work.
 
Hi,

I'm well aware they aren't fish. Myxazin has been listed here: Axolotls - Health & Diseases as a safe medication for axolotls, at a half dose. I began using it after a vet scraping showed up bacterial infection rather than fungal infection (2yrs ago and it has proved helpful for similar bacterial infections).

They eat 90% earthworms, 10% bloodworms (when I can't find any).

I only have dipstick test kits but ammonia, nitrate and nitrates are all at negligible levels. Tank at hospital tanks are at 20C.

I can't work out how to post pic, this silly site only wants an URL code rather than uploading it directly.
 
IMAG0652_zpst60rk50b.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Note the slight tilt to the left hand side. Her left hand limbs are strong as usual but she rests at an angle.

The white spots are on the surface of the water. Her right gills have the cotton wool infection on...
 
You say you're using this medication prophylactically? I agree it should be stopped immediately. Salt baths are the appropriate treatment for the fungal infection on the gills. If that is irritating to the skin, Indian almond leaves may help soothe that. They also have a mildly antibacterial and antifungal effect. Good luck. She's a beautiful girl.
 
If you are in the UK Ember, you can use tap water to treat the fungus.. don't dechlorinate. Try to keep her cool and below 20 degrees.
With the other symptoms, I am not sure what to suggest. I personally would continue to monitor and maybe consider a visit to a vet if she deteriorates further.
 
Hi all,

To update, the exotics vet took samples and managed to culture what he's confident is Chondrococcus columnaris. Seeing as I've used the Myxazin for extremely similar infections with success I carried on for the full 5 day course. Roughly half of the affected filaments have shed and the white on the other half has completely receeded. The water in the tank has stopped getting malodour and she's got her appetite back now.

We've had another bowel movement, containing 2 pieces of substrate and a few snail shells (we moved a plant from the tropical to the axie tank last week, looks as if it had some hitchikers!)

She's still a bit slanted but with this ravenous appetite and regular movements I can relax a bit!
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Chat Bot:
    SSV has left the room.
    +1
    Unlike
  • Arlet:
    Hello, may I ask a question here? Or do I need to ask a question somewhere else?
    +1
    Unlike
  • Rorey132:
    Is this guy still available?
    +1
    Unlike
    Rorey132: Is this guy still available? +1
    Back
    Top