Clinical Techniques: Fish as Patients Flashcards
What are some special needs required for clinical exams of fish?
- holding units
- water quality testing equipment
- Fresh/salt water
- anesthetic
- biopsy and necropsy equipment
What should be included in your water quality testing equipment?
- basic clinical needs
- Hach FF-1a
- Hach Saltmaster
- dissolved oxygen meter
- Chlorine test
- monitoring during procedures
- dissolved oxygen meter
- client needs
- chlorine, ammonia, and pH minimally
Describe anesthesia and restraint methods for fish
- manual restraint
- special nets, handling techniques
- chemical restraint
- bath vs. injection
- anesthesia
- MS-222
- clove oil (eugenol)
What type of biopsy and necropsy equipment should you bring for a clinical exam of a fish?
- microscope
- basic dissection tools
- glass slides/cover slips
- water from tank
- microbiological capability
Describe the order of procedures done during a physical exam of a fish
- ideally observe fish in system first
- biopsies first! - gill, skin, fins
- anesthetic second
- weight the fish
- document body condition
- look in the mouth
- document lesion
Describe how to get a gill biopsy
- life operculum
- gross exam of gill tissue
- remove several filaments for wet mount
- place gill filaments on slide
- separate individual filaments
- make wet mount using tank water
Describe how to get a skin/fin biopsy
- carefully scrape skin/scales/mucus using cover slip
- remove part of caudal fin for wet mount prep
- scales separated out on wet mount prep
- use tank water to make your preps
Describe the anesthetic options for fish
- Inhalation agents:
-
MS-222 = methane tricaine sulfonate
- only FDA approved anesthetic
- Benzocaine HCl
- Quinaldine sulfate
- Clove oil (Eugenol)
- Metomidate HCl
-
MS-222 = methane tricaine sulfonate
- Injectables:
- Metatomidine-Ketamine
- Propofol
Describe the use of inhalation agents
- agent added to water
- always have extra, unmedicated water available
- water quality critical
-
dissolved oxygen (>5 mg/L)
- should be at or near saturation!
- temp
- addition of salt
- dechlorinate city water
-
dissolved oxygen (>5 mg/L)
- determine correct concentration
- must know volume (L vs. gallons)
Describe Methane Tricaine Sulfonate (MS-222)
- FDA approved:
- Finquel (Argent Chemical)
- Tricaine-S (Western Chemical)
- Approved for “all fin fish”
- 21d withdrawal period
What are 4 potential sites for blood collection in fish?
- caudal vein
- best for most clinical work
- peduncle, just below the vertebrae
- duct of cuvier
- used in salmonids, large fish
- base of gill arch
- dorsal aorta
- large mouth helps a lot
- can catheterize
- heart
- not for survival procedures
- triangle cranial to pectoral fins
Intramuscular injections should be done where? What fish are these not recommended in?
- musculature lateral to dorsal fin
- not rx in fish < 12 cm (5 in)
What is the procedure for collecting and culturing fish blood?
- Blood collection
- lithium heparin preferred
- EDTA lyses RBCs
- Blood culture
- collect blood in heparinized tube
- place 1-2 drops into BHI broth
- incubate at room temp up to 4d
- plate if cloudy
What is the bigget concern with imaging fish?
life support
How do you prepare a live sick fish for shipment?
- sturdy plastic bag
- water from pond
- enough to cover fish
- no more than 1/3 of bag
- fill with pure oxygen or room air
- do not exhale into the bag!
