Vet Q&A-Fish

Merida just pooped blood. She appears to be acting and feeling fine. She hasn't done this at all in the past month. She is eating omega 3s and fish oil with her food and water. She eats Blue all natural dental bones. Her food is Acana. We just moved and she hasn't eaten or drank all day today. It is really stressful for her. Can you tell me what is going on or what might be going on? Thanks, reply asap! Bye.

I'm sorry Merida isn't doing well! There could be a couple of things causing the blood in her poop. Many of my colleagues have reported cases of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in dogs fed Blue products, so that could be the cause of it. It could also be caused by an ulcer, possibly extreme stress, intestinal parasites, or a foreign body. I would say that she isn't feeling fine if she hasn't eaten or drank all day. That sounds like to me a dog who isn't feeling well. When a dog poops blood and doesn't eat or drink, then it's considered a medical emergency. She needs veterinary attention now. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. I hope this helps!

My cats are about 1 month old.after eating fish they started vomiting and also had diarrhea.what should i do?

I would feed them a bland diet until the vomiting resolves. I have outlined a bland diet for you below. If there is no improvement and they worsen, I would get them seen by a vet for an exam and further testing / treatment. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

My betta fish just fell in the sink and is now gasping for air. It now turns vertically on the top of the tank and occasionally swims around. Its fins were also damaged when it fell in the sink.

Oh goodness. It sounds like she was pretty stressed during the event. There isn't much you can do but give her some time to see if she can recover. Make sure your water chemistry and temperature is optimal. I hope she does ok. Wishing for the best!

Hello my betta fish fins seem to be half off what do I do?

He may have some degree of fin rot. His pictures do not look like he has severe fin rot though. Most cases are caused by infection from poor water quality. Minor rot can be treated by maintaining good water quality and decreasing water flow/current. Perform partial water changes. Use conditioned or aged water. Make sure it is temperature matched to prevent shock. Bettas should be kept between 78 and 80 F. Plain aquarium salt (NOT table salt) can also be used at 2 teaspoons per gallon of water for 7-10 days. If the water changes and salt do not improve fin condition, consider a broad spectrum antibiotic. You can find several options in the aquarium section of the local pet store. Follow label directions.

We are struggling to figure out if our 11 month old lab has demodex or allergies. He has dry skin but doesn't scratch bite or itch. She's losing hair in clumps top coat and under. She has bald patches around neck nest and thigh areas. She has been switched to a fish based diet to avoid grains. She has one pimple like spot on belly and a few on her chin that just appeared today. This has been going on for a few days. Also doing oatmeal shampoo and giving Benadryl to her. Any leads to what it is?

It is very possible that Rylie has both demodex as well as underlying allergies. Demodex is a mite that we commonly see in young dogs, like Rylie. It is very easy to detect on skin scrape, so your vet should be able to readily tell you if she has it or not. Allergies can be a little more difficult to figure out, as they can be environmental, food related, or seasonal. If it is a diet related allergy, it could take 2 months of a new diet to see any improvement. Since she has a few pimples, I would be concerned that she may be developing a skin infection that requires antibiotics. I would take Rylie in to have an exam with your vet and a skin work up to see what the underlying cause of her hair loss is and what treatment she needs to be on.

I have a fish tank my first with 6 Angel fish, want to know what's the best type of fish to ad to give it a beautiful decorations

Bottom feeders such as plecos or corydoras catfish will do well in a tank of angelfish. Other community fish include silver dollars and the larger Tetra species. Monitor for fin nipping and remove fish if necessary. You have a lovely tank and the angels look very nice in it. Be cautious when adding fish as you may overload your tank. The angels will grow as will any additions and your tank may not be able to support the population. This could lead to poor water quality, aggression and sick fish.

Hello! I purchased a male koi betta from a Petco two days ago. He is currently living in a two gallon filtered aquarium. Yesterday I noticed him laying on the floor of the aquarium, but I assumed he was just sleeping. Today when I woke up he was covered in a sort of fuzzy substance, which I assume to be fungus, and still laying on the floor of the aquarium. Sometimes he will get up and swim around. I want to do something to prevent him from dying, but I don't know what to do. Please help!

If you set up your tank and added Cola the same day, it is likely you are having water chemistry issues in addition to a fungal infection. Tanks should be set up and run for about 4 weeks before adding fish. This allows the tank to cycle. This means beneficial bacteria will populate the filter and substrate. It is important because they rid the tank of toxins such as ammomnia and nitrites. Since he is in the tanlk already, you can use a quick start product to jump start the nitrogen cycle. You can purchase this at the pet store. You will also need an antifungal medication. Follow label directions carefully. Make sure water temp is between 78 and 82 F and use a low flow filter to prevent a strong current. Partial water changes (no more than 30%) may be necessary to reduce ammonia and nitrite levels until the tank has cycled. Used aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched.

My goldfish, chowder, is staying at the top and won't eat. He won't use one of his pectoral fins. I think it is broken. It's red and has a white spot on it. I dont know what happened. He might have been already sick then got hurt because my dad sucked his fin up by the cleaning hose. But he doesn't remember if that was before or after he wouldn't eat.

Check the water quality using a home test kit. Fish will linger at the top due to high ammonia or nitrite levels or in instances of low oxygen levels in the tank. Being a goldfish, you can't rule out constipation or swim bladder disease. Partial water changes, with aged or conditioned water, can be done to reduce ammonia and nitrites. Increased filtration will help to promote better water quality. An air pump with a bubble wand or air stone will increase oxygen levels. If he is defecating normally and is swimming normally, it is likely not digestion or swim bladder issues. These conditions are typically managed with a 24-48 hour fast followed by feeding fresh, shelled peas until symptoms resolve. The red spot may be due to trauma from the suction hose or it may be infection. Both can be treated using plain aquarium salt. Dissolve one teaspoon per gallon of water and mix it into the tank. You should see improvement within 5-7 days. Treat for no longer than 10 days. If there is no improvement, you can use a broad spectrum antibiotic for fish tanks. Check the Aquarium section in your local Petco for antibiotics such as erythromycin, minocycline or kanamycin. Follow package directions carefully.

I have 2.5 gallon bowl ...which fish breed can i kept in it

It's not really recommended to keep fish in bowls with no filtration. And 2.5 gallons isn't really big enough for much. A Beta fish may possibly do ok in it if you can maintain it. But I would recommend more doing plants and a few snails or ghost shrimp type of animals in a bowl that size.