PSKoi - adventures at Koi Health Seminar

[Russell Peters]

What makes a Koi a nerd?

[karipeters]

the topics discussed were significantly important....


but...yes, the pig was damn good!!

[koiczar]

Kari

Sounds like you're really getting a big bang for the buck with lots of very knowledgeable folks teaching the classes. Glad you're having such a good time too. MMMMMM slow cooked pig - I remember that (somewhat) from the luau's I've attended in Hawaii. I'm sure this was way better though (not as commercial). I'm glad you're learning how to draw blood - that's one thing I don't think I can do. I'll tell you why next time I see you. Have a great time on Sunday and a safe flight home. See you Wednesday.

Mike

[danzcool]

Quote: Originally Posted by Russell Peters Does W**mart have 4 forn $100.00.

Nope, try 40 for $100... but 4 out of 40 might survive.

[jnorth]

Quote: Originally Posted by karipeters Karl Forss went to W**mart and picked up a bunch of sick, infested fish that we got to biopsy (scrape) and I got to see some parasites 'live' that I had seen in movies. Good times!!!!

Walmart is a good place to pick up parasites...I regularly go trolling for them there . Seriously though what kind did you get to see? My favorite is trich (as long as its not in my pond that is).

[karipeters]

so I didn't use my computer here last night. One of the students for the Koi Seminar got a virus and also had some credit card info stolen. I'm not computer savvy enough to know if it could get on my computer, and I don't think it's worth the risk.

Yesterday, we started out at 7am and took the shuttle to the vet. lab study building. The morning was spent on a lecture by Dr. Brian (sp?) involving poop scraping and parasites to look for internally. Followed by a lecture on surgical equipment and anesthesia by Dr. Helen. Followed by a lecture by Dr. (the Brit guy with an hispanic last name) on endoscopic surgery in Koi -- this was especially cool because we got to see films of healthy Koi gills and what they look like when they are submersed and working and moving as they normally do. I have only seen them through physical examination or on slides. You could even see the red blood cells and how they move through the lemllae (sp?).

Can you tell that I am not working with my notes???

[karipeters]

A great deal of the afternoon was spent on KHV. Dr. Johnson and Dr. Vaughn gave us a great deal of information. Especially important was the serology testing and the equipment involved. When I was speaking with Dr. Johnson privately and told him that I had bought a centrifuge and the information I was learning at the seminar was incredibly helpful, he told me that we are about 5 years ahead of what he hopes will become the normal testing procedures that all dealers should be doing.

[karipeters]

KHV Antibodies (the studies are in it's infancy stage) can be detected up to 18 months after exposure in the fish they've tested! So it could be longer, and certainly it could mutate. Doing PRC testing is good, but serology testing gives the most accurate, difinative answer to testing for KHV.

[CarolinaGirl]

so were they teaching you how to draw blood going in from the bottom or from the side? I find it MUCH easier to locate the vein if you go in at the lateral line, lightly hit the spine and then barely slide the needle down below the spine where the vein is located. The needle can be shorter going in from the side also.

Sounds like a great class!

[karipeters]

During one of our 'round-table' discussions I asked about the protocol appropriate for dealers to use to test and the amount of stock that should be tested.

Dr. Johnson said that the best way to proceed is to quaranteen the incoming fish until all test results are available. 15-20% of inventory from each source/breeder should be heated for 2 weeks at 74 degrees F and then the serology blood can be drawn for testing. Results can be available in about 24 hours. Then the dealer can proceed from there.

I'm getting the 'hairy-eyeball' from another hotel guest that would like to use the computer, so I'm leaving. But I'll post more tomorrow, with lots of great pictures thanks to Carolyn Weiss.

Bye y'all