New Resources When Treating Fish Diseases

Resources when facing fish health diseases, symptoms of illness like white spot, and parasite treatments.

There is a lot of information on the internet but it can come from inexperienced sources, and in many cases now, may be a ‘bad-translation’ of stolen content. It’s a “thing” these days.
“Change enough words and it’s not plagiarism!” so they say. And when non-English speakers are ‘changing words’ I’ve seen some amazing errors.

The best fish health information can be found on DrJohnson.com because it’s coming from ONE person and not a panel of self proclaimed experts. (Forums)
Other sites in the same family include: Fishdoc.co.uk and Koivet.com

But, sometimes you don’t want a computer near the pond, and prefer details in a written paperback format so, perhaps your best bet is Dr Erik Johnson’s textbook “Koi Health & Disease” 2.
It’s written in a cookbook “How to” format that almost anyone could understand. It’s been well reviewed. In fact, the ONLY criticism of the book on Amazon.com is that the images inside the book are black-and-white greyscale. You don’t lose any information with that, but people expect full color these days.
Another resource is Fishtreatments.com (A sister site to drjohnson.com) Things are different on that site.
At that Fishtreatments web site, which calls itself a “What To Buy For That Bug” web site, you get the symptom, plus a brief description and then HOW TO TREAT IT.
You’ll see an emphasis on improving water quality but you’re not left wondering how to do that. Everything is spelled out from lighting to filtration, medications and resources on how to use them –
The site focuses on Amazon.com-availability because they have Prime shipping, which allows virtually overnight delivery of most things.
You’re just LUCKIER when your local pond supplies store has everything in stock.
Many times they do.

https://drjohnson.com/thebook/
https://fishtreatments.com
https://amzn.to/2wTqgGR  The Book via Prime

Goodbye Dear One: On Euthanizing a Pet

Goodbye Dear One

How old am I?

I just couldn’t say,

I lived in the moment,

For each day to day.

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All I’ve known

Is chase, and play

Guarding you, to

Do as you say.

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It’s been so great

to be in your Pack

Included in all things,

We each “got our backs”

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But then life got harder

I gladly endured,

For the love of my family

It kept my heart moored.

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Then like a pen,

I ran out of ink,

It got harder to move

Even harder to think.

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And when it got bad

My people took note;

“We should send him to Heaven”

Came the merciful vote.

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So, again I’ll stand tall,

with The Dog’s endless spirit

To serve as a new pup,

The one who endears it.

 

by Dr. Erik Johnson

New Article: How Your Dog SHOULD Eat

Excerpted from this candid and accurate article:

“When a dog is eventually at a healthy weight it will get PICKY about dry dog food. If we left it at that, our dogs would never get fat.

At that point it’s your call whether you mix something in the dry food to coaxe a lean dog to eat, or simply let her eat per her needs, and stay lean.

“She stopped liking her food. She just wouldn’t eat it.”

This is because they don’t NEED many calories when they’re mostly indoors, lean and healthy.”

Dr Johnson goes over how a dog should eat and describes the “figure” most dogs should have. This makes it easier for owners of “heavy” dogs to recognize the problem.

Here’s the “How Your Dog Should Eat” Article on DrJohnson.com

 

Saving Sick Fish: How to Save Fish FAST!

The TLDR of Fish Health. Mastery in 40 pages. The new book by Dr Erik Johnson ( drjohnson.com and Koivet.com )
The brand new Fish Health and treatment book is available at https://savingsickfish.org/thenewbook and 
If I was training a new employee for a pet shop, fish-friendly veterinary clinic, a garden center or pond company, this would be the book I'd hand the prospect. If someone bought a fish or tank from me, I'd give  them this book so they could get up to speed without ANY wasted time. There are 21 Q-R Codes that take you from A to Z if you somehow want more depth than the book gives you. There are nerds like that. The happy kid on the cover is better than a dead fish with its guts showing, which is NORMALLY what you see on a fish diseases book. I hope you like it. Doc Johnson
Forty page crash course with NO 'unnecessary' topics or information. You can solve fish health problems quickly and develop adequate proficiency to succeed with fish keeping and the aquarium hobby in an illustrated 2 to 3 hour read.
The author provides guidance and “how to's” based on more than twenty years experience as a fish health veterinarian. Author of several other books on fish health, this is not a “pop-up” Chat GPT produced guess-book.
The book is supported by 21 QR Codes which take the reader to more information at the book's supporting website of the same name, savingsickfish.org where the reader will find a support forum, more than 60 conserved (reader only) resources which are substantially video tutorials.
This is exactly the book you would give to a new hobbyist who wanted to be “pretty good” at fish keeping right out of the gate. You will stop losing fish and start enjoying the hobby.
About the video on Youtube.com
Another personal introduction to the book with Dr Johnson in person.

“Spotless Ich” is a Thing. But it’s EASY. (Video)

For some reason, Ich organisms don't cause white spots in Koi and most goldfish. I've NEVER seen white spot on Koi. At the same time, some of the hottest Ich infestations were on Koi. WITHOUT WHITE SPOTS.
If you see Koi or Goldfish turning red, getting slimy and depressed, it's usually a crashing pH but that's easy to prove.
Then if the pH is okay, you could break out your trusty microscope.
OR just start some salting.
Good article on salting over at savingsickfish.org

Chinese triple threat

According to authorities, the Chinese immigrants do not carry guns; and so they are not soldiers or spies. Whew!!!
You don’t have to Google some obscure, fringe right wing newsletter to find this information. It is being reported by CBS, NBC, MSNBC, New York Times, Washington Post, and all the mainstream media.

First fact:

There is an armed Chinese satellite trained on each and every unarmed American communications satellite. 

Second fact: 

Chinese immigration across the southern border has increased 500% and is the fastest growing demographic entering the United States illegally.

Third fact: 

China owns almost 400,000 acres of land which represents about one percent of American farmland, this has jumped 400% since 2020. The US Department of agriculture is not enforcing reporting laws, and they are buying farmland near Air Force bases. Currently, foreign land purchasers are on a self reporting basis. It is an unmonitored situation, and the USDA is not enforcing policies and fines associated with not disclosing the location and purpose of privately held farmland.

Chronic diarrhea considerations pretty thorough

The chronic GI upset dog

An “on-and-off diarrhea with the following hallmarks:

  1. “Seems to be fine when on medicine but as soon as the dog goes off, it’s back.”
  2. “If we give anything out of the ordinary it triggers diarrhea.”
  3. “She never had this before <insert date>”
  4. Mostly diarrhea rather than vomiting.
  5. The dogs act fine when they go through the spells of diarrhea.
  6. Only occasionally vomiting.

 

Various Causes and Contributors to be Ruled out:

  1. Giardia tops the list (A fecal exam and some Metronidazole are effective but shows up on fecals less-than-half of the time)
  2. Hookworms in very young or rather old dogs (Empirical deworming, a fecal exam, or being on Heartgard are effective)
  3. Coccidia in younger dogs under 2 years old (Albon / Sulfa are effective and fecal exams may reveal it. Often not though.)
  4. Inflammatory Bowel Disease can be temporry or permaanent. (Sulfasalazine therapy can aid the diagnosis)
  5. Cancer is possible but in most cases is quite unlikely. In desperation, endoscopy, radiology, CT scan, MRI and maybe piunch-biopsy are useful but extremely expensive diagnostics for hopeless outcomes. So, why?

 

Various Controls for Active Diarrhea:

 

Phenobarbital can slow the gut and can save lives if the diarrhea is peeling through a dog’s hydration badly. This would be used for watery diarrhea of more than 24 hours duration and not responding to other modalities.

 

Sulfasalazine can be tried and the “results” should be closely noted, even written down. There is no reason to try Sulfasalazine if you don’t gather the information about “how she did on it” during the administration.

Steroids (to illuminate IBD) are risky in diarrhea – however, can be effective in gastritis and inflammatory colitis. In my hands, sulfasalazine needs to be shown to help, before daring to use a steroid in a bowel case.

 

For “watery” diarrhea:

DMSO can be given under the skin (properly diluted) if the diarrhea has gone to soup, water, jelly and absolutely has to be curbed pronto. DMSO dilutions IV or SC are great in long term diarrhea where nothing has worked so far. DMSO given undiluted under the skin feels like a Murder Hornet and a Killer Bee had a baby and four of those stung you. So DON’T use it undiluted.

 

Tums tablets have the effect of forming up (drying out) stools and reducing excess stomach acid which can be a contributor to colitis. So Tums would be 1-2 tablets (berry flavored) per twenty pounds once or twice a day. It’s indisputably helpful and cured nobody’s dog.

 

Digestive Enzymes such as “Prozyme” are sometimes amazingly helpful. Sometimes dogs never had enough enzymes. And sometimes later in life their enzyme production declines. Without “enough enzymes” the dog digests food poorly and then “whole undigested proteins” make it to the colon and create and inflammatory response. Also known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease” which is (amazingly) controlled with Prozyme!

 

There is an age and condition where pancreatitis should be ruled out.

 

All cases demand ‘stringent’ attention to MONOTONY in the diet. The food, should be Dry. The treats, NONE or we pre-agree on what they are. And what the treats aren’t. These dogs should never be “encouraged” to eat because they can feel diarrhea coming on in advance, and won’t be hungry the day before that happens. Let it be.

 

Of ALL the things the owner should remember: 99% of these type cases are very sensitive to fat. Any little burst or bite of fat in the diet can trigger explosive results.