Vet Q&A-Fish

My betta fish has two black patches that resembles eczema on the side of her body and a very small whole on her anal fin. Help

The black patches may be due to elevated ammonia levels. This may cause "burns" on scales. Perform a partial water change immediately. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched (78 F to 80 F) to prevent further stress or shock. Poor water quality can lead to fin rot or infection. This can be remedied, in most cases, by maintaining water quality. You can add a bit of plain aquarium salt (NOT table salt) to aid healing and reduce stress. One teaspoon of salt per gallon of water is recommended. Dissolve it completely in a cup of tank water then gently pour it into the tank.

What's your opinion on supplements for dogs? For example do you think the following is good to give my dog? Joint pill, fish oil, probiotics, pumpkin. Why or why not? Are these things needed?

If you are feeding a high quality, well balanced diet and your dog has no underlying health conditions, additional supplements are unlikely to be required. If you have any concerns, a full check up should be performed to identify the underlying conditions and advise on any supplements which can help. If your dog is a picky eater or on a mixed diet then certain supplements can help to replace nutrients which she is not consuming and the advice of a nutritionist to balance the diet should be considered

We are starting to feed our puppy Royal Canin Puppy Maxi today. We always used tiny amounts of fish oil and calcium powder with previous ''raw diet'', can we still keep adding it to RC food? Because we don't want supplements to go to waste. And if yes, how often? We did it for every meal before.

Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! I do not recommend adding a calcium supplement to puppy food it can affect bone growth significantly in a puppy. I recommend stopping that immediately unless directed by your Vet. As for the fish oil, that is fine but how often depends on the brand you are using. Most fish oils have instructions on the bottle and are once daily. If you want to post a picture of the fish oil with the label we can try to help. I like Omega Benefits by VRS: http://vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/ I hope this helps and have a great day!

I think my betta fish has clamped fins, any help?

This problem require a radical but logic approach. Begin by submitting a water sample for quality testing. Most pet stores will do this for free or a nominal fee. High ammonia levels, PH imbalances may be responsible for that. 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. Fin rot can be caused by a bacterial infection. 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 zebra looking cold water fish looks like it’s got cotton wool on it, it’s come on over the day, what do I do and how can it treat the fish

By your description, it could be a fungal infection. This can occur with poor water quality or stress. It can also be introduced I to a tank by new additions. Treatment is relatively simple and involves providing adequate water quality. Rinse filter media with tank water, not tap water, and perform a partial water change. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent further stress or shock. Common antifungal medications include Malachite Green, Jungle Labs Fungus Eliminator, Anti-Fungus Remedy (Interpet) or PimaFix (API). You can purchase these products at your local pet or fish store. Follow label directions. If just the one fish is affected, consider separating it and treating it in a hospital tank. Return it to the main tank once treatment is complete.

Is it ok to add fish oil to my dogs diet of Acana food. It has a 4:1 ratio of omega 6:3. She has some seasonal itching and I want her coat to look nice. I was thinking of adding grizzly salmon oil. She has had Nordic naturals in the past. The food does add fish oil and probiotics so is it ok that I'm adding additional fish oil and would you also recommend probiotics as well? She has no medical problems. Thanks!

Fish oil does tend to make the coat shinier and nicer looking, which will likely be the most obvious benefit you get from supplementing. Fish oil does have antiinflamatory properties that may be helpful with the itching, but I wouldn't expect a drastic change. There has been a great deal of debate about ratios of Omega 6 vs 3, but honestly, the debate is not over, so the 4:1 ratio should be fine. I would just make sure that the omega 3 fatty acids do not get above 1mg per kg of body weight, or you could be giving above the safe upper limit. Probiotics are another supplement that are not bad to give, but is not necessary for a healthy animal. I usually only advise probiotic supplementation for intestinal conditions where there has been some good evidence for its use. Probiotics are also an unregulated product, so depending on the product, it may or may not be have what it claims; or may not have the bacteria that are known to be beneficial. For this reason, I only recommend getting probiotics as directed by your veterinarian. I hope that helps and all is well with Chloe.

Are betta sororities bad? I mean mostly on the fish? I heard that it's just a major cause of stress on the bettas and unatural, are you basically just hurting the bettas more than anything by having a sorority? What I wanted to do originally was to have a 75+ gallon tank with about 15-20 female bettas along with some corys, would this just be a bad idea on the fish and hurt them more than anything? Also are spotted leaf fish compatible with female bettas such as in this tank?

Female betta sororities are not "bad". They can be tricky to set up though. A 75 gallon tank is more than adequate for 15-20. Try to get them as close to age and size as possible and introduce them into the tank as a group. Provide PLENTY of cover (plants, hiding spots). Initially, there will be some squabbles and nipping as they establish their own heirarchy. Remove any that are overly aggressive. A betta tank may be too warm for Corys. Bettas do best between 78 F and 80 F whereas corys like water a bit cooler, 65 F to 75 F. A spotted leaf fish would not be recommended. It would likely eat the smaller bettas once it is grown.

I need your advice on the best ich treatment for a ten gallon tank with live plants, snails, a Corydora catfish, a Betta, an Ottocinclus, and a baby Bristlenose Plecostomus. The ich is very minor at point right now, but feel I should treat before it weakens my fish beyond their ability to fight back. I need something gentle enough for the Pleco, Otto, and snails, but strong enough to kill it well!

The safest treatment would be a temporary increase in water temperature and some plain aquarium salt (NOT table salt). Ich is very sensitive to temperature. Gradually increase water temperature, by no more than 1 degree F per hour, up to 86 F. Hold it at that temperature for at least 2weeks. This will speed up the life cycle and prevent reproduction. You can perform partial water changes (30%) and vacuum the substrate during treatment. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. An airstone should be used to increase oxygenation since warm water does not hold as much oxygen as cooler water. This could affect some the fish. Aquarium salt can be dissolved into the tank at 1-2 teaspoons per gallon of water. Dissolve it in a cup of tank water then pour it gently into the tank. When performing water changes, treat only the amount of water being replaced with salt, not the entire tank volume. After 2 weeks, gradually decrease water temperature back down to species appropriate levels.

David? My vet recommended Benadryl for my dog for her itching and environmental allergies but she doesn't appear to be having any itching right now. Her eyes sometimes would get bloodshot, would Benadryl help with that? I'm wondering if I should temporarily discontinue the Benadryl since she's doing better? I don't want to add unnecessary supplements to her diet. Right now she's on a joint pill because her breed is prone to joint problems. Does she need fish oil or probiotics? she's on Acana.

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Seems like you are doing a very good job. You can use the Benadryl on an as needed basis. Fish oil helps quite a bit with skin issues so I think that would be a good idea. You can get the veterinary commercial fish oil you can buy online or at your local pet store. Good luck and have a great night!