The dawn of health certificates for koi shows....

[aquitori]

I started attending bird shows this year and was talking to some of the entrants owners. They said some day in the near future all bird show were going to require health certificates from vets for the birds they brought to show.

Is this something that might happen in the near future for koi shows even thou they are "English" style?

[KoiCop]

Can't be done. Total waste of time and money.

Local vets don't know diddly 'bout koi diseases -- and even experts can't conclusively test for some of the more dangerous ones.

And with improved bio-security at shows, the risk is miniscule anyway.

[Brady Brandwood]

Let's see,... birds can transmit potentially deadly airborne viruses, and viruses and bacteria in their droppings directly into the same environment WE live in, and that other birds that migrate around the world live in, (air). Our Koi are isolated to water, and can really only affect each other. Also, a Koi show has the ability to sanitize all of its show water before the show is broken down,... and the show's Koi leave the show site in sealed bags.

Health certificates at Koi shows would be a silly idea, and only damage entry numbers.

Best Wishes,
Brady

[luke frisbee]

yep just as soon as we can get Koi Flu...
EDIT: Dang it brady i didn't read YOUR post before I posted...I went back and read the responses..and yours was the first one to figure out the reason

[aquitori]

Just also wondered how many koi were entered at shows that were tested positive for KHV? Makes you want to hhhhmmmm....hahahahahaha

[Graham]

The combination of the security measures at a show and the the basic difficulty of transferring the virus in a show setting, make it a very difficult thing to catch at a show. This is not an airbourne problem.

I don't think that there are any documented cases of KHV, let alone any other diseases being transferred between tanks in a show setting

Buying a fish at a show from a dealer etc and taking it home and dumping it in your pond is a whole other story......................

EDIT

having said that anyone that enters a KHV positive fish into a show should be shot with a ball of his own s...

[Russell Peters]

Quote: Originally Posted by Graham having said that anyone that enters a KHV positive fish into a show should be shot with a ball of his own s...

I'll second that motion.

[Fishbreeder]

Quote: Originally Posted by Graham The combination of the security measures at a show and the the basic difficulty of transferring the virus in a show setting, make it a very difficult thing to catch at a show. This is not an airbourne problem. I don't think that there are any documented cases of KHV, let alone any other diseases being transferred between tanks in a show setting Buying a fish at a show from a dealer etc and taking it home and dumping it in your pond is a whole other story...................... EDIT having said that anyone that enters a KHV positive fish into a show should be shot with a ball of his own s...

Exactly!!!!

Nobody I know of has ever brought KHV home by exhibiting koi in a show. Four ways I've heard of to get KHV.....

One, from an internet koi purchase.

Two, from a fish given by a friend (koi or goldfish).

Three, from a koi purchased at a show.

Four, from a koi purchased at a dealer or breeder.

I'm certain there are other means of getting this disease in your fish, but those four seem to be the ways I've heard most often.

Of course, even in all four of those ways, proper quarantine procedures could have prevented the infection.

Now, as to the spread of other diseases...I've seen costia spread through a show on more than one occasion, even when everybody was very careful. Tells me costia is easier to spread than KHV.

And I very much agree with shooting anybody knowingly bringing infected or KHV survivors to a koi show.

Off to go electrofishing...

Brett

[Auntiesue]

As many have so well said above, this would be almost impossible to require of a hobbyist as many areas don't even have a vet that knows how to do any testing on fish.

But, that being said, at our show we do required that our wet vendors have the fish they wish to sell at the show tested for KHV. We also ask that each vendor hand out a quarantine procedure with each sale so the folks purchasing the fish aren't totally relying on this testing as something that is fool proof. So far it's worked well for us.