The Puffer Forum

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?

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.

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.

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.... ?

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.

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 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?

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

And it is... give it time.