Poor little Uru

[mjfromga 1,785]

So Uru has never been able to open his mouth properly. Even when I first got them before he got sick, he couldn't open it properly. Check it out... 

When I noticed the ich, it had gotten worse and he couldn't open it at all. 

In retrospect, I don't think he was ever able to eat properly. It was just hard to tell until the issue got worse. He has been getting weaker while his buddies are recovering well. He can no longer open his mouth at all. The structure is totally messed up. He cannot eat at all. He's going to die. I was going to put him down when I saw him this morning... But idk... Something compelled me to take a closer look and see if there was anything I could do. 

It's hard to see what I did... But I took the broken bones in his jaw and moved them the OTHER way and I pulled his jaw upwards and sorta forward. His throat seems to be obstructed by his messed up jaw structure as well. I am not sure I did anything helpful but I had to try. You can't see a TON in the videos as I had nobody to help me this morning but you can see a few things. 

He is still sick and very well may still die, but I just gave it a shot for his sake. He took AGES to come around. I figured to post this thread here in case anybody wants to see. He's definitely got some fight in him so I had to try. 

[Arctic Mama 3,643]

Awe poor Uru.  Sometimes Ich can lock the jaws but breaking them that badly I’d suspect was mechanical, like impact related in shipping or catching him in the store.  I think you did the best you could, given how totally messed up the entire geometry of his throat appeared.  I’ve had a fish with a bulging throat, and one who lost his lips to columnaris, and both could still eat.  But never with the leading hinge of the jaw snapped like that.  

 

Pulling it free to try and at least untangle the bones made sense, if anything was going to help that would be it.  I hope he does manage to heal and eat for you, against all odds!

 

Was the syringe of water a mix of water and clove oil or just straight water?  

[mjfromga 1,785]

Water and clove oil in the syringe. I don't think that what I did is going to help him. Same as you, I've never seen a fish who couldn't open his mouth with the bones all messed up like his ever truly recover. His jaw was messed up before I ever saw ich. I simply decided to give it a shot. The bones are so messed up, it must be horrifying for him. 

I was hoping that MAYBE me pulling everything free and trying to align the bones as wide as possible might cause his mouth to heal permanently OPEN which may allow him to be able to eat. But when I looked inside, I could not see down his throat so I don't know if he can truly even swallow properly. Poor little baby. I am neigh certain that what I did was useless and futile... But I had to try. 

Edited October 19, 2018 by mjfromga

[Arctic Mama 3,643]

I get you, it was great to try.  I really want to send you a phone stand for a Christmas swap present this year though 🤣

[mjfromga 1,785]

Lol tell me about it. Being unable to film the entire thing was driving me NUTS! I was trying to show what I was trying to do... But couldn't. I will check on him in the morning to see if he made it through the night and if he did... What his face looks like. 

[mjfromga 1,785]

Sadly he did not make it through the night. He was just too weak and sick and I guess he just didn't have enough strength left to recover from any of it. I did know it was likely that he would die but he was at deaths door already and so I can take solace in the fact that I tried. 

[FishyMandy 6,286]

Sorry you lost him You did well trying

[Arctic Mama 3,643]

I’m sorry he passed, but he was already so weakened and you gave it your best shot. That’s all we can do, really.

[mjfromga 1,785]

Poor little guy. Thanks ladies. I'm happy knowing I tried. I figured he would die. I almost lost him during the operation so I knew he was on his last fin. 

[koko 14,366]

Man I was rooting for him. Sorry MJ