Bloated pouch is the most common ailment of seahorses and every seahorse keeper should have the equipment needed to treat the condition on hand. This includes a small syringe with catheter, suitable eyedropper, pipette or the like for rinsing the pouch, as well as a medicated pouch-flush solution. (The small syringe and catheter are also useful for tube feeding seahorses that are on a hunger strike.) Ready-made kits consisting of special antibiotic solution, flushing apparatus and instructions are available from the Ocean Rider seahorse farm in Hawaii, or you can easily assemble your own kit from the necessary components. Acetazolamide combined with nifurpirinol and neomycin makes a superior pouch wash for cleansing the marsupium and stopping the formation of excess gas. |
