Vet Q&A-Fish

Max is very itchy and biting areas of his fur. Went to vet for yearly visit a week ago and said it might be allergies. Gave max fish oil and cetirizine. Since then he developed a bump which is now bleeding due to scratching. Is this something other than allergies like hot spots or allergies? What do you recommend products or vet questions for treatment.

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. The itchy component needs to be addressed. There are medications to reduce the itch that can be tried such as Apoquel. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

One of my fish has open sore on both sides of the skin. Apparently some of the other fish has bitten him and now some of his skin is bulging on both sides and it’s in a 70 gallon tank with other fish, and I don’t know what to do.. can someone help me..

It needs to be separated into a hospital tank by itself so it can be treated and heal. If you leave it in the main tank, the others will continue to pick and nip until it dies. Maintain pristine water quality and chemistry during treatment. You can use a broad spectrum antibiotic for 10-14 days to treat infection. You can find one, such as Maracyn 1 or 2, Kanaplex or Furan, in the aquarium section of the local Petco. Follow label directions carefully and remove the carbon filter insert during treatment if indicated.

A female(?) Molly fish with swollen belly, isolated from the other fish in the tank. Had for approximately 17 days.

Hard to say from your description whether she is pregnant or ill. You can tell male from female Mollies by looking in the area of the anus. A male Molly has a so-called gonopodium. The gestation period of a molly fish is about 60 days. Female mollies can store sperm for months and may fertilize eggs as often as every 30 days, even without a male in the tank. Mollies may release 10 to 60 live babies at a time. Here is an illustration of sexing Mollies (and other live bearers)(credit: Mwahahahaa) http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/Mwahahahaa/media/bWVkaWFJZDoyMDk0MTEzNw==/?ref=

I got a red barb a couple months ago and I thought it was just a little bit deformed. But today I looked at the fish and it has a white thing that came out of its skin where I thought its body was the most crooked. So I would like to know maybe what the white thing is and if I should put the fish in quarantine.

A photo of the fish would be helpful if you can get one. It could be infection, injury or parasites. Any new fish, ideally, should be quarantined for at least 2 weeks before being staffed to the main tank. For now, quarantine the fish. Treat with a broad spectrum dewormer. You can find one in the aquarium section of the local Petco. Maintain pristine water quality and add in some plain aquarium salt (NOT table or Epsom salt). This will reduce stress, improve gill function, treat minor infection and aid in recovery. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water in a cup or two of tank water and gently pour it into the tank. Treat for no more than 14 days then reassess the condition

Respected doctor, with due respect i am asking you that my one year old cat is not eating appreaciably for two days. Yesterday he had spasm in left leg. He failed to stand on the bed for two or probably one minutes. Today after eating raw fish it has vomited. What to do iam very very concerned,

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Loss of appetite and vomiting can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. Not being able to stand may be a separate issue or it may be due to weakness. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Hi. I have neon fish and one of them is swimming nose up. He seems to struggle to swim now for some reason. He use to swim straight but he is now nose up and kind of bounces to swim. I hope he’s not sick. Any suggestions?

It may have swim bladder issues. The swim bladder is crucial to maintain buoyancy. It can be affected by parasites, infection or constipation. Confirm proper water quality and chemistry. You may need to perform partial water changes to stabilize chemistry and/or to improve water quality. Use only conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. You can fast the fish for 2-3 days, then resume feeding bits of cooked and shelled green peas. This will aid in relieving constipation. A broad spectrum dewormer can be found in the aquarium section of the local Petco. Follow label directions carefully. If either do not help, you can try a broad spectrum antibiotic to treat infection.

I think my cat got into fish bones outside on Sun night. He's been laying in one spot only getting up to switch sides occasionally since Mon. Not interested in eating but has taken some wet food w/water and ate a whole jar of chicken baby food a few minutes ago. No vomiting, no litter box (at least not yesterday or today, Wed), just seems miserable. Gums are a pale pink. Too pale? Only one local vet who doesn't take C. C. Will he be okay? Or do I need to take him out of town to emergency vet?

His gums don't look tremendously pale, but the lethargy and discomfort you describe is concerning, and yes, I would take him in. It's hard to say whether the bones could have caused a complete GI blockage, but if he's not defecating at all (or urinating???) then that is a potential concern. Even a serious case of gastroenteritis secondary to eating fish and bones is extremely uncomfortable, and warrants treatment. I would take him in ASAP.

I bought a few baby Bettas, the person at the Petco counter TOLD ME that these fish CAN STAY in the tubs they came in (NOT BAGS) until they get too big! If they can live in these tubs at the store cant they live in the tubs in my loving home?? How big is too big? I have bee told they have to be moved to a BIG tank, like, 2 or 3 gallons, is there any way I can get cheap ones?? If I properly clean, add sulfrate and healthy water could I make a DIY tank out of a food container? HELP ME SAVE DUSTIN

Hi, and thanks for your question. There is a general rule about it which is a rough estimate not to overcrowd your aquarium and avoid excessive production of feces and organic debris. The rule is one Inch per gallon, so in 10 gallons there should be ideally 10 inches of fishes in total. You should consider as well the presence of plants and gravel and any other sort of things, which decrease the water volume of 5-10% (so 10 liters are actually 9-9.5). This rule does not consider modern filtration systems. Food containers can be used effectively as hospital temporary aquarium but not for normal ones.

I got my baby male Betta fish yesterday, I got a few others as well, they are all in the containers they came in seeing as the counter worker told me they could be untill they got bigger, My Male isnt eating the bloodworms in his tank. Im worried, I fed him three times, when I got home from the store, this morning and tonight, there are still pellets in there! Is it caused by stress? How can I save my little Dustin!

Thanks for reaching out about Dustin. Betta fish can not live in those small containers for elongated periods of time. Small quantities of water are more likely to accumulate toxins such as ammonia. Uneaten food will degrade also into ammonia. Small containers are not stable for temperature change also. The minimal size container for a betta fish is probably 2-3 gallons. Good luck with your fish.