Einstein's Eye... Help!

[AngelWings]

Hi all,

I have a 46g bowfront with fancy goldies, 4 of them. Einstein ia a red capped oranda, about 3.5 inches long without including his tail.

His wen went from totally red to mostly white with a bit of red spots left. Then it began growing over his eyes. I have no access to an aquatic veterinarian, and his behavior was fine so I let it be and continued to pamper him.

Today his eye that has the thickest covering is showing red and bloody in the eye socket. I can't imagine he scratched the eye, as it has been totally covered for months. Could it have burst under the wen? Is there anything i can do for him? He still has an appetite and still swims around the tank. Will he just recover and keep living, or is it best to put him out of his misery?

By the way, tank params are fine.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 20
pH: 7.8
50% water change yesterday

All other fish are acting fine.

Thanks for any help!

 

[jlk]

Oh my! The poor guy!!! Did this happen overnight or has it been gradually getting worse? If he seems happy and is actively eating and swimming, I would let him be if an aquatic vet is absolutely, positively out of the question. If you need some help finding a vet, please just ask! Veterinary intervention is really his best option here. You can try a course of MediGold (Goldfish Connection) in hopes its just an internal infection thats treatable if you have no other avenues available. Dont give up on him!!!

 

[AngelWings]

Thanks JLK! His eye had been covered for months, but I've never seen a bloody look to it till today. Even tonight it looks less bloody, like maybe it had drained a bit.

I live clear out in the boonies, where it's hard enough to get a vet to treat a pet instead of a farm animal.
I'll order some of the medicine you recommended.

I'll hang on to him and pamper him till the better end. I love my little buddy! I'll give you an update soon.

 

[Maxkolbe]

I've heard of people keeping eyeless goldies before so if he recovers I'd keep him, he just may need extra attention. The only advice I can offer since I'm not very good with fish medicine is water changes. Maybe try an antibiotic of some sort to keep it from getting infected. I'd listen to any advice you can get, the medicine previously suggested will probably help.

 

[jlk]

Definitely keep us posted!!! I am hoping for the best for him!!

I am going to post a link about wen trimming with some more info. I am NOT suggesting/advocating you do this yourself but I just want you to be aware that it can be done if you are comfortable & confident doing veterinary procedures. I grew up on a dairy farm with the closest vet over an hour away and he didnt come out after-hours or on weekends, so doing things yourself was the 'norm' for my household. Not sure if its the same for you but I just wanted you to be aware of your options.

Wen Surgery on an Oranda Goldfish - Site for Goldfish Keepers

 

[AngelWings]

Thanks for the link. Definitely makes me feel more comfortable with attempting to trim his wen. My lingering concern if trimming around his damaged eye... I would hate to damage it any further than it already is.

Update: Einstein was swimming around this morning and searching for food, so I'm taking that as a good sign.

 

[jlk]

I would not even consider doing this any time soon. Lets see if it will heal up with course of meds and how he does over the next few weeks. Swimming and a healthy appetite are very positive signs!!!!

 

[AngelWings]

Still looking better today. When I went home for lunch he was swimming around so much I couldn't get a clear picture of him. I guess that's a good problem.
FYI: The white streaks are just air bubbles.