Red side swollen legs

[ciele02]

Hi, my leucistic Axie has been floating in my tank for about 24 hrs. i wasnt too worried as she has always behaved oddly. but this morning i just checked on her and she is very red on her side ( looks slightly raised like blisters) near the back legs and extending around cloaca. her rear legs are also quite swollen and her mouth is significantly open. I am unable to post pictures as she's still swimming a lot and i cant get a clear shot. My tank is a 350 liter. Its a little overcrowded as i have 7 axies. they were in separate tanks but one of my chillers died and i couldnt afford a new one. The tank has a 650liter external cannister filter (so nearly double size for that tank) I check water parameters every day and do a 10% water change also. water quality is fine and neither she nor any other axies show any signs of injury. im very worried because when i got her a year ago she was skinny and in awful shape after being in with 6 axies in a 30 liter tank that was 26 degrees, now shes in 17 degress i am about to fridge her with some black tea in water to help sooth. Any ideas?

 

[Kaini]

The tea bath sounds like a good idea, but I'm not sure about rushing to fridge her... (maybe someone else can weigh in here?) Fridging slows their metabolism and will slow healing too.

I would personally separate her from the others and keep her in a tub of clean, dechlorinated water with 100% changes daily.

Is there a vet near you that has experience with Axolotls? A vet trip might be a good idea.

 

[ciele02]

thanks for the quick reply. i will try separate somehow. and give her the tea bath without fridging. I knew it slowed metabolism but was unsure as what else to do.

 

[ciele02]

okay, well it looks worse than I anticipated once i got her into some decent light. I think it may be organ failure as she has always looked skinny and a bit "ribby"no matter what i have fed her and how much. But now she looks more like my axies, ergo well fed, but the redness definitely looks like petechiae (pin point bleeding) right up under the surface of the skin. Im thinking to euthanize her since if i was in that state i would be suffering. she looks a lot worse than i originally thought. I cant get a photo to upload unfortunately. is freezing the best way? i would assume the increasing coldness would just slow her down until her heart stops. i dont really want to but i dont want her suffering

 

[HayleyK]

Never freeze them, you can't even freeze eggs after a certain point. It will be extremely painful! I would take it to the vets to euthanize, most vets will even if they don't treat axolotls.

If not you can put clove oil into a tub of water with them, slowly adding more drops, but this process can take a very long time.

 

[Kaini]

Whoa, we're suddenly talking euthanasia?

Don't freeze, it's inhumane and painful. As Hayley said, clove oil is considered a humane method of euthanizing aquatic life. Adding it slowly to the water apparently renders them unconscious in smaller doses then kills with an overdose.

Here's an article about euthanizing goldfish which I would imagine the same principles apply: GoldfishConnection.com - Goldfish Care: Humane Euthanasia

BUT BUT BUT I personally think you might be jumping the gun a little. She could be helped - take her to a herp vet that specializes in exotics and see what the vet thinks.

 

[Skudo09]

She does not sound well and it is good that you want to avoid her suffering but I agree with Kaini. Take her to a herp vet and get their opinion. If they agree that euthanasia is the best option then they can humanely euthanase her. Otherwise they might be able to tell you what it is and may be able to offer a treatment plan.