Vet Q&A-Fish

My black moor goldfish keep swimming to the top of the tank and make the kissy faces.. Not sure if they are trying to breathe. Or they are just hungry. One fish usually stays at the bottom of the tank but occasionally goes up and swims. They also try to grab the little pebbles at the bottom of the tank. They eat all their food but why are they always at the top??

Usually lack of water quality, lack of oxygen, overcrowding and abnormal temperature are all common causes of this behaviour. They could be hungry as well, but usually they come to the surface at certain time or in response to visual stimuli like your presence. Begin by submitting a water sample for quality testing. Most pet stores will do this for free or a nominal fee. Clinical examination should always include a water quality check, even if you have done so already. Water testing should be performed with a quality test kit, measuring NH4, NO2 and NO3. High ammonia levels, PH imbalances may be responsible for these signs. Oxygen concentration and quality of the filters should be determined as well. If water quality is good and there are no major imbalances, your fish should get examined to look for any sign of bacterial/fungal infection and eventually water should be treated. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

My dog is always trying to steal food from the table and the pantry. Today she got ahold of some fish oil caps but luckily she didn't eat any. I feed her 2/3 cup of kibble per day. Can I add 1/3 cup of no salt added French cut green beans to her meals? Will this help satisfy her more? I really wouldn't feel comfortable increasing her kibble because she is already at her goal weight So I think she would get chubby if I fed her more dog food. (She's slightly under 17 pounds) thanks!

Green beans are normally a very safe and healthy option to add some extra "bulk" to the diet without significantly increasing calories - so as long as Chloe is otherwise healthy and isn't on any kind of special diet for medical reasons, it should be fine to add some to her diet to see if this helps her feel more full :)

wo weeks ago a neighborhood kid kicked my 14 year old Pomeranian, at first he was in pain but functional. Now this past week he has deteriorated to the point he doesn't want to eat, drink, walk. He now has to be carried to the yard to go potty where he struggles and shakes just to get up to pee, and falls back down yesterday he tried to have a bm and was unable to. He also smells an awful rotten fish and ammonia smell that is so bad the whole room smells even after a bath. We are making an appoi

Oh, poor Jack! How awful - I'm so sorry that this happened. It looks like your question was cut off due to character limits, so I'm not sure what you wanted to ask. It sounded like you were about to say that you're making an appointment to take him to the vet, which is excellent - it sounds like he definitely needs a vet visit! In fact, I would actually recommend taking him in right away rather than waiting for an appointment, because it sounds like he's very seriously ill or injured - I would be concerned that it may not be safe to wait even another day. It's hard to know for sure what might be wrong without being able to examine him, but it sounds like he could have a serious back injury if he's unable to stand or walk on his own. This would also explain why he's been so painful. It's also possible that he has internal injuries to his liver, kidneys, or other organs that are making him feel so sick. Your veterinarian can examine him and will probably also recommend blood work and x-rays to help determine what's wrong and see what can be done to treat him.

Can a dog get sick if we give him every day whole life a teaspoon of fish oil and a teaspoon of coconut oil? Weight =5,6 kg.

It is possible that Aram could develop pancreatitis or an upset stomach due to consuming so much oil for such a small dog. Instead, try only offering the fish oil. The omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in fish oil have been shown to have both anti-inflammatory properties and can be beneficial to skin and joint health. Coconut oil, however, has no proven medical benefit in animals or humans. Always consult with Aram's vet to discuss giving oils or supplements!

Hello thanks for helping me. I have a aquarium in my house. Said aquarium has 2 glofish danios, 2 glofish tetras, 1 molly, and 2 ghost catfish. One of my ghost catfish has a bent spine. He is now in a isolated tank. I really want him to live, what can I do? He is constantly wiggling around and can't swim well. He has been this way for only a day. Please help me save him. Thanks

A bent spine can be the result of poor nutrition, congenital defects, parasites, trauma or serious illness such as fish tuberculosis (TB). It is good that you isolated him. If the cause is either trauma or congenital, you might want to consider humanely euthanizing him. Before that though, you can try a broad spectrum anti parasite medication. You can purchase one at most pet stores in the Aquarium section. Check for adequate water quality and feed a species appropriate diet. If he doesn't improve or worsens, relieving his suffering may be the humane option.

My cat has inflamed pancreas. We immediately started her on dry Royal Canin gastrointestinal yesterday...but I am not sure she has gone poo yet. I am interested in natural cures. Would it inflame her to give some oil of some kind..maybe some fish oil, or some olive oil? Is Tuna very bad for her? She vomited a lot on Wednesday and became sick. Normally, she loves to eat wet food...I have given many variations but she is only eating dry food now. Why? Is she in pain? She sleeps a lot today?

Oily/fatty foods can cause stimulation of the pancreas and increased pain and vomiting and would not be recommended in Bellas case. Given the history of vomiting I would not be overly concerned about the delay in stool production but she should pass feces within 72hours of regaining her appetite and food intake.

So I have 5 goldfish. And I have a 55-gallon tank. 2 of my goldfish are growing pimple-like things on their bodies. It's the color "pinkish". It's been 3 days and theirs eating habits are weird and irregular. What can I do to make the pimples go away

You should separate the affected fish out into a smaller hospital tank for ease of treatment and to prevent spread. Monitor the remaining fish for symptoms. A wide variety of minor infections (bacterial, fungal and parasites) can be effectively treated using simple aquarium salt. Dissolve one teaspoon of aquarium salt (NOT table salt) per gallon of water in the hospital tank. Perform daily water changes, replacing any water with salt in the same dilution. Do not simply continue to add salt to the tank. Treat for 7-10 days. You should see improvement or resolution within this time frame. If not, you may need antibiotics or antifungals. These can be purchased at most pet stores. Do not return the fish to the home tank until all symptoms have resolved. You will need to reevaluate your tank space with that many goldfish. For fancy goldfish (double tails), the general stocking rule of thumb is 20 gallons for the first fish, then 10 gallons for each additional fish. This amount can double for single tail goldfish. The reason being they create large amounts of ammonia which can be deadly in high enough concentrations. Overfeeding and dead plant material can compound the problem. Powerful filtration, careful monitoring and avoiding overcrowding are all keys to keeping goldfish.

I have a freshwater fish in my aquarium that I cannot identify. It resembles a Mosquito fish but is lighter in color, thinner, swims differently, and has what appear to be sparkles on its sides. I caught it with a net in a school of mosquito fish but it is different. it was the only one in the school that looks the way it does. I found it in the shallow part of a lake in Florida. Please help me identify it.

Without an image, it will be difficult to definitively identify the fish in question. It may be a wild guppy. You can request a consultation which will allow you to share images. It is not recommended to add wild caught fish to an existing aquarium without an acceptable quarantine period.

My beta fish has a swollen stomach and had turned white, can you help please

Coutinio may have an infection, tumor, swim bladder issues or constipation just to name a few possibilities. Begin with the basics. Check water quality. If you have a home test kit, check ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels. If you don't have a test kit, you can submit a water sample for testing. Most pet stores or aquarists will do this for free or for a nominal fee. Constipation can lead to swim bladder disease. Both may be helped by fasting him for 2-3 days then feeding bits of shelled green peas. Fast him for one day a week in the future. Minor infections can be treated with broad spectrum antibiotics or antifungals. These can be purchased at most pet stores. Follow label directions. Serious conditions such as dropsy or tumors typically have a poor outcome.