I often receive requests to dispense medicines by potential clients who’ve searched the internet and consulted with Dr Google.
Consider this…
Would you ask a medical practitioner or the pharmacist to do the same?
The short answer to the question in the heading is, yes, as a registered veterinarian, I can prescribe and/or dispense drugs including antibiotics for your sick fish. The long answer is, it depends.
Firstly, many fish diseases are indistinguishable without running special tests. Water quality is a clear example of how you can’t tell what’s wrong without testing. Additionally, many of the parasitic diseases are impossible to diagnose without using a microscope. A Good diagnosis is what underpins success of therapy.
Secondly, it’s not uncommon for my clients to be faced with one or more diseases concurrently. It’s not until we test that we can tell.
Thirdly, many do not understand the gravity of unscrupulous use of antibiotics. Antibiotics resistance is a real issue. Dr Google would do well to alert would be users to this worrying fact. A search on the internet or on my blog will reveal the alarming facts.
So before you reach for the treatment for you sick fish, consider if you could do it better.
