Author: TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

Aquatic veterinary medicine, pathology and educational services for fish. A repository for useful information and events.

Free webinar – Common ornamental fishes and their diseases – presented through WAVMA.

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

You might have missed my previous presentation?

You might have seen it before on another platform, but I’ve included more new stuff.

Check out this free webinar that I’m presenting through the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association.

I’ll be waking up bright an early to present it at 7am Australian Western Standard Time (Perth, WA, Australia), Tuesday 13th August.

See you online soon!

R<><

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Dr. David Scarfe <DScarfe@avma.org>

AquaticVet WebCEPD: Common ornamental fishes and their diseases

You are invited to participate in a free WAVMA Webinar

AquaticVet WebCEPD: Common ornamental fishes and their diseases
Join us on August 12 or 13, 2013 (depending on your local time zone)

Description & Learning Objectives: This presentation will take a novel approach to discussing some common ornamental (pet) finfish species and some diseases aquatic veterinarians may encounter. The presentation will cover what makes those species unique, how they should be kept, and will describe clinical signs, diagnostics and treatment options of some common diseases these species encounter.

Veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary technicians/nurses that complete a brief knowledge & skills assessment (KSA) after participating in the webinar, can receive a Continuing Education & Professional Development (CEPD) certificate.

Title: Common ornamental fishes and their diseases.
Presenter: Richmond Loh BVMS, MPhil (Vet Path), MANZCVS (Aquatics & Pathobiology), DipPM
Date: Monday, August 12 or Tuesday, August 13, 2013 (check your local time here)
 

Note: The webinar will be recorded and available at a later date to those that register. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/645396294

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Mac®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer
Mobile attendees
Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

___________________________

AquaVetMed e-News provides information to veterinary and veterinary-allied subscribers concerning aquatic animal medicine, health, welfare, public health and seafood safety, obtained from a variety of sources (largely AquaVetMed subscribers). While provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s, Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee and are for public distribution, they do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the AVMA or the veterinary profession. See the AVMA Terms of Use (http://tinyurl.com/29h2rf) for further information.

If e-News information is used elsewhere please acknowledge AquaVetMed as the source. Encourage individuals to subscribe rather than distribute through list serves.

Messages may contain attachments that will have been scanned for known viruses.

Subscription and Contributions: Interested veterinarians and veterinary-allied professionals can subscribe, unsubscribe, or contribute pertinent news or information, by sending a message with “For AquaVetMed -” and the topic in the subject line, to dscarfe@avma.org.

Note: Undelivered e-mails will not be resent; Subscribers will be deleted from the list after repeated undelivered or bounced messages and will have to re-subscribe.

Visit our website: www.avma.org

________________________________

I’ve just handed in my final draft of my ISS Institute Fellowship Report!

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish
It was an intense time writing up everything I had learnt during my trip to the USA to garner new and relevant information related to aquatic animal health. The report is intended as a practical reference source for its readership and it details the teachings and new knowledge I gained during the overseas Fellowhip program. I attended the Seavet course that covered veterinary medical aspects of marine megafauna such as sharks, stingrays, fish, pinnipeds, cetaceans, manatees, turtles and penguins. Along the journey, I also visited other establishments to learn about the roles veterinarian play in the various industries. I visited the Department of Agriculture in Hawaii, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, attended an aquaponics conference, and visited several aquaculture farms, ornamental fish farms and the University of Florida’s Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin, Florida, USA.

The report concludes with a number of practical recommendations for government, industry, associations, and the education and training sector that will help grow and consolidate a vibrant and sustainable sector for the aquatic veterinary industry in Australia.

The report editor had this to say about my final draft:
Richmond, congratulations on the draft of your report. Although you have incorporated considerable technical and specialist data, your report is by far one of the best I have ever received. It was a pleasure working through it, and I enjoyed learning a few new things about ornamental fish and aquaria (it might even restore my interest in my tropical fish tank, which has been dormant for many years). Well done !
Kind regards,
Ken Greenhill
Fellowship Adviser

International Specialised Skills Institute,
Level 1, 189 Faraday Street, Carlton, VIC 3053, AUSTRALIA
Stay tuned to be updated on when the report will be finalised and ready for access!

About the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

Would you like to be a part of a global organisation that represents veterinarians working with aquatics? There are no issues too big, or too small for the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association (WAVMA). The WAVMA actively engages in work to reinforce the role of the veterinary profession for aquatic veterinary issues internationally. On the other end of the ‘scale’ the members-only email-list serve is a way of ‘crowd-sourcing’ information from fellow veterinarians who will have answers to questions you may have relating to your cases such as:

  • How do we, or should we de-barb stingrays used in visitor interaction areas?
  • Is there a cure for ‘dropsy’?
  • Have you had instances of injection site myonecrosis when using enrofloxacin?
  • What quarantine protocols do you recommend to clients?
  • How do you prepare medicated feed for fish?
  • What is your treatment protocol for cold shock in turtles?
  • What are the differential diagnoses for limb deformities in frogs?
  • and more!

Check out the new video on what WAVMA is about, here – http://vimeo.com/66211645

Join now at http://www.wavma.org/Become-a-member

—
Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics & Pathobiology).
Veterinarian | Adjunct Lecturer Murdoch University | President-elect WAVMA |

Secretary Aquatic Animal Health Chapter – ANZCVS.
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia, AUSTRALIA.

Mobile Veterinary Medical & Diagnostic Services for fish and other aquatic creatures.
http://www.thefishvet.com.au
Ph: +61 (0)421 822 383

Looking for more books? Check out this site.

Dr Roy Yanong’s fundraising efforts to support a cure for childhood cancer.

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

Non-fish related, but it’s fish colleague related.

My friend from across our global pond is doing some fundraising and I thought I’d help him out by posting it here.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Yanong, Roy P.E.
Date: Sat, Jul 27, 2013 at 10:18 PM
Subject: Roy Yanong’s fundraising efforts to support a cure for childhood cancer

On September 14, 2013, I’m having my head shaved to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer, but more importantly, to raise money to find cures. Please support me in my fund-raising efforts on behalf of this incredibly worthwhile organization, St. Baldrick’s Foundation. This volunteer-driven charity funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U. S. government. Your gift will give hope to infants, children, teens and young adults fighting childhood cancers. So when I ask for your support, I’m really asking you to support these kids. Thank you!

My website for this fundraiser is:

and you can either give online, or donate by phone or mail.

For more information on St. Baldrick’s Foundation, their homepage is: http://www.stbaldricks.org/

I (and the children you are supporting) appreciate any help you can give-

Thanks very much from Florida—

Sincerely,

Roy Yanong

Fish love listening to music!

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

Those of you who grew up with mum or dad in the garden may have sometimes heard them talk or even sing to their plants. They may have told you that it helps the plants grow and that we should try it. Were they just pulling your leg?

Well, in this research paper, scientists have shown that playing some tunes for the fish actually will improve growth rate and welfare. Check it out!

Aquacultural Engineering
Volume 55, Number 3 (July 2013)
Effect of musical stimuli and white noise on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) growth and physiology in recirculating water conditions
Authors: Sofronios E. Papoutsoglou 1, Nafsika Karakatsouli 1, Christos Skouradakis 1, Eustratios S. Papoutsoglou 1, Alkistis Batzina 1, Georgios Leondaritis 2, Nikolaos Sakellaridis 2
Author Affiliations:
1: Department of Applied Hydrobiology, Faculty of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
2: Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Papakiriazi 22, 41222 Larissa, Greece
Source: Aquacultural Engineering, Volume 55, Number 3 (July 2013)
Page Numbers: 16 – 22
Available Full Text:
Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text
Format: PDF
Size: Unknown
Location: Publisher’s Site
Authentication: Publisher’s Site
Abstract: Music resulted in significantly higher growth compared to white noise treatment or control in rainbow trout. Music through its implication in fish brain response (e.g. neurotransmitters) resulted to a rather relaxed performance/condition. Brain response includes significant differences mainly among music treatments and white noise populations regarding levels of digestive enzymes. The musical stimuli per se is beneficial for growth and welfare.
Citation: Sofronios E. Papoutsoglou, Nafsika Karakatsouli, Christos Skouradakis, Eustratios S. Papoutsoglou, Alkistis Batzina, Georgios Leondaritis, Nikolaos Sakellaridis . Effect of musical stimuli and white noise on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) growth and physiology in recirculating water conditions. Aquacultural Engineering, Volume 55, Number 3 (July 2013), pp. 16-22, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=46BE80BFC334BC1F8CF8&gt;
URL: http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=46BE80BFC334BC1F8CF8

Now you can turn around and tell your gardener parents that fish also love listening to music and that they too should try and sing to them! So, what tunes will you be playing for your fish?

What does it take to become a veterinarian?

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

Watch the first episode of the television series ‘Vet School’ commencing today – Friday 26th July at 8 PM on ABC1 (i.e. in 5 hours’ time for us in Western Australia!).

A new six-part documentary series chronicling the highs and lows of eight Murdoch University Veterinary Science students will run on ABC1 starting Friday, July 26 at 8pm. The shows are repeated on Sundays if you miss them.

To watch the trailer, view screen stills, meet the students and more please click here to visit the website.

Kind regards

Deborah Elliott

Admin Officer, Continuing Veterinary Education

School of Veterinary and Life Sciences | Murdoch University

* 90 South St, Murdoch WA 6150, Australia | ( +61 8 9360 6342 | 6 +61 8 9360 7283
8 cve@murdoch.edu.au Goto.murdoch.edu.au/CVE

Anaesthetics and welfare for cuttlefish.

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

I’ve tried anaesthetising an octopus once and boy did that guy jump out of the water! It worked finally, after holding the lid down and shut and reducing the amount of air space above the induction water. There’s really not been much work done on chemotherapeutants in invertebrates. These researchers are pioneering this field. Good on them!

Aquaculture
  Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012)
     The use of different anaesthetics as welfare promoters during short-term human manipulation of European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) juveniles
   Authors: Rui A. Gonçalves, Cláudia Aragão, Paulo A. Frias, António V. Sykes
   Author Affiliations:
no affiliations available
   Source: Aquaculture, Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012)
   Page Numbers: 130 – 135
   Available Full Text:
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Format: PDF
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Authentication: Publisher’s Site
   Abstract: Anaesthetics are frequently used to prevent injuries, stress and to promote welfare while handling animals. The efficiency of five anaesthetics for short-term handling of the European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) was tested in order to determine the best agent and its concentration. Ethanol (10.0, 20.0 and 30.0mL.L-1), clove oil (0.05, 0.15mL.L-1), hypothermia (8°C), magnesium chloride (hexahydrated; 20.0, 27.0g.L-1) and AQUI-S® (10.9µl.L-1) were the selected anaesthetics. This choice was preceded by a preliminary trial, with additional agents, where 2-phenoxyethanol (10, 15, 20, 30mL.L-1) and MS-222® (30, 40mg.L-1) were used. Due to the lack of reliable results from these two agents, they were discarded. Anaesthetic procedure was performed in 85 cuttlefish juveniles with a mean wet weight of 45.69±12.01g, on a 5L container, under hyper-oxygenated seawater (~200%), plus the dose of a given anaesthetic agent. After achieving induction, cuttlefish were handled for 180s, which consisted in a weighing procedure according to a developed CCMAR protocol. Recovery from anaesthesia was performed in a tank with flow-through hyper-oxygenated water. All these procedures were video recorded and used to, a posteriori, obtain the time frames of induction, handling and recovery, as well as for the behaviour analysis during each stage.
   Citation: Rui A. Gonçalves, Cláudia Aragão, Paulo A. Frias, António V. Sykes . The use of different anaesthetics as welfare promoters during short-term human manipulation of European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) juveniles. Aquaculture, Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012), pp. 130-135, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=45BD80F1D33779B72D59&gt;
   URL: http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=45BD80F1D33779B72D59

Oral praziquantel dose rate for treating blood flukes in tuna.

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

In a previous post about blood flukes and tuna (see link) the researchers produced similar findings, but the dosage rate for oral delivery of praziquantel differed. In that previous article, researchers were dosing fish with 75 – 150 mg/kg BW of praziquantel. However, in this article, researchers found that a level between 3.75 – 7.5 mg/kg BW is sufficient for complete eradication of flukes. The difference is in the magnitude of 10-20x. Why is it that the blood flukes require much higher concentrations of drug than the skin flukes for effect? One thing’s for sure, it certainly shows how safe the drug is for the host fish.

 

Aquaculture
Volume 403, Number 1-4 (July 2013)
Praziquantel treatment against Cardicola blood flukes: Determination of the minimal effective dose and pharmacokinetics in juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna
Authors: Katsuya Ishimaru, Ryoma Mine, Sho Shirakashi, Eri Kaneko, Kazushige Kubono, Tokihiko Okada, Yoshifumi Sawada, Kazuo Ogawa
Author Affiliations:
no affiliations available
Source: Aquaculture, Volume 403, Number 1-4 (July 2013)
Page Numbers: 24 – 27
Available Full Text:
Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text
Format: PDF
Size: Unknown
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Authentication: Publisher’s Site
Abstract: Blood flukes of the genus Cardicola cause significant problems in the bluefin tuna farming around the world. In Japan, the mortality of the juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (PBT) caused by C. orientalis and C. opisthorchis has become a serious issue in the tuna farming industry in recent years. Oral treatment with praziquantel (PZQ) is highly effective against blood flukes and is indispensable for sustainable tuna farming. To develop a proper and safe drug treatment procedure, we investigated the minimum effective dose and pharmacokinetics of PZQ in juvenile PBT. Juvenile tuna were orally administered various doses of PZQ (0, 3.75, 7.5, 15 and 30mg/kg body weight (BW)) once a day for 3 consecutive days, and the occurrence of C. opisthorchis before and after the treatment was compared. A significant decrease in the number of flukes was observed in the 3.75mg/kg group, and complete eradication of flukes was achieved at dosages of 7.5mg/kg and greater. This result indicates that the minimal effective dose of PZQ for treating C. opisthorchis is between 3.75 and 7.5mg/kg, which is less than 1/20 of the treatment dose used for treating the skin fluke Benedenia seriolae in yellowtail culture. We used high-performance liquid chromatography analysis to assess the temporal changes in the concentrations of PZQ in serum, muscle, the liver and the kidney after a single administration of PZQ at 15mg/kg BW. The PZQ concentration in the tissues peaked between 0.5 and 1.5h following administration, and PZQ was undetectable after 24h. The highest serum concentration was 2.0µg/mL, which is likely to be the lethal dose for C. opisthorchis. These results suggest that PZQ treatment is a highly effective and relatively safe method to control blood flukes in the tuna farming industry.
Citation: Katsuya Ishimaru, Ryoma Mine, Sho Shirakashi, Eri Kaneko, Kazushige Kubono, Tokihiko Okada, Yoshifumi Sawada, Kazuo Ogawa . Praziquantel treatment against Cardicolablood flukes: Determination of the minimal effective dose and pharmacokinetics in juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna. Aquaculture, Volume 403, Numbers 1-4 (July 2013), pp. 24-27, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=44CC8F3A2D9365BBF7E7&gt;
URL: http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=44CC8F3A2D9365BBF7E7