Do not use any form
anaesthetic for just a injection, and not clove oil for other than destroying a
fish, as it's too unreliable. Also they do not work under 23
0C, you
are wasting your time, it's better over 25
0C.
Do not
anaesthetise for a injection. You need fish mobile for the antibiotic to travel
round the fishes system, it will only be present for around 1-6 hours and it
may take a fish one hour or more to recover from anaesthetic.
Enlist
the help of a friend. Never try to inject on your own. Use aquatic fish cleaner
to clean the site. Make sure you and your friend are firing on all six and you
know what you are about.
Don't hold the fish still why you read the
first two chapters of war and peace.
When fish is out of the water,
everything should be ready. The koi is in a wet sock which is on a wet towel.
(Don't kneel on the wet towel or you will rush). Once fish is quiet and you
have decided in which area of the fish you wish to proceed, then get on with
it. Seal the wound with iodine and friars balsam (1 part Iodine to 4 parts
balsam). The sooner fish is back in the water, the happier it will be and less
stress will be involved.
Do not use anaesthetics when taking a scrape.
Anaesthetic in some cases will kill what you are looking for or render most
infections (parasite) non-mobile. e.g. costia which would be disastrous if
missed, as scrape would look clear.
Use a koi sock and large towel, and
a low solid surface, not a table or the fish will end up on the floor. This
method can also be used for injections.
When inspecting a fish use a
large (new) poly-bag. Don't roll the fish about in a net, or better still a
framed floating inspection net. Similarly, all a blue inspection bowl will do
is shock the fish as you inspect it. Fish bouncing off the sides blue bowls are
fine if your just looking at the fish, but you cannot underneath in the same
way as you can in a poly-bag. How many fish have been bought from blue bowls
with ventral and anal wounds I wonder?
Only use anaesthetic when you
want to apply topical treatments or inspect a wound prior to treatment. Also
remember, every fish will react to anaesthetics in a different way. Some go
under very quickly, some do Shakespeare on you. BUT don't increase doses if
this happens, just wait. Have a recovery bowl ready with air stone and same
water which fish was removed from.
When fully recovered, put the fish
back into a hospital pond or tank. If going straight back into pond, which most
do, inspect on a regular basic over the next few hours - visual only.
Make sure air is out of the syringe before you inject, and bend over
needle as soon as you have finished. Use a new needle every time - I know it
sounds daft, but some people don't.
If you are in any doubt with any of
the above, please
contact me
direct.
