Introduction to Koi Medicine and Surgical Techniques

1
Introduction to Koi Medicine and Surgical
Techniques

• Dr. Kari Nugent
• Dr. Katie Waters

2
All about Koi..

• NOT COY
• Cyprinus carpio, the ornamental carp
• Developed by the Japanese over 200 years ago.
• Selectively bred for color,
  pattern, size and confirmation

3
Koi are NOT big goldfish!

• Goldfish
• Koi

4
Where will I find Koi?
5
Not here
Spring Break 2002 BAHAMAS ?
6
Why Koi?

• Koi fish are becoming a popular hobby pet
• Koi ponds help relieve stress
• Great addition to natural ponds
• Fun to feed

7
Fun to Feed?
8
A Proper Koi Pond
9
Basic Needs

• Ideal water temperature is 20 degrees Celsius (68
  degrees Fahrenheit)
• Good water quality
• Proper filtration system
• Adequate oxygenation
• Proper Diet
• Dont overcrowd!

10
Koi dont handle stress well

• Common causes of stress include
• Poor water quality
• High ammonia levels
• Crowding
• Parasites / Predators
• Wrong temperature
• Poor diet
• Toxic chemicals

11
Koi can blush!

• Koi show stress by blushing red in their fins and
  on their bodies.
• Common sites include the front spines of dorsal
  fins, the caudal fin, and under the scales.

12
The Basics of Koi Medicine

• A good history is critical in every species!

13
Important Koi Questions

• How long have you been keeping koi?
• What are the problems with the fish today?
• When did you first notice these problems?
• How long have you owned the sick koi and where
  did they come from?
• Are there other fish in the same tank or pond
  with the sick fish, and if so, how are they
  doing?

14
History, continued

• What is the size of the pond and how is it
  heated, filtered, and aerated?
• Do you have a water test kit?
• How often do you test the water? Current results?
• What and how often do you feed your fish?
• Have the fish already been treated? If so, with
  what medications?
• Any risk of toxic exposure?

15
Testing the water

• A good water testing kit should determine
• Water temperature
• Ammonia levels
• Nitrate / nitrite levels
• pH
• Dissolved O2 content
• Total alkalinity
• Other levels
  (copper, chlorine, etc)

16
Common Koi diseases

• Bacterial infections
• Mostly Gram organisms
• Aeromonas or Pseudomonas
• Commonly present as
• Mouth or fin rot
• Body sores
• Redbelly
• Sudden death
• Bulging eyes
• Dx Blood tests and/or necropsy
• Treat with antibiotics?

Dropsy
Red Mouth Rot
17
Common Koi diseases (contd)

• Parasite Infections
• Often found concurrent with a bacterial infection
• Easy to diagnose with a microscope
• Requires a skin/fin scrape not so easy
• Sample collection often requires anesthesia
• Often easy to treat

18
Common Koi Parasites

• Skin / Gill Flukes
• Cause ulcer disease
• Treat with potassium permanganate
• Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifilis)
• Protozoal killer of very small fish
• Redskin disease
• Not the usual white spot
  syndrome
• Clears easily with salt

19
Other Koi parasites

• Trichodina
• flashing spiderweb skin lesions
• Chilodonella
• Springtime killer
• Visible parasites
• Anchor worm
• Argulus
  (aka fish lice)

20
Koi Fungal Infections

• External, often secondary to break in epidermis
  and mucus coating
• Dx skin or fin biopsy
• See hyphae / spores with microscope
• Treat with supportive care, topical antibiotics
  and/or disinfectants
• Good water quality is key!
• High water temperatures, nitrate levels, and
  crowding promote infection!

21
Common diagnostic procedures

• Blood collection
• Culture, CBC, serum chemistries
• Caudal vein site
• Biopsy
• Requires sterile scalpel blade, scissors and
  forceps
• May require anesthesia
• Must consider size/condition of fish
• Fecal exam
• Useful to detect internal parasite problems

22
More diagnostic procedures

• Radiology
• Often no anesthesia required
• CT scans, bone scans, contrast studies
• Necropsy
• Allows thorough examination of tissues
• Any/all organs available
• Caution dead fish autolyze rapidly, so best to
  perform necropsy immediately after euthanasia

23
Surgical Procedures on Fish

• biopsies (liver and kidney)
• mass removals
• swim bladder surgery
• egg impaction
• celiotomy
• enucleation
• gonadectomy

24
Surgery?

• Avoid surgical procedures in fish that
• Have scales raised
• all over their body
• Have not eaten in 6-8
• weeks
• Have scoliosis
• Display generalized
• weakness
• Have chronic water quality issues

Dropsy the pinecone look
25
Special Considerations

• careful handling to maintain protective
  cutaneous coating
• fish skin is easily damaged
• constant mucus production
• Makes asepsis difficult
• fish should be kept moist during surgery DUH!

26
Surgical Preparation

• withhold food for 24-48 hours (no need to
  withhold water)
• Administer anesthesia to a surgical plane
• Sponge mucus from surgical sight
• Drape fish with a soft, absorbent, moistened
  drape.
• Monitor patient with a pulse Doppler or ECG leads

27
Anesthesia delivery

• Immersion
• Injection into the musculature
• Injection into the peritoneal cavity

28
Available Anesthetics

• MS 222
• urethane
• haltothane
• isoflurane
• clove oil
• butorphenol

Most tooth ache remedies are 85 Eugenol (clove
oil) use three drops/gallon
29
MS 222

• FDA approved for consumable fish
• 21 day withdrawal
• sodium channel blocker
• 25-100mL/1L of water
• induction time 1-3 minutes
• recovery time 3-15 minutes
• excellent maintenance
• may contribute to hypoxemia, hypercapnia, resp.
  acidosis in some species

30
Eugenol (clove oil)

• practical alternative to MS222
• readily available
• 25-50mg/L water
• recovery may be prolonged
• dilute 110 in 95 ethanol
• similar complications as MS222, slightly lower
  safety margin

31
Isoflurane

• bubbled through anesthetic chamber to effect
• induction time 1-3 minutes
• recovery time 3-15 minutes

32
Butorphanol

• given IM
• dosage 0.4mg/kg
• administer prior to recovery
• insures better recovery

33
(No Transcript)
34
(No Transcript)
35
Post Operative Care

• place fish in untreated water in holding tank
• move gently and slowly to enhance opercular
  movement
• avoid moving too quickly
• Monitor for at least 24 hours

36
Induction Chamber

• Anesthesia Isoflurane, 5cc/2gallons of water.
• Patients own water was used in the induction
  chamber.

37
Egg Impacted Female

• Dilute induction water to 1cc/gallon
• Pump water from induction chamber over the gills.

38
Groucho
Before surgery the weight of the mass on Grouchos
head made swimming and eating difficult.
39
Groucho before surgery

• large mass on dorsal thorax
• diagnosis fibroma
• presented to Oklahoma State University Aug.
  15,2001
• physical exam findings large, round mass, with
  tremendous blood vessel infiltration.

40
Groucho during surgery
Anesthesia was maintained by infused water flow
through the mouth and over the gills.
41
Groucho at Home
Three weeks after his surgery
42
Laser surgery?

• Lymphoma on the dorsal fin
• Treatment option
• laser removal.

43
Laser removal of Lymphoma
44
(No Transcript)
45
(No Transcript)
46
At home post surgery
47
Whats next Fish MRI?
48
Questions?
49
References

• http//www.koivet.com/
• http//www.ulam.umich.edu/UCUCA/anesthesia_fish.do
  c
• http//www2.okstate.edu/pio/Groucho.html
• http//www.cvm.okstate.edu/Depts/VCS/ZEW/ZEW20Gol
  dfish20Case.htm
• http//www.welbornpet.com/Presentation/FishTumor/f
  ishp6.htm
• http//www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/swmbldr.html
• http//www.vcnet.com/coi_net/
• http//www.coloradokoi.com
• http//www.nwkg.tripod.com/

50
(No Transcript)
51
(No Transcript)
52
(No Transcript)
53
(No Transcript)
54
(No Transcript)
55
(No Transcript)
56
(No Transcript)
57
(No Transcript)
58
(No Transcript)
59
(No Transcript)
60
(No Transcript)
61
(No Transcript)
62
(No Transcript)
63
(No Transcript)
64
(No Transcript)
65
(No Transcript)
66
(No Transcript)
67
(No Transcript)
68
(No Transcript)
69
(No Transcript)
70
(No Transcript)
71
(No Transcript)
72
(No Transcript)