shih-tzu mom

Doe's anyone know how to relax a fish-oranda goldfish will certain amounts of clove oil do it? and if not is there something that will cause him to go into a semi consious state while i remove these things on him?He is acting very scared lol and i have to remove 4-anchor-worms. bella

sirdarksol

Clove oil would do it, but I would find a vet who specializes in fish (there are a lot who deal with koi) and contact them to get dosing instructions, and perhaps a source that is extremely reputable. Normally we aren't concerned about impurities in the oil, since we aren't concerned with any harm that might be done (things are usually beyond that point when we're using clove oil). In this case, you're going to want the highest quality stuff you can get.

capekate

Hi Bella
While Clove oil has been used to sedate fish, I could not advice the amount one would use. As I have used it only to euthanize a fish. Clove oil is used to anesthetize fish but in much smaller doses.
I agree with SDS that I am sure there are vets trained to handle this very sensitive procedure for you.
I had a link that I provided, but after consideration I feel that I had to edit my post and omit it. So I am sure if you googled how to anesthetize a fish you may come across some information that may help you.
Best of luck!

shih-tzu mom

Yeah, i really don't want to do it, but he has quite a few that i have to remove and he won't keep still and i'm afraid i'll do him more harm than good, i wonder if maybe i could remove 2-at a time or would that be good for him. they have been there a long time now and looked like it had gone but here we are,anything that i have been reading say's to remove all at once because of infection. bella

sirdarksol

I'd agree with the "remove all at once." Presumably you're going to be handling him pretty heavily during the procedure, which means you're going to be removing the slime coat (not on purpose, but it will happen). This means that, while you are opening some raw spots on the skin, you're also removing the fish' first line of protection. Best to only do this once.

I hadn't even thought about actually taking the fish to the vet. You could check their prices. It might not be a lot, given that the procedure will only be a few minutes' time for the vet.
Give me a moment to see if I can find koi specialists in Ontario (I have a koi magazine that lists specialists). I'll edit this post with their names.

Edit: Sorry, the magazine only lists one Canadian vet, and that one's in Victoria.

shih-tzu mom

Sirdarksol; i guess, then i will use my cup method and hope he will be a good boy lol but something tells me he will fight. he has this far soo i don't know-maybe i can get my neighbour to help me , but he is a little scared to cut his dogs nails lol. but maybe he will help. sorry, should i add a little salt before i remove-the internet sites recommend it to kill the worm before removing and stun it.bella

MrsM3197

I feel for you Bella...I'd be scared to use the clove oil, and I'd be scared not to! I'll just pray steady hands for you and a calm spirit for your goldie.

capekate

You may want to make sure that your hands are wet and not dry when you handle the fish and possibly putting some slime coat conditioner in the water and on your hands while you do this may help? Plus make sure that your hands have nothing like hand lotion on them and they are very sterile.

sirdarksol

Wet cotton gloves (the white kind. I think they sell them at drug stores) may help you grip the fish without using excess pressure.
Not sure about the salt thing. On the one hand, it is going to stress the fish a bit. On the other, it may stun/kill the parasites, causing their grip to loosen a bit (similar to using a cigarette to burn a leech or tick before removing it).

shih-tzu mom

Sirdarksol-what kind of slime coat stuff do i use lol, that i can get in Canada? and what about rubber gloves with some slime coat protection on my hands and on him-what kind bella

sirdarksol

Not sure about the kind of slime coat stuff you can get.
Rubber gloves will likely be more slippery, so might not be a good idea.

shih-tzu mom

I don't know with Peek A-Boo he was easy he stayed very quiet while i removed the little suckers but this one he starts fighting when i put the tweezer's in the water, i have tried a couple of times and he just won't go for it.So i guess i will try again tomorrow and hope he stay's quiet, no problem with my hands being steady MRSM, that is not the problem aka-Pop-Top is the problem lol. bella

shih-tzu mom

Just read a good post on google-that if you hold a goldfish upside down they can't move as long as their head is under water, maybe i'll try that tomorrow lol bella

Emory

Head and gills or just head? (just reading from the side lines)

Good luck Bella!

shih-tzu mom

Emory head and gills lol .bella

Emory

just checking

Red1313

I know that here at the U of S they have exotic vets that deal with fish, I'm sure that if you could find an exotic vet they'd be willing to give you advice. Any vets I've dealt with do offer advice over the phone ect. I'm sure there is an exotic vet in Ontario! If not you could try calling a vet collage they'd probably be able to help you out.
Good luck with your little guy!

sirdarksol

Good advice, Red. Unfortunately, he did not pull through. It sounds like Shih-Tzu Mom did an excellent job with the procedure, but there were just too many worms, and the shock from having them removed was too much.

Red1313

oh... wish I'd known that...

sirdarksol

It was still excellent advice (I gave very similar advice). I'm lucky that I have a vet that deals with koi pretty close to me. If Miyamoto ever gets sick (God forbid), I've got a place I can take him.

Red1313

I've got the vet collage on campus so if I have to I can stop there. I've asked about meds there once, couldn't get a hold of a vet but talked to the pharmacy to make sure it was safe to mix meds.