Personally, I think you are just going to have to risk it & get it lanced & drained, because he clearly cannot go on with it there. Your options are to scoop him with a net & do it concious or anaesthetise him with MS222. I would use a sterile needle (perhaps your local vets would let you have one?) Have some tissue & cotton buds at the ready & something like sterile saline to flush it with, once the pus has been released.
Any suggestions from anyone else?
Dwarf puffer jaw problem
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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bigfatfish
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Re: Dwarf puffer jaw problem
As long as he's under water it's ok if he puffs. You'll want to protect his skin by holding him in a net. As for relieving the pressure, you'll need something very sharp. Ideally you'd want to pop it outside his tank so all that bacteria doesn't go into his water. For healing you'll want the water in pristine condition and it's probably a good idea to use Melafix too.
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Nick
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Re: Dwarf puffer jaw problem
The only thing commonly available sharp enough to do this properly is a very fine hypodermic needle. I suggest asking a pharmacy what the thinnest one they have is. I hope it's not a tumor or thyroid goiter if you lance it.
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sparks42
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Re: Dwarf puffer jaw problem
is it getting worse, or is it just changing? cuz if its not getting worse, but only changing, there may not need to be an intervention.... ?
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Dwarf puffer jaw problem
IME, these kind of things have popped on their own. If you vdo pop it, I'd tranq the fish & do it out of the water.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
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Re: Dwarf puffer jaw problem
Today the pus is coming out on its own in a string. However, I doubt that the entire abscess will drain this way. Does anyone know if it is likely to drain completely on its own?
I still haven't done anything or decided what to do or not do. But right now, there must be an opening in the skin and maybe I should squeeze the abscess out? That just sounds so dangerous to me...
I feel that Poe is looking a bit thinner now, and I see that he is hungry but just can't eat much. He is acting very perky and normal otherwise, charging around the tank as usual.
Lainey
I still haven't done anything or decided what to do or not do. But right now, there must be an opening in the skin and maybe I should squeeze the abscess out? That just sounds so dangerous to me...
I feel that Poe is looking a bit thinner now, and I see that he is hungry but just can't eat much. He is acting very perky and normal otherwise, charging around the tank as usual.
Lainey
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J-P
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Re: Dwarf puffer jaw problem
I hope he gets well soon. I have been following along and didn't know what to say.. these things are usually bacterial in nature but I would hesitate to use an anti bacterial agent in the tank because it will crash the biofilter. Maybe PP can recommend something? I was thinking clean water, salts and a melafix cocktail? But that may not be potent enough or maybe some extended dips into a medicated bucket?
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Re: Dwarf puffer jaw problem
Salt and several different antibiotics one at a time did not seem to have any effect. I think it's more like a pimple that just needs to come out!
Lainey
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Dwarf puffer jaw problem
And it is... give it time.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"