Illness/Sickness: Broken back

[Ghastly]

I got a Newt she is called Bloo
On Friday she managed to get out of her house she lives in a Jewel Rio 125L tank
And at the back there are small holes for the wire for the light to feed through
Well stupid me forgot to cover them up again
And on Friday morning when i got up she was compressed between the back of the tank and the wall I got the fish net underneath her so she would fall into it but if youre smart and can figure what happend she never got in the net and fell to the floor
So obviously i had to drain the tank first to move it and when after 30mins of hunting for her when the tank was moved she found me as she decided to go walk about
I put her in her tank as she was all dry and dehydrated with stuff stuck to her because i was in a panic putting her back into her tank i never noticed until her skin was back to its normal self
That she had this horrible mis-shapen bump on her back
So i got her to the vet which he diagnosed it as a broken back and she is half paralyzed as she can only move her tail and twitch her toes she can't really move her legs
So due to all that she can't swim she just drags herself along the bottom when she wants to move if she falls on her side she cant get up and you have to carefully help her onto her front for food ive stopped giving her crickets and fish and just giving her Bloodworm as it sits on the floor and dont move
I nor the vet couldn't really tell if she was in pain obviously they are not like dogs or cats who can tell you
The vet had never came across a newt with a broken back before so he was unsure on how Bloo would/will get on and said just to hope for the best with her
So i know they can regenerate limbs after awhile will Bloo be able to make her back better?
I want her to stay alive because i love her to bits and dont mind caring for her
But i dont want to be selfish and keep her alive if she is in pain which is hard because i cant tell
I really hope you guys can help me im truely stuck on this and the help is so much appriciated

 

[herpvet]

Hello,

It is a little difficult to say for sure without physically assessing the injury, but as a general rule there is certainly a chance your newt will recover at least functionality, so it's worth persisting. If not already done, radiographs might help determine the extent of the displacement of the spine, as well as check for any signs of metabolic bone disease.

In terms of pain, it can be very difficult to assess, but if she is alert when disturbed and still eating then i would certainly keep her going. If on the other hand she is dull, uninterested in anything and depressed, then it's a more difficult decision. There are analgesics (pain killers) which can be administered (although efficacy is usually unproven) which your vet could provide. That might be worth considering, at least to see if they make any difference to her.

You will also need to watch out for whether she can pass faeces/urine - obviously it will lead to problems if the nerve damage affects that. I would also look at increasing the variety/possible supplementation of food offered, as her requirement for calcium in particular will be increased during recovery.

Given that any bruising/damage around the spine can become infected, I would suggest that covering antibiotics would also be worth considering - consult your vet on that.

Hope this helps, and that she recovers ok!

Best wishes,

Bruce.

 

[broadbent30]

i dont know much about axolotls yet,
but your story did make me sad and i hope that she recovers to her normal self very soon