I found this report very interesting and quite the opposite of what I thought because the majority of my pet fish clients are freshwater keepers.

From: “Dr. David Scarfe”
Date: 18 August 2013 20:36:02 AWST
Subject: AquaVetMed e-News: Provisions for Fish Pet in Wills

August 18, 2013
Fifteen Percent of Fish Owners Made Financial Provisions for Their Pet in Their Will

Including pets in the will is becoming ever-more popular! In preparation for the future, 15% of fish owners have made financial provisions in their will for their pet.

Financially providing for one’s fish is far more common among saltwater fish owners (36%) than owners of freshwater fish (4%). Twenty-one percent of all fish owners have named a caretaker/guardian for their fish. More saltwater owners have done so (37%) than freshwater fish owners (13%).

Have you made financial provisions in your will for your pet, or named a caretaker/guardian?

To learn more about this subject, go to page 290 in the 2013-2014 APPA National Pet Owners Survey (http://americanpetproducts.org/pubs_survey.asp).

___________________________
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.

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Check out the preview at this link – http://video.news.com.au/2396348568/SHARKNADO-Worst-movie-ever

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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 383Looking for more books? Check out this site.

 

Last week I had a sleepless night because I wanted to make sure that I’d get up with ample time to present this webinar.

For some reason, I became rather nervous, probably because I may have been talking to other expert fish vets out there. I was afraid that I might miss saying something important, or that I may not have explained things properly.
There were some technical glitches with the internet dropping out, but luckily Drs Scarfe and Jones saved the day by filling in the silence. The one hour webinar presentation blew out to nearly two whole hours! I thought I totally bombed out on that one.

But luckily, I was able to make a new recording of my presentation which I have now uploaded to WAVMA’s Vimeo account.

So please do enquire about accessing the video by contacting the WAVMA admin.

I’d also be interested to hear your comments.

thefishvet@gmail.com

This would be a useful paper to refer to when assessing the risks of translocating aquatic animals.

Aquaculture
Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012)
	A review of the risk posed to Scottish mollusc aquaculture from Bonamia, Marteilia and oyster herpesvirus
	Authors:	Alexander G. Murray, Mar Marcos-Lopez, Bertrand Collet, Lorna A. Munro
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Aquaculture, Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012)
	Page Numbers:	7 – 13
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: Unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: Publisher’s Site
	Abstract:	Shellfish aquaculture forms a small but expanding section of Scotland’s seafood production. This production benefits from a good health status with the absence of notifiable diseases, except for localised cases of Bonamia ostreae. In this paper we review factors that could lead to the introduction and/or spread of key diseases in order that associated risk can be minimised. We selected B. ostreae and Bonamia exitiosa, Marteilia refringens and oyster herpesvirus as key pathogens; all of which have been found in and are notifiable within the United Kingdom. Vulnerabilities of molluscs farmed in Scotland to these pathogens are reviewed, as are sources of infection in neighbouring areas from which the pathogens might be introduced. We then examine: key pathways of introduction, whether conditions are suitable for the pathogens to persist in Scotland, potential for spread within Scotland and likelihood, and consequence of disease outbreaks. The major pathway for potential introduction is with the import of Pacific oysters from hatcheries. B. ostreae is the pathogen that has the highest probability of causing disease, however B. ostreae is restricted to native oysters whose production in Scotland is very small. Oyster herpesvirus could cause far larger economic consequences due to the size of the Pacific oyster industry but is less likely to invade. Therefore risks for B. ostreae and oyster herpesvirus are similar. Risks could change if imports are sourced from higher risk areas or pathogens spread in areas where currently used hatcheries are located. Water temperature in Scotland is marginal for oyster herpesvirus and M. refringens so continuation of warming trends could increase risks from these pathogens.
	Citation:	Alexander G. Murray, Mar Marcos-Lopez, Bertrand Collet, Lorna A. Munro . A review of the risk posed to Scottish mollusc aquaculture from Bonamia, Marteilia and oyster herpesvirus. Aquaculture, Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012), pp. 7-13, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=436C999FCC99F0814A36&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=436C999FCC99F0814A36

A great resource! Read on.

From: “Dr. David Scarfe”
Date: 3 August 2013 6:02:38 AWST
Subject: AquaVetMed e-News: FDA Drug Instructional Videos on-line

August 2, 2013
FDA Veterinary Drug Instructional Videos

The U.S. Food & Drug Agency, Center for Veterinary Medicine has recently made a number of instructional videos available on-line. These have been produced in fulfillment of the FDA’s mission to protect U.S. human and animal health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and quality of animal drugs, including drugs intended for food-producing animals, and the safety of animal feeds and pet foods.

Many of the videos are 10-15 minutes in length, but very effectively explain the core issues of FDA programs for approving drugs, and monitoring products after they have been placed on the market. Many of them are directly relevant to aquatic veterinary medicine. These videos also describe how CVM supports continuing efforts to reduce trade barriers and promote harmonization of international standards and guidelines.

The following are available at http://tinyurl.com/kwelp7h:
· Welcome to the Center for Veterinary Medicine (Bernadette M. Dunham, DVM, PhD)
· Current Good Manufacturing Practices ( Dr. Gabriel Davila)
· Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls and Good Manufacturing Practices: The Big Picture of a Long-Term Commitment (Elizabeth Pollina Cormier, PhD)
· Effectiveness Evaluation for Therapeutic Drugs for Food Animals (Emily Smith, DVM)
· Effectiveness Evaluation for Production Drugs (Crystal Groesbeck, PhD)
· Human Food Safety of New Animal Drugs: Microbial Food Safety (Heather Harbottle, PhD)
· Foundations of Regulation (Diane L. Heinz, DVM, MBA)
· Target Animal Safety (Laura L. Hungerford, DVM, MPH, PhD)
· Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals at FDA: A Case Study (Jeff Jones, DVM, PhD)
· Effectiveness Evaluation for Therapeutic Drugs for Non-Food Animals (Christopher Loss, DVM)
· Aquaculture (Jennifer Matysczak, VMD)
· The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System – Tracking Antimicrobial Resistance in the Food Supply (Patrick McDermott, PhD)
· Medicated Feeds Overview (Dr. Dragan Momcilovic and Dr. Gabriel Davila)
· Advertising Issues, Effectiveness Claims (Mike Murphy, DVM, JD, PhD)
· Lifecycle-Based Approach to Regulating Product Quality – An International Perspective (Dr. Michael E. Oehlsen)
· An Overview of Minor Use and Minor Species Issues in the U.S.A. (Meg Oeller, DVM)
· Human Food Safety of New Animal Drugs: Residue Chemistry (Julia A. Oriani, PhD)
· Regulating Animal Drugs (Brandi Robinson)
· Regulation of Animal Biotechnology at FDA: An Overview (Eric Schulze, PhD)
· Labeling Issues (Suzanne Sechen, PhD)
· Environmental Impact (Risk) Assessment of Veterinary Pharmaceuticals (Eric Silberhorn, PhD)
· Introduction to CVM International Programs Webpage (Merton V. Smith, PhD, JD)
· Governance of Veterinary Medicinal Products: Need to Leverage Resources (Merton V. Smith, PhD, JD)
· CVM Recalls (Kathy Hemming Thompson)
· Overview of CVM Bioresearch Monitoring ( Vernon D. Toelle, PhD)
· Embracing New Innovation in Veterinary Drug Evaluation (Steven D. Vaughn, DVM)
· Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals at FDA: A Risk-Based Approach (Malini M. Wileman, PhD, RAC)
· Principles of New Animal Drug Effectiveness: An Overview (Linda M. Wilmot, DVM, MS)
· Human Food Safety of New Animal Drugs: Toxicology Assessment (Tong Zhou, PhD, DABT)

___________________________
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: http://www.avma.org

________________________________

I received this query recently:

Hi Dr Loh,

I hope this message finds you well.

I was hoping you could offer some advice on recent behavioural changes with my Betta fish. I have JJ for 18 months now and 2 weeks ago I upgraded his 5 litre bowl to an 18 litre bowl with a heater. Since then his whole eating pattern has changed and he has lost his routine. He used come straight up for his food morning and night but now he barely eats at all. I also notice that since putting a heater in with him he hugs it a lot and I’m worried he might burn himself.
Is this behaviour something I should be concerned about?

Kind regards

NM

My response:

Yes, there is certainly a risk of him burning himself. Why does he hug the heater? This is because he’s a tropical fish and is feeling cold, needing to be near the heater to feel the warmth. It is likely that the heater is not performing efficiently to warm the entire aquarium evenly. The water temperature should be 24-28 degrees Celsius. One way of rectifying the issue is to ensure good water circulation around the heater. Some ways include placing air stones beneath the heater, positioning the heater at an angle or near the water filter outlet. If he continues to wrap himself around the heater, it might be a behavioural thing. You can purchase or make your own fenestrated heater cover to prevent fish coming into direct contact with the heating elements.

Apparently what’s published can be a piece of croc!

Read more here –

From fraud to fair play: Australia must support research integrity

Follow me on: Facebook "Fin Page" – YouTube – Blog – Linkedin – Twitter

—
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.

Not all things can be used interchangeably from hydroponics to aquaponics.

Following yesterday’s post on how probiotics work, I recently stopped by the local hydroponics store just to see what products they had. I told them I had a working knowledge on Aquaponic systems and we swapped contact details.

There was one product that caught my eye. It was a probiotics for hydroponics to increase yield and improve plant health. I was intrigued because I wonder if it could be used in systems that hold fish. Below is a picture of the contents of the probiotic.

In the list of bacteria beneficial for hydroponically grown plants were three that can cause serious diseases in fish. These all belonged to the Pseudomonas group of bacteria and they cause septicaemia.

This just goes to show the importance of reading the label and consulting good information sources before you go ahead and find out the hard way.
Follow me on: Facebook “Fin Page” – YouTube  – Blog – Linkedin – Twitter

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Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh

 

Read more here – http://mobile.news.com.au/weird-true-freaky/swedish-male-skinnydippers-warned-after-testicleattacking-pacu-fish-found-in-local-lakes/story-e6frflri-1226695249530

—
Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh
DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics& Pathobiology).
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia.
Veterinary Medicine for fish.
W: http://www.thefishvet.com.au
E: thefishvet
P: +61 (0)421 822 383