Vet Q&A-Fish

My cat has inflammatory bowel disease. He can only eat fresh chicken and fish as anything else upsets his stomach. Do i need to give any additives to his food. If yes what should i give. Thankyou

Just eating chicken and fish is not a complete and balanced diet for a cat. You could talk to your vet about trying him on a hypoallergenic diet, like z/d or d/d. Those diets usually work with IBD and are nutritionally balance for a cat. Otherwise, you could use a website called Balance It to make sure his diet is balanced. You pick the ingredients that you are feeding and then they formulate a supplement that is added to the food. Cats can develop diseases, like heart disease, if their diet is deficient. https://secure.balanceit.com/

Looking for some cool fishes to accompany a goldfish in a 5 gallon tank. Please help Jameson (my fish) beat his case of loneliness!! We appreciate the weird and quirky looking ones! Help!

Choose fish that are cold water fish. Goldfish do best in water that is between 65 and 75 F. Weather, or Dojo, loaches, Rosy Barbs or Zebra Danios are all potential tank mates. The loaches do best in groups of 3 or more. If you decide to add fish, consider a larger tank, at least 20 gallons. The reason is that goldfish produce a large bio load that can quickly lead to poor water quality. They also grow rapidly depending on the type of goldfish you have. A tank that is too small may cause stunted growth which can greatly decrease the life span.

Can one freshwater fish with ich kill all my freshwater fish? Cause last night after my husband cleaned their tank one kept dying after another.

If left untreated, ich will eventually kill. It can weaken the fish after which infection will set in and finish it off. It is also possible the fish were killed if a water change was done as part of the cleaning. Aged or conditioned water should always be used to avoid exposing fish to harmful chemicals, mainly chloramines, many municipalities use in treatment. Water that is not temperature matched can cause shock which will also kill fish. If can be treated by gradually raising the water temperature over 24 hours to about 85 F. Ich is temperature sensitive, this the warm water will speed up the life cycle. Once the "dots" fall off your fish, vacuum the substrate and then use a commercial ich treatment. Leave the temp at 85 F for 2-3 weeks to clear the tank. Afterwards, gradually decrease temperature to the proper temperature for your species of fish.

To make brackish water, you add aquarium salt to tap. Do I de-chlorinate the tap beforehand? I'm just confused on how to make it.

Do not use plain aquarium salt or table salt. To make brackish water, you need marine salt. You will also need a hydrometer to measure specific gravity. A hydrometer can be found in the aquarium section of most pet stores They cost $15 or less. Depending on the species of fish you have, brackish water will need a SG between 1.005 and 1.010. One tablespoon of marine salt per gallon of water will create brackish water at the lower end of the SG range. Yes, you will need a conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramine before you add the marine salt.

My son rubbed bedtime lotion in our fish tank how do i clean it out safely?

If it is on the glass, remove enough water to drop levels below the lotion and wipe with paper towels until clean. Avoid soaps or cleaners which can cause more harm to your fish than the lotion. Replace water with aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent further stress or shock. Use a fresh carbon filter insert to remove any residual lotion or chemicals. If the lotion is on tank furniture, remove and wash with a mild soap then rinse very well before returning it to the tank.

I keep my Betta Fish in a 6 gallon tank. Is it to small? Do I need a bigger tank? Thanks!

A 6 gallon tank is fine for one Betta. You don't want to go any smaller than 5 gallons unless you want to perform frequent maintenance. Be sure to provide adequate filtration, low current and proper temperature (78F to 80F).

My dog has a very bad fish odor. We supplement her diet with fish oil pills, as well as our other dog. Lately our other dog hasn't been eating his pills right away and I think she has been coming around behind him and eating his too. Could she just be getting too much oil and her poo/anus smells like fish as a result? I've also heard about dogs having their anal sacks cleaned when they get professionally groomed. I groom my dogs myself, so I didn't know if I needed to have it done also.

You are correct that if Angel is eating the fish oil pills that are meant for your other dog, then this could be the cause of her anus smelling like fish. You are also correct that it could be due to her anal sacs, as impacted ones have a fishy smell. You can try cleaning around her anus with a dog shampoo to see if that helps with the smell back there, but if it does not, then the likely cause is the anal sacs. At that point, I would recommend having her anal sacs expressed. You can do it yourself if you know how, but if you have never done it before, I recommend taking Angel into the vet to have it done. I would also recommend giving your dogs the fish pill separately to prevent Angel from eating too many.

My fish has a spot near the head that is missing scales and I'm not sure if it is because of an attack of because it is sick... the stomach seems to be sticking out a little and there is a little spot on the tail. Again I am not sure if this is because of an attack or not. Also, all of my fish have been more active and are constantly swimming in up and down motions or side to side like they are looking for something. I have had them for about three weeks.

Cichlids can become aggressive when breeding, so if you have more than one male in your tank the spot in question may be an injury. As long as the aggressive behavior stops, the fish should heal. Minor infection can usually be managed by maintaining water quality and water parameters. Test the water to rule out elevated ammonia or nitrite levels. Partial water changes can be done if levels are above 0.25ppm (parts per million). A bit of plain aquarium salt (NOT table salt) can be used as a general tonic to improve gill function, treat minor infection, reduce stress and aid in recovery. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt in a cup of tank water and gently pour it into the tank. Treat for 10-14 days adding just enough salt to replace the water being changed. If the condition spreads, separate the fish out to a hospital tank and use a broad spectrum antibiotic. You can find one in the aquarium section of the local pet store. Follow label directions carefully and remove the carbon filter insert if indicated.

Is it ok to feed my cat surimi (cooked artificial crab) as just a once in a while treat? I'm afraid because it's processed she'll get sick or gain weight too much. Plus there's a lot of sugar/salt and chemicals in it from my understanding. But, then again I feed her occasional canned fish which I'm sure isn't that great either. Thanks. Eric

Hi there! It’s not ideal to feed Shadow anything processed as your mentioned but I’m sure it won’t hurt every now and then. A heavier option would be canned sardines in oil. No chemicals and just fish. Hope that helps!!!