Seahorse First Aid Kit

[vlangel]

having trouble getting my hands on diamox, im in Mass willing to travel and buy few tablets, i have catheders...if this isnt allowed my apologies and delete or instruct me administration. new to this and ty.

Have you tried asking your vet? My vet is not an aquatic vet but I took some printed pages from Pete Gwonjna's seahorse training course explaining diamox usage. He wrote me a script and I took it to my local pharmacy and they filled it. I had to tell them my seahorses name and birthdate but I have it.

 

[kenzie]

yes, and I'm a prev vet tech. here in mass ppl so nerv.about writing scripts
i have the catheders. ty gor trying to help

 

[vlangel]

yes, and I'm a prev vet tech. here in mass ppl so nerv.about writing scripts
i have the catheders. ty gor trying to help

I have heard that you can order it overseas but I am not sure if that is legal so thats something to look into.

 

[MechEngineer]

Odd your Vet wouldn't write you the script. You can get them from your family doctor legally by showing them a picture of your seahorses or in very rare cases they have to come to your residence to visually verify their existence. You can also get them for aid in climbing extremely tall mountains for humans, like Mount Kilimanjaro [emoji6].

 

[vlangel]

I looked into where Diamox can be gotten. Like MechEngineer posted, your family dr may be willing to help. If you order it online overseas, it is not illegal. The problem is it is hard to know if you are getting exactly what you ordered. Also customs can confiscate it but probably not. Its a med commonly used for patients with glaucoma and it helps with relieving pressure. That is probably why mountain climbers use it too since they are in very high elevations.

 

[prsnlty]

I have found that owning seahorses brings about it's own challenges. Seahorses are prone to certain diseases and I feel that every person that cares for seahorses should be prepared for.

My first aid kit:

• Bio-bandage. This is used to aid in the healing of wounds. This is especially important for seahorses since they are scaleless. Also, they will try to hitch on anything and everything. This sometimes can cause injuries to the seahorse.
• Soft, plastic pipette or fine gauge IV catheter flexible tubing (without needle). This is used to release excess gas from a male's pouch.
• Diamox. This is a prescription medicine and you must get a script from a vet or doctor to be able to use. Diamox is used to treat gas bubble disease in seahorses. Gas bubble disease is a common disease to affect seahorses in captivity, so I would recommend consulting with a vet about the ability to get a script ahead of time.
• Triple sulfa, furan 2,Tetracycline, and Erythromycin . These are antibacterial medications that can be used to treat mouth fungus or snout/tail rot, as well as other bacterial infections.

Hi Krista

I am trying to collect everything I need before I purchase a pair of seahorses but I have some questions....
Diamox is name brand for acetazolamide that can be purchased in tablet, capsule or oil. Which is best? Will it be used in a QT or directly to the DT?
Which of these do you recommend is best, Triple sulfa, furan 2,Tetracycline, and Erythromycin? Also, will it be used in the DT or QT?
For both of the above questions what would dosages be?
I can't find Bio-bandage in gel or powder where it can be purchased only information on it. It doesn't look like it's made anymore.

Thank you,
Jackie

 

[vlangel]

Hi Krista

I am trying to collect everything I need before I purchase a pair of seahorses but I have some questions....
Diamox is name brand for acetazolamide that can be purchased in tablet, capsule or oil. Which is best? Will it be used in a QT or directly to the DT?
Which of these do you recommend is best, Triple sulfa, furan 2,Tetracycline, and Erythromycin? Also, will it be used in the DT or QT?
For both of the above questions what would dosages be?
I can't find Bio-bandage in gel or powder where it can be purchased only information on it. It doesn't look like it's made anymore.

Thank you,
Jackie

Hi Jackie,
I am not Krista, my name is Dawn and I have learned a few things the hard way when it comes to seahorses but I am older and wiser now. Hopefully Krista or Lionfish Lair will jump in too.

I got a script for diamox from my vet. It is in capsule form. I would only add it in a QT. I believe it can be crushed and dissolved in the water but if memory serves me right, the most effective way to use it is to inject live ghost/mysis shrimp with it and feed them to the seahorse.

I have triple sulfa, furan2 and erythomysin. I have found triple sulfa to be the most effective for me but many folks have had good luck with furan 2. I have never used erithomysin even though I have it. For antibiotics I follow the dosage on the package. I will have to get in my seahorse training stuff to know the dosage of diamox.

I could not find bio bandage either. I have used neosporin but it is difficult to make it stick on a wound.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I used the tablets of Diamox.

These are the instructions I use...

Immersion for a 10g/38L Hospital Tank
Dose at 250mg per day for 3 days.
Replace the medication in ratio to the amount of water changed daily as needed to control ammonia.
Day 1 of Treatment
• Crush one 250mg tablet into a fine powder.
• Use a mini-blender or small hand-blender to thoroughly mix the powder with about 1 cup of marine
water.
• Allow the mixture to set for a few minutes.
• Gently pour off the dissolved portion of the mixture and discard any residue that has settled at the
bottom of the container. (Do NOT add the residue to the hospital tank).
• Pour the mixture into a high-flow area of the hospital tank.
Days 2 – 3 of Treatment
• Perform 50% water change.
• Repeat "Day 1" instructions.

Pouch flush
Dose at 0.5mL of a 62.5mg/cup solution.
Supplies: narrow gauge irrigating cannula or narrow gauge IV catheter sleeve, 0.5 or 1mL syringe without
needle.
• Mix 62.5mg of Diamox (1/4 of a 250mg tablet) with 1 cup (approx. 237mL) of marine water with specific
gravity, pH, and temperature matching that of the aquarium.
• Let the mixture settle.
• Fill the syringe with about 0.5mL of the solution, avoiding the residue that has settled to the bottom of
the container.
• Hold the seahorse according to the procedure for pouch evacuations. Insert the catheter sleeve slowly
and gently a small way into the pouch opening.
• Inject the solution slowly into the seahorse's pouch. Leave the solution in the pouch.

 

[prsnlty]

Hi Jackie,
I am not Krista, my name is Dawn and I have learned a few things the hard way when it comes to seahorses but I am older and wiser now. Hopefully Krista or Lionfish Lair will jump in too.

I got a script for diamox from my vet. It is in capsule form. I would only add it in a QT. I believe it can be crushed and dissolved in the water but if memory serves me right, the most effective way to use it is to inject live ghost/mysis shrimp with it and feed them to the seahorse.

I have triple sulfa, furan2 and erythomysin. I have found triple sulfa to be the most effective for me but many folks have had good luck with furan 2. I have never used erithomysin even though I have it. For antibiotics I follow the dosage on the package. I will have to get in my seahorse training stuff to know the dosage of diamox.

I could not find bio bandage either. I have used neosporin but it is difficult to make it stick on a wound.

Thank you Dawn! (I have a sister of the same name )

I wonder if any one has tried a little neo with human liquid bandage? Just a thought... I already have some tetracycline but I think I'll try some the furan2.

 

[prsnlty]

I used the tablets of Diamox.

These are the instructions I use...

Immersion for a 10g/38L Hospital Tank
Dose at 250mg per day for 3 days.
Replace the medication in ratio to the amount of water changed daily as needed to control ammonia.
Day 1 of Treatment
• Crush one 250mg tablet into a fine powder.
• Use a mini-blender or small hand-blender to thoroughly mix the powder with about 1 cup of marine
water.
• Allow the mixture to set for a few minutes.
• Gently pour off the dissolved portion of the mixture and discard any residue that has settled at the
bottom of the container. (Do NOT add the residue to the hospital tank).
• Pour the mixture into a high-flow area of the hospital tank.
Days 2 – 3 of Treatment
• Perform 50% water change.
• Repeat "Day 1" instructions.

Pouch flush
Dose at 0.5mL of a 62.5mg/cup solution.
Supplies: narrow gauge irrigating cannula or narrow gauge IV catheter sleeve, 0.5 or 1mL syringe without
needle.
• Mix 62.5mg of Diamox (1/4 of a 250mg tablet) with 1 cup (approx. 237mL) of marine water with specific
gravity, pH, and temperature matching that of the aquarium.
• Let the mixture settle.
• Fill the syringe with about 0.5mL of the solution, avoiding the residue that has settled to the bottom of
the container.
• Hold the seahorse according to the procedure for pouch evacuations. Insert the catheter sleeve slowly
and gently a small way into the pouch opening.
• Inject the solution slowly into the seahorse's pouch. Leave the solution in the pouch.

Great instructions, thank you! I'm pretty sure I can get my vet to give me a script. (Lol she grew up in my house)

 

[mrsaltwaterguy]

I looked into where Diamox can be gotten. Like MechEngineer posted, your family dr may be willing to help. If you order it online overseas, it is not illegal. The problem is it is hard to know if you are getting exactly what you ordered. Also customs can confiscate it but probably not. Its a med commonly used for patients with glaucoma and it helps with relieving pressure. That is probably why mountain climbers use it too since they are in very high elevations.

Does Diamox have a decent shelf life? I'm heading to my vet today for my dog and would love to ask about picking up a prescription if so. I always prefer to have medicine on hand instead of scrambling to get it.

 

[vlangel]

Does Diamox have a decent shelf life? I'm heading to my vet today for my dog and would love to ask about picking up a prescription if so. I always prefer to have medicine on hand instead of scrambling to get it.

Yes, Diamox has a shelf life of 3 years.

 

[kenzie]

i got a script from vet, but i had all this info handy to save him some time. go to a vet who treats exotics

 

[Thomashtom]

Hi what are the symptoms of a gas bubble? One of my ponies has been acting weird by laying on its side and eating. Thanks

 

[rayjay]

With gas bubble disease, the seahorses have a hard time staying low, tending to float at the top.
Does the seahorse swim upright when it is NOT eating?

 

[Thomashtom]

No he lays on his side. No signs of infection. Eyes look clear. Other ponies are doing ok. Water temp is 73-74. Other parameters are ok. It’s an CB erectus. Need some help. Thanks

 

[Thomashtom]

Here are pics. He does seem like he is breathing heavy at time. Thanks

 

[Thomashtom]

Nobody!!!

 

[rayjay]

First of all it needs to be in a hospital tank. Temperature of the water should be slowly dropped to about 68° if possible.
At this time from the picture, if the seahorse is like that most of the time, things are NOT good and it's possible that any treatment will be too late unfortunately.
If there are NO physical signs of wound then the problem may be parasitic infestation of the gills, which a fresh water dip would reveal, or, worst case scenario it could be an internal organ failure or infection.
If the seahorse seems to have good responses when you hold it then you could try the dip first and see if there is a parasitic reaction. It may be too weak at this point to try though.
Some times just being placed in the new water in the hospital tank will show some improvement but I'd expect it more likely that if anything is going to work it will take treatment.
IMO, if it is something that would be remedied via Diamox, then I think it's too late.
If it's bacterial in nature, you may have a better chance with the new water and treating with Furan II and tri-sulpha.

 

[rayjay]

You may have had a better response if you had posted a new thread in the regular thread section as I think some people don't regularly pay attention much to the stickies unless they have a need for stored information.
In ANY case, the problem you are dealing with is usually caused by insufficient tank maintenance.
THERE ARE NO TESTS available to the hobbyist that will tell you when the problem is happening or about to happen. It is a case of conditions gradually becoming more advantageous for nasty bacteria to expand their populations to the point the seahorses end up with either and external wound or an internal infection that can cause organ failure. It will affect the seahorses with the weakest immune system first, but depending on the individual seahorses in the tank, may spread to others as the conditions in the tank deteriorate unless they have a strong immune system.
It's because of no test kits to help us that we need to be PRO active rather than RE active in maintaining quality conditions in the tank.
For me personally, I have evolved over many years now to take ANY seahorse problem to indicate water conditions are not sufficient for at least the seahorses in the tank with the weakest immune system and I automatically upgrade my protocol to larger and more frequent water changes and much more diligence when cleaning the tank to make sure I'm not leaving out of sight detritus and uneaten foods to sit and decay. Sometimes it may just be a fact that the mechanical filtration hasn't been cleaned out frequent enough, (decaying matter provides food and bedding for the nasty bacteria) but in my case it is almost always a combination of all that I mentioned.