Constipation or Bacterial Infection???

[Pastel]

Originally Posted by gemsbok

Aww, I'm so sorry. It does look like he's pine-coning. We can still hope, though. Have you started the Epsom salts yet? If not, I'd do that asap. It might still bounce him back.

I just added them, hoping that will help on the swelling if at all. I hope it helps some.

[Sakura8]

Hi pastel. I'm so sorry your poor guy is sick. It does look like the beginning symptoms of dropsy. Dropsy itself can be caused by any number of things but the usual cause is an internal bacterial infection. Other causes can be external or internal parasites.

Epsom salts at 3 tsps per gallon will help reduce the swelling. I'm not sure how snails and shrimp will react to epsom salts so you may want to treat your guy in a separate tank. Adding some Indian Almond leaves will also help. You can keep him in the epsom salts for an indefinite period of time.

If you want to try a medication, I would suggest metronidazole. You can get this med in Seachem Metro or Hikari HealthAid Metro; both are often found in tropical fish stores but NOT at places like Petsmart or Petco. They can also be ordered online. If the metro isn't possible, then we can try API General Cure. General Cure has metro in it although it isn't the only med. Metronidazole treats both internal and external parasites and also has some limited effect on internal bacterial infections as well. Since we can't quite pin down the exact cause of his dropsy symptoms, this would be the safest medicine to try because it is milder and it covers all the bases, so to speak. I would still suggest going with the conservative treatment for at least a few days first.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[Pastel]

Thanks sakura8! I will try this method, and eventually try the metronidazole treatment if his condition stays the same by saturday, or gets worse before then. I'm rather sad he started getting the dropsy symptoms and from what i've read he has a very low chance of surviving all this.

If he doesn't i'll at least know i tried everything to help him out and somewhat ease his suffering, and will have learned how to handle this or other problems if they arise.

I'll continue to keep y'all updated.
Appreciate all the suggestions and help!

[Sakura8]

It is true, dropsy symptoms usually do precede death. :( But not always and like you said, you will have done everything you could and made him as comfortable as possible. Good luck with him!

[Pastel]

Last night pastel just became progressively worse and eventually stopped attempting to get air. He passed away late last night.

Thanks to everyone who tried to help out! I really appreciate everyone's help. It was the first time for me dealing with dropsy so this was a new experience and I learned quite a lot.

I did a watercolor painting of him last night while keeping an eye on him till he passed.

[gemsbok]

I'm sorry for your loss. :( You did everything you could, though. Lovely watercolour.

[Sakura8]

I'm so sorry about Pastel but you have memorialized him in an absolutely gorgeous painting. I'm sure he's very happy to know you will have that remember him by.