Treatment for Edema?

[tjdouglas]

Hi All...I have a captive raised male Reidi that I have had for about three months. He is about 4.5 - 5 inches long. He recently started swelling in the trunk/torso (but not in the pouch). A couple of days later (yesterday) his tail became swollen too and he can no longer wrap it tightly around any holdfast. We have been having a major heat wave in So Cal and even though I am using a chiller it has been a challenge to keep the tank in the mid-70s. I think the higher temps all week may have initiated the problem.

I took him out of the display tank and placed him in a bucket with diamox today. But since he does not have positive (or negative) buoyancy is diamox the correct treatment in this case? Should I consider a different drug regimen with antibiotics, etc? Fortunately he is still eating very well.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[rayjay]

I believe Diamox is the correct medication. Make sure you are aerating the hospital container.
Edema is thought to be caused by poor water conditions that end up affecting the chemistry of the seahorse.

 

[tjdouglas]

Thank you so much Rayjay...I am aerating the hospital container, but I can add even more aeration to be on the safe side!

Do you think that our heatwave of the past week could have led to a decline in water quality? I did a 50% water change on my tank today so hopefully none of my other seahorses will develop any problems.

 

[rayjay]

It's my belief that the water quality is most times something that develops over a period of time with insufficient water changes and husbandry.
Because it's not something we can test for, we don't see it, so we have to be diligent about searching out any hidden detritus that decays and feeds the bacteria and changes water chemistry somewhat.
Warm weather can cause bacteria to increase growth as tank temperature increases, if conditions are suitable for it, but I don't think, but don't actually know, that bacteria is the cause of the chemical changes in the seahorse itself.

 

[DanU]

If this is actually edema and not air, I don't believe the diamox is going to do much. Something has to be causing the edema. If this was a renal issue or osmotic balance issue, I wouldn't expect the tail to become stiff. I would treat as a bacterial issue.

Keeping the hospital tank cool will help or rather keep things from speeding up. Since the animal is still eating I would use antibiotics both orally and via long term immersion. You want a wide spectrum antibiotic such as Furan 2. The way I would do it is get some adult brine shrimp to gut load. For the first dose of Furan 2, add 1 packet to 10 gallons of water or at that ratio if the tank is smaller. On days 2 through 10, do a 50% water change and add 1/2 packet of the Furan 2 to the tank. Each day put some adult brine shrimp in approximately 1 gallon of water with a rigid airline. In a blender add 1/2 packet of the furan 2, some enrichment, 3 to 4 drops of garlic oil or extract, and a 1/4 teaspoon of Sodium Ascorbate powder (buffered Vitamin C) or Stay C (stabilized vitamin C). The garlic and Sodium Ascorbate are optional but I recommend them. Blend the ingredients and add to the adult brine. Let the brine swim in the mix for at least 2 hours, ideally 4 hours. Then remove the brine shrimp, rinse and feed.

Vitamin C besides boosting the immune system can enhance or potentiate the effect of antibiotics. This is particularly useful in cases where there is antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria where some studies suggest the vitamin C reduces the resistance. Garlic is a natural antibiotic. The sulphur compounds in it have an antibiotic effect and it can work well in conjunction to antibiotics.

Dan

 

[rayjay]

And if you tank my advice over Dan's, you're crazy.

 

[tjdouglas]

Thanks so much to both of you....I really appreciate the advice!