Filed under: pets | Tags: freshwater fish, goldfish, ich, ick, koi, salt treatment, tail fin, white spot, white spots
Hi fellow fishkeepers,
One of my goldfish has a few white spots on his tail (caudal) fin, so I think he has ich. I’m going to treat him with a 0.18% prolonged salt solution in the tank water for starters, perhaps doing additional salt dips at higher concentrations if necessary.
I will keep you updated on the progress of this experiment, to help anybody else that may have this problem.
I found an excellent resource on mixing salt treatment for goldfish and other freshwater fish like koi which was very informative. I recommend this reading for anybody who is about to use a salt treatment.
Stay tuned for updates.
The other fish died. Warren found him stuck to the filter today.
He seemed healthy and happy this morning, but then, apparently, I’m no expert.
RIP Paris Drake II.
In other news: the rat’s abscess seems to have ruptured, apparently externally, so that’s a good sign… vet visit tomorrow.
My hairless rat, Wrinkles, suddenly developed a gigantic lump on the corner of his jaw.
Now, I ain’t no veterinarian, but I’ll tell you what: I remember some pretty horrific pictures of people with Ludwig’s Angina from dental school, and that ain’t no laughing matter.
Translated into plain English, that means: I suspect my rat has a dental abscess, and I’m afraid that if I don’t get it drained and/or excised and/or the culprit tooth extracted by a veterinarian, the abscess will begin draining into one of my rat’s vital organs (like the brain) or will spread into a space near his airway or lungs (asphyxiating him).
Eeek.
I’m poor. I’ve established that I can’t afford dental care for myself, much less my pets.
But my personal financial future is looking brighter since I was offered a job the other day (woohoo!) so I called a vet to get an estimate.
$50-100 depending on what’s wrong, maybe more if it’s something really bad or weird or hard to treat.
But the cool part of this (if there is a cool part) is that the vet is going to phone me tomorrow and give me advice for free!
In the meantime, here’s how one (apparently) treats an abscess at home:
1. Apply warm compresses.
2. Encourage scabbing and/or puncture with a STERILE instrument.
3. Drain.
4. Irrigate with saline.
Unfortunately, if it’s a dental abscess or if the infection is from any *internal* source (not the result of trauma), the abscess can recur or spread to other parts of the body.
So… even if I get the rat to hold still long enough to drain its abscess, I still have to pay for the vet, or else I have to watch another pet suffer and die at my hands. Uncool.
The vet appointment is Friday.
Don’t worry, I’ve also made a dental appointment for myself. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of Ludwig’s Angina.
Oh, and in other pet-related news, Paris Drake II (Josh’s surviving tankmate) got stuck to the filter last night. I hope it was some kind of freak accident, and not a bad omen about his health. I can’t take any more of this.
