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Hello,
My seahorse has gas bubbles in his tail, three bubbles. I’m pretty sure I know how he got them and have corrected the problem.
I put him in a hospital tank of 5 gallons with airline and diamox treatment of 250 crushed and boiled down (added only after cooled to room temperature) as well as 250 MG of amoxicyllan with 100% water change done with matching water and reaclimation after each 24hours ..for 12 days he was in treatment and still not better!!! During his time he was in hospital tank, he gave birth to 71 babies over three days, I believe this may have slowed the process as he was very stressed. During this time he was fed live brine shrimp and Opae ula, but still was quite skinny ( he’s a big boy at 7in) so he is now back in the tank to be fattened back up while I wait for my next diamox supply to arrive in a week.
This is my baby, I love him to pieces, even though I don’t think he feels the same after the traumatic experience in the hospital tank for 12 days, I need him to live!!! I’m so worried to put him Through treatment again.
Have I done anything wrong? Any suggestions for a successful treatment this time?
Gut loading anything with medication is not realistic in the main tank, he’s shy and waits for everyone else to eat before he goes over to eat at the feeding station, someone else will eat it before him.
I am a nurse, is there a special way I can inject this medication into the seahorse? I would use a 26g needle. I just want to heal him as quick as possible and successfully
Thank youDear RoseJessica:
It sounds like you did an excellent job of obtaining the acetazolamide tablets and treating the affected seahorse in a hospital tank for a more than sufficient period, and the Diamox is usually very effective in treating the tail bubbles or subcutaneous emphysema, so I am surprised you did not have a better outcome.
The acetazolamide (brand name Diamox) can also be administered as a series of injections, RoseJessica, as explained below in more detail:
The suggested treatment regimen for acetazolmide injections is as follows:
Acetazolamide Injections
Inject acetazolamide at a dosage of 2-3 mg/kg intradermally or intramuscularly every five to seven days for up to three treatments. For best results, add ceftazidime (Fortaz) injections to the treatment regimen at a dosage of 22 mg/kg intramuscularly every 5-7 days, again for up to three treatments. (Ceftazidime is an antibiotic). If these drugs prove hard to find, the acetazolamide injections alone often appear to be nearly as effective as the combination treatment, but the combination of acetazolamide and ceftazidime is especially effective.
In order to determine the proper dosage for the intramuscular injections, you need to be able to weigh the seahorses accurately, and you must obtain the injectable form of the medications (it is not feasible to prepare a solution of the medication using Diamox tablets).
Due to their bony exoskeleton, injections are particularly challenging with seahorses. Seahorses store their limited fat reserves primarily in their tail, which is the most muscular part of their body. The meaty part at the base of the tail is best suited for IM injections. If you attempt the intramuscular injections, I would suggest targeting the base of the tail just beneath the pouch using a ventral approach with a shallow angle of attack. The needle should be directed between the scutes/plate margins for ease of penetration through the skin. The external area can be rinsed with sterile saline or a drop of a triple antibiotic ophthalmic solution applied prior to needle penetration.
Good luck, RoseJessica!
Here’s hoping that your prized pony is so enjoying perfect health again.
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support
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Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
