Koi Dropsy caused by internal parasites?!

Hi, terribly sorry I am posting in English as my German is terrible!
I would greatly appreciate help with evaluating if I’ve taken the correct steps to help heal my Koi.

She has late stage dropsy, her internal infection has caused her to swell. And I am fairly sure it is caused by internal parasites. I noticed the consequent swelling a month ago.

the steps I have taken so far:

I isolated the koi to a 1000L quarantine tank, installed an air pump and water heater. I progressively raised the temperature to 24C at a rate of about 1C per day as not to shock her. We are in winter in France and the koi pond just dropped it’s T and the other koi are going into a torpor state.
The main pond is a 60000L, is well filtered and clean. Our only problem is that the water in our region is very acidic, we have plants that supply minerals in summer time but in winter without mineral addition the water is very acidic.

I have done an acriflavine week long treatment as well as raised the salt level to 0.3% and then 0.6%.

It took 2 weeks to arrive but I treated her with antibiotics Saechem Kanaplex

She has been in her quarantine tank a little over 3 weeks now.

What I have noticed:
Swelling has decreased in the last 7 days after the antibiotic treatment. She is still consequently swollen but her scales are no longer poking out like a pinecone.

The day after I raised the salt levels to 0.6% she excreted a lot of mucus and some scales.
she also excreted a consequent amount.( I will include a picture).

Daily she excretes what look like the remains of dead intestinal worms(I’ll include photos as well).

I have now started to notice redness on her scales at the areas she has started to un-swell.

What I am doing now, I have performed two 50% water changes. One after she excreted the consequent amount a day after I raised the salt. (Left salt levels at 0.3% half of the 0.6% water to treat with antibiotics)

I raised the salt level back to 0.6% after the antibiotics.

I now have changed the water at 50%
Again, and setup a filter in the tank with a goal of stabalizing the water quality. Slowly decreasing T 1C per day until she is back at the same temperature as the main pond.

In the water quality test picture the left is the main pond the right is the quarantine tank.

Many thanks, I hope she gets through this, I grew up with her, she’s got a funny rebel character, She comes to see me every time I’m around the tank, she’s really curious! She’s active and one hell of a fighter!
Cheers, danke!
 

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I these photos you can see where she has started to un-swell, she was rond a week ago, no curves behind her gills/ fins. And exactly there you can notice redness/ sores.
 

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This may be related so I’m including it in this post. One of my koi’s also has a very curved spine, especially his head. I have checked and there is no electrical leak and I seriously doubt she got struck by lightning. Could the drippy and this be related to the same underlying cause?
 

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Hello :)
1. You've done everything right.
2. Keep salt at 0.5-0.6%.
2. Keep temperature at 24-26 degrees.
Don't cool it down and put it back in the pond.
3. If she hasn't eaten, what you found is some intestinal mucosa. At least it looks that way.
Be sure to feed!
Add a few grains to the basin. Count and after a few hours see if anything is missing.
If necessary, sink food!
4. The water is slowly pushed out of the body, so the scales attach themselves again. That's why the salt and temperature still have to remain the same.
5.Do you have a koi to add? A koi alone is probably not good, as it is a schooling fish.

This is my opinion.

Good luck

Jens
 
Hallo Lachlanmackenzie,
She has late stage dropsy, her internal infection has caused her to swell. And I am fairly sure it is caused by internal parasites. I noticed the consequent swelling a month ago.
Your koi has a disturbed osmosis balance or internal bacterial infection.
(Mainly, Koi don’t have internal wormparasites)
Temperature, Saltconcentration, Disinfection and Antibiotics are good therapy, that you have already done. that's OK
Daily she excretes what look like the remains of dead intestinal worms
This excretion is mostly intestinal mucus if the koi has not eaten for a longer time.
This is a normal process, don’t worries.
I have now started to notice redness on her scales at the areas she has started to un-swell.
Scales can dead due to bacterial infection or swelling.
Scales and mucous fall off and can cause massive skin damage.
Please watch this accurate! If it gets worse, contact a veterinarian.
Again, and setup a filter in the tank with a goal of stabalizing the water quality. Slowly decreasing T 1C per day until she is back at the same temperature as the main pond.
The Koi can't go back into the pond now.
Check the water quality in the tank, mainly nitrite, PH and oxygen.
Keep doing water changes and salt concentration 0.5%
Feeding less, too much food pollutes the organism and the water quality.
Much more you can't do, if your koi is not feeling better, contact a veterinarian.
In the water quality test picture the left is the main pond the right is the quarantine tank.
These teststrips are not so good, use a better aquarium droptest (e.g. JBL)
One of my koi’s also has a very curved spine, especially his head. I have checked and there is no electrical leak and I seriously doubt she got struck by lightning. Could the drippy and this be related to the same underlying cause?
I don't think so.
If you can exclude lightning or electric shock, is this probably a natural deformation, that can sometimes occur in aging koi.

Get well for your Koi
Grüße FLEX
 
Hallo Lachlanmackenzie,

Your koi has a disturbed osmosis balance or internal bacterial infection.
(Mainly, Koi don’t have internal wormparasites)
Temperature, Saltconcentration, Disinfection and Antibiotics are good therapy, that you have already done. that's OK

This excretion is mostly intestinal mucus if the koi has not eaten for a longer time.
This is a normal process, don’t worries.

Scales can dead due to bacterial infection or swelling.
Scales and mucous fall off and can cause massive skin damage.
Please watch this accurate! If it gets worse, contact a veterinarian.

The Koi can't go back into the pond now.
Check the water quality in the tank, mainly nitrite, PH and oxygen.
Keep doing water changes and salt concentration 0.5%
Feeding less, too much food pollutes the organism and the water quality.
Much more you can't do, if your koi is not feeling better, contact a veterinarian.

These teststrips are not so good, use a better aquarium droptest (e.g. JBL)

I don't think so.
If you can exclude lightning or electric shock, is this probably a natural deformation, that can sometimes occur in aging koi.

Get well for your Koi
Grüße FLEX

Thank so much for your detailed response!
I appreciate your time and effort! Of all of you!
All the best to you!
I’ll update on the situation.
 
Hi all,
Update!
I’ve kept her in the QT at a stable 24C. 0.6% Salt levels.
Her sores I mentioned worried me so I’ve given her one last acriflavine treatment.
She has been occasionally very active, feels to me like she’s been uneasy. She sometimes has fits when she swims flipped on her side from the bottom of the tank to the top and then flips back over. The ammonia levels aren’t elevated when I test the water.

Why could this be?
I’ve added a small water fountain to the filter to add aeration because I’ve observed her in the past days and more and more she is spending time vertically with her head as close to the surface as possible. Near where the aeration system is. She gasps for air constantly…

Her scales are no longer protruding at all but she hasn’t lost her swollen underbelly.

I received a few messages advising adding another koi to the pond, is this a good idea? I’ve waited because there is a too significant amount of Temperature difference between the pond and QT.
The weather is now milder so I could transfer another koi to the QT to keep her company.
 
Ammonia?
You have to measure nitrite. But with 0.6% salt nothing can actually happen. Do you have a biofilter with filter material from the pond?
That would be best.
Yes, a second fish as a mate is a very good idea!

The behavior you describe is strange.

Is her nose clear or sore?

Sometimes fish jump in the cage and hurt their nose :-(
 
Sorry I meant nitrate!
Yes I do, I added some filter material to the QT filter as I did the last 50% water change!
Her nose seems ok to me anything in particular I should be looking for?
Since I added the fountain to oxygenate the QT more, she has calmed down, she spent most of yesterday near the fountain breathing, today she is timide and calm hiding under leaves close to the surface, (still breathing a lot).
Could the acriflavine be irritating her?
 
Hallo Lachlanmackenzie,
I should be looking for?
Observe the skin damage,
for deep wounds caused by bacterial infections an antibiotic injection is more suitable than acriflavine,
please contact a veterinarian.
BTW acriflavine is a pure disinfectant and also damages the microorganisms in the biofilter.
I hope you put the material in after changing the water.
adding another koi to the pond, is this a good idea?
in my opinion, not.
The temperature difference is too much for an additional koi from the pond
and the chances for the sick koi aren't really good. I'm sorry for that, but I wish you all the best.
Grüße FLEX
 
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