The Fish Vet's Blog

WAVMA WebCEPD B-1007 – Tropical Fish Tranquilization, Anesthesia & Euthanasia

Join us for a free webinar on Saturday, December 21, 2014 at 1:00 AM Australian Western Standard Time (Perth/Singapore/Hong Kong).
Click http://tinyurl.com/mt9faw5 to check your local time

Register now!
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7386512880671218690

This webinar will review veterinary procedures, drug dosages and routes of administration that can be used to sedate, anesthetize and euthanize tropical or pet fish. Sedating or tranquilizing fish prior to handling for physical examinations and diagnostic tests, or surgery makes the process easier. Anesthetizing the fish prior to surgical procedures is essential, and euthanasia with an overdose of anesthetic (oral, injected or in the water) is sometimes necessary and can be quick and painless. This webinar is suitable for veterinarians, vet techs/nurses, vet students, research scientists and aquarists/aquarium husbandry staff.

Speaker
Dr Nick Saint-Erne DVM, CertAqV (Quality Assurance Veterinarian, PetSmart, Inc.)

Learning Objectives – participants will learn:
1. How to use available anesthetic drugs, anesthetic depth monitoring & post-anesthetic recovery
2. How to construct and use anesthetic equipment and surgical tables, suitable for tropical fish
3. How to euthanize tropical fish using available anesthetic agents, when necessary

NOTE: this webinar will be recorded. If you register for the live webinar and are unable to attend, you will be sent a link to view the webinar at a later time.

Want CEPD credit? (Registration is required)
Information on how to access the recorded webinar (at no cost), and a short knowledge & skills assessment (KSA or quiz) covering the webinar’s principle learning objectives, in order to earn 1.5 hours of veterinary Continuing Educational & Professional Development (CEPD) credit will be e-mailed to all registrants in 7-10 days after the webinar.

As CEPD credit can be used towards re-licensing or registration requirements to practice veterinary medicine, we provide WAVMA Members a discount off the US$25.00 fee for CEPD ($5 for student members, $15 for all others).

Register now for this free live WAVMA WebCEPD webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7386512880671218690

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

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A DOCTOR.

See more at TED Talks.

Have you asked someone to help feed the fish while you’re away? Have you recently introduced new fish to your tank/pond? Have you recently cleaned the filter and tank/pond?

Well… if you answered “Yes” to any of these, you might be in for a shock!

Can your fish survive you being away?

Many non-fish people don’t know how much to feed fish and aren’t attuned to checking for signs of poor water conditions or sick fish. And your instructions on feeding might go astray because well-meaning friends feel they want to feed them more.

New introductions can be a source of new diseases. And while you’re away, there’s no one who knows your fish better than you, to check on their health.

Some people can over clean their filters and aquaria/ponds and disturb their healthy biofilters and biofilm. You might run into ‘new tank syndrome’ where ammonia and/or nitrite can reach dangerous levels.

If you’re going away for less than two weeks, fish can readily fast for that period. Alternatively, prepare multiple containers with pre-measured amount of feed, one for each day.

In terms of water quality issues, never wash your filters too thoroughly. It’s a good idea to get your water tested regularly (weekly is recommended).

For infectious diseases, it’s a good idea to get your fish regularly screened by your fish veterinarian (once or twice a year is recommended).

Q: Why do whales migrate annually?

A: For a sea change.

Check out some happy snaps from my trip in Singapore at

http://tinyurl.com/mtgw67m

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There had been some heated discussions on ways to control carp. So, here’s a link shared by a colleague on the acceptable, and unacceptable ways for carp control.

From
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/pests-diseases/freshwater-pests/species/carp/control-information

Anyone interested in reducing numbers of carp in an area, whether private waters or part of a natural river system, needs to consider a range of issues before proceeding.

What options are available to control carp?

Carp is a significant pest species and understandably, many people have a strong desire to eliminate them or at least reduce their numbers.

Unfortunately, the options available for the public to effectively control carp are limited and any one option on its own is unlikely to be effective.
The only generally available legal methods for carp control (subject to those involved having the appropriate permits or approvals) are:

Legal recreational fishing methods, including as part of public fishing events

Harvesting by a licensed commercial Inland Restricted Fishery (IRF) carp endorsed fisher

Installation of carp separation cages on fishways or wetland regulators
Wetland management including exclusion screens

Draining and drying of private waterbodies

Stocking of native fish
Which option(s) is suitable for a particular situation depends on a range of factors, such as the type of waterway where the carp are found, whether it is privately owned or publicly managed, and the resources available for control work.

What about other methods like traps and poisons?

The following methods are not legal and Industry & Investment NSW will not support or issue permits for their use:

Use of fishing equipment in non-compliance with the fisheries regulations. The normal fishing rules apply to all forms of fishing, even fishing to control pest fish. Use of fishing gear in illegal ways is not acceptable and may lead to prosecution.

Rotenone – Industry & Investment NSW holds a permit from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to use rotenone for pest fish control in some circumstances under very strict conditions, but its use must be supervised by trained officers from the Department. Use of rotenone in other circumstances is illegal.

Other chemicals, electrical devices or explosives – it is illegal to use any other substance (eg. lime or copper sulphate) as a fish poison. Other methods such as electrofishing cannot be used without a specific permit from Industry & Investment NSW.

How do we dispose of the carp we catch?

You need to plan how to humanely euthanase any carp you capture – particularly if there are likely to be large numbers involved (eg. draining a dam or a community fishing event).
Information on humane and acceptable methods of euthanasing fish can be found on the Department’s animal welfare page.

Industry & Investment NSW promotes ethical and conservation-based fishing, and one of its key messages is that fishers should only catch what they need and use what they catch.

. Even though carp are a pest, it is still unethical to waste them or treat them inhumanely.

Before commencing any carp control attempt, make sure you have a plan in place to use the captured carp.
If you expect to catch large numbers, it may be possible for them to be utilised by a commercial operator. In the first instance you could contact a licensed commercial fisher to offer them the catch; carp-endorsed fishers may be contacted via the Department’s Commercial Fisheries Management section at Cronulla (9527 8411). Note that harvested carp cannot be sold, unless taken by a commercial fisher. Alternatively, contact a carp processing company, fish farm or other enterprise in your area directly.
For smaller quantities, options include eating, using as pet food, or composting.

Two fish went into a bar, and one was a-salted.

🐠👊🐟

I came across something worrisome on the net (yeah, that’s not unthinkable). Anyway, in the current climate of a one-health system in the battle against antibiotics resistance and overuse of antibiotics, we’d need to tighten up the availability of such medicines, otherwise they may no longer be prescribed by veterinarians, and worse, they may no longer be effective for when WE want to use it ourselves. It is predicted that there could be a significant rise in fatalities associated with bacterial and viral infections if this occurs.

Let us practice good judgement prior to reaching for the antibiotics, whether it be for fish, your other pets or for yourselves.

 

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