Fish evacuation and emergency sheltering during wildfire disasters.

Wildfires are a serious and expanding threat in western North America, and wildfire encroachment on human populations leads to widespread evacuation and emergency housing operations for residents and their companion animals and livestock. Veterinarians are frequently part of wildfire response efforts and are called upon to assist in rescue, evacuation, and emergency housing operations as well as to provide medical care for evacuated animals. Although veterinarians are likely familiar with the principles of transporting and housing terrestrial animals, emergency response for aquatic companion animals presents unique logistic challenges. Veterinarians familiar with aquatic animal evacuation, housing, and care prior to a wildfire response can extend the scope of disaster recovery. This report offers general guidance for rescuing, evacuating, housing, and caring for aquatic animals in the wake of a wildfire.

Detection of Yersinia ruckeri in Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, USA.

Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) are important anadromous fish throughout their range in western North America. As conservation programs for lamprey expand, disease surveillance is becoming more prevalent. During routine surveillance, Yersinia ruckeri biotype II was isolated from Pacific lamprey. This is the first documented Y. ruckeri detection in Pacific lamprey.

Pharmacokinetics of danofloxacin following intramuscular administration of a single dose in koi (Cyprinus carpio).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the pharmacokinetics of danofloxacin following IM administration of a single dose (10 mg/kg) in koi (Cyprinus carpio). ANIMALS: 69 healthy adult koi housed in a 980-L flow-through-system tank. PROCEDURES: 3 fish were kept as untreated controls, and the remaining 66 fish were assigned to 11 treatment groups with 6 fish/group. Fish in the treatment groups were given a single dose of danofloxacin (10 mg/kg) IM in the left epaxial musculature. Fifteen, 30, and 45 minutes and 1, 4, 12, 24, 72, 96, 120, and 144 hours after administration of danofloxacin, fish in each treatment group were euthanized, and blood samples and samples of liver, spleen, gill, anterior kidney, posterior kidney, skin and muscle, and scales were collected. Plasma and tissue drug concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analyses were performed. Tissues from the untreated control fish and fish euthanized 144 hours after danofloxacin administration were examined histologically. RESULTS: Maximum plasma concentration (mean, 8,315.7 ng/mL) was reached approximately 45 minutes after danofloxacin administration; plasma elimination half-life was 15 hours. Danofloxacin was detected in all examined tissues from all 6 fish euthanized 15 minutes after drug administration and was detected in some tissues from 3 of the 6 fish euthanized 144 hours after drug administration. For all tissues, results of histologic examination were unremarkable. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: IM administration of a single dose (10 mg/kg) of danofloxacin in koi resulted in rapid absorption, with maximum plasma concentration reached approximately 45 minutes after drug administration; the drug could still be detected in some tissues 144 hours after administration.

THE EFFECT OF ANESTHETIC TIME AND CONCENTRATION ON BLOOD GASES, ACID-BASE STATUS, AND ELECTROLYTES IN KOI (CYPRINUS CARPIO) ANESTHETIZED WITH BUFFERED TRICAINE METHANESULFONATE (MS-222).

Anesthesia is commonly employed in aquatic medicine to facilitate physical exams, diagnostics, and surgical interventions. Tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) is the most commonly used anesthetic for fish and is currently the only anesthetic approved by the US Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine for food-producing fish. Despite the frequency of anesthetic procedures in fish, anesthetic monitoring remains rudimentary in many facilities. This study evaluated the impact on blood gases, acid-base balance, and electrolytes in koi (Cyprinus carpio) anesthetized at concentrations of 100 mg/L and 150 mg/L MS-222. Blood samples from 25 fish per treatment were collected at 5 and 20 min of anesthetic immersion. Forty-nine of 50 fish recovered uneventfully from anesthesia; one fish did not recover and was euthanatized. Results showed significant increases in partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) (P = 0.006) and hyperglycemia (P = <0.0001) with increasing anesthetic concentration and time under anesthesia and a significant decrease in partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) with increased anesthetic time (P = 0.021). There were several electrolyte changes observed with both increasing anesthetic time and concentration. All electrolytes except potassium remained within published reference ranges for koi, while potassium showed a significant decrease in concentration associated with anesthetic time and concentration. The results of this study indicate that MS-222 at 100 mg/L and 150 mg/L represent safe anesthetic concentrations for koi undergoing minimally invasive diagnostics; however, koi anesthetized with MS-222 at a concentration of 150 mg/L experienced more significant changes in blood gases, acid-base balance, and electrolyte concentrations.

Immunohistochemical analysis of pigment cell tumors in two cyprinid species.

Pigment cell tumors, also known as chromatophoromas, are cutaneous spindle cell neoplasms originating from pigment cells (chromatophores) in the dermis of teleosts, amphibians, and reptiles. Chromatophoromas share similar histologic morphology to other spindle cell tumors and are not always pigmented. Therefore, immunohistochemical analysis may be useful in distinguishing these neoplasms from tumors of other cellular origin when poorly pigmented. We performed 3 immunohistochemistry assays (PNL-2, melan A, and SOX10) on 8 cutaneous neoplasms from 8 teleosts diagnosed as chromatophoromas based on histologic morphology. Semiquantitative analysis of immunoreactivity was evaluated on each immunohistochemical assay using a 0-3 scale. PNL-2 exhibited mild-to-moderate (1 or 2) immunoreactivity in 7 of the cases, and resident chromatophores (internal control) were also immunoreactive in these cases. Melan A exhibited mild-to-moderate (1 or 2) immunoreactivity in 4 cases (and with resident chromatophores in these cases); SOX10 was not immunoreactive in any cases. Our results indicate that PNL-2 may be a useful marker in teleosts to distinguish tumors of chromatophore origin. Melan A could also be useful, but appears to be less sensitive, and SOX10 is likely not a useful marker for these neoplasms in teleosts.