Do fish need regular check-ups? How does a doctor take blood from a small tropical freshwater fish, which is only 1inch or even in less in length or x-ray, perform CT scans, ultrasounds or MRI (if that's also possible) on them? What does it take to become an aquatic veterinarian (Yeah! That's what they are called).
Hello! And welcome to another interview with an amazing veterinarian, who treats fishes, well just not only them but also other aquatic animals and yes, he does take blood from the fishes and performs MRI, CT scan on them, Dr Robert Martinez, an Aquatic Veterinarian with extensive experience in the care and health of aquatic animals from Salt City, Utah.
Fish surgery in progress; performing a ventral tail blood draw
Can you start by telling us a bit about your background and what inspired you to become an aquatic veterinarian?
I'm originally from Lubbock, Texas. I attended Texas Tech University for my undergrad. I also attended Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Since graduation I have lived and practiced in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Utah. Currently, I live in Salt Lake City, Utah with my wife, Ashley, and my two children, Elijah and Selah.
When I was in veterinary school I was interested in zoo medicine. While attending an exotic animal workshop in Oregon, I was introduced to aquatic/fish medicine. Before this, I had never thought of working with fish. This workshop sparked my interest to learn more about aquatic medicine, and I decided to attend AQUAVET and that is how my journey began as an aquatic veterinarian.
That sounds like a fascinating journey.
Can you explain us as an aquatic veterinarian what do you do exactly?
As an aquatic veterinarian, I provide medical care primarily for fish. I assess individual fish and groups of fish (tanks or ponds). My consults assess husbandry, nutrition, sedated physical exam, baseline diagnostics (skin scrapes, gill clips), bloodwork if necessary, x-rays, ultrasounds, treatments (injections, oral meds, medicated baths, gel diets, etc), surgeries, and necropsies (examination of an animal after death).
Other aquatic veterinarian also provide care to any aquatic species: marine mammals, aquatic reptiles, aquatic birds, elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, rays), and invertebrates.
It's clear that aquatic veterinarians play a crucial role in both animal health and conservation efforts. Can you describe some of the specialized equipment or facilities you use in your work?
Luckily, any small animal veterinary clinic is already well equipped to see and work with fish. The only required equipment to buy is various buckets and tubs to use for sedation and recovery of fish.
I perform house visits to see the fish or fishes in the tanks or ponds. So I take all of my medications, syringes, needles, microscope, scales, water quality tests equipment, nets, etc with me. If surgery is required a fish anesthesia delivery system (FADS) is used and can be modified to suit any size of fish.
Clockwise from top: Microscope; tackle box with medicines and medical equipments; fish anesthesia delivery system (FADS); bucket, tub and scales
Do fish need regular check-ups?
It is a good idea to have your fish, fish tank, or pond assessed once a year. Though regular check-ups aren't a standard with fish.
You had mentioned about drawing blood and performing x-ray and MRI etc on the fishes, how do you do it?
You can draw blood from the tail of the fish, which we call the caudal peduncle. It is a blind stick that you perform under sedation and position them in ventral recumbency (upside down) or on their side.
You can also perform radiographs (x-rays) on fish. They need to be sedated and can either be placed on the x-ray table/cassette. Or they can be placed in a zip-loc bag with anesthetic water and x-rays can be taken with them in the bag. It is recommended to get at least 2 views: lateral (on their side) and dorsal-ventral (D/V) sitting upright. If possible, it is better to perform a horizontal beam x-ray. Also, you can perform ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRIs on fish. These are all performed under sedation and positioned appropriately pending the modality.
Whoa! That's news to me!
Robert performing skin scrape on the fish; sedating a 45lb (20.4kg)
redtail catfish
Could you give us some examples of the types of animals you work with and the challenges you face in your role?
I have worked with freshwater fish and saltwater fish. I have also worked with some invertebrates: starfish, corals, nautilus, etc. There can be lot of challenges but, most of all is when you don't know what type of fish you are dealing with and if they have anything that can harm you.
I have worked on small tropical freshwater fish only 1inch or less in length and the largest being a 45 lb red tail catfish. I have also worked with fish that have spines: cichlids, catfish, venomous barbs: lionfish, and electric fish: an electric eel.
That variety certainly makes your job intriguing.
What are the most common health issues or challenges that aquatic animals face and how you address them?
Most common issue is parasites causing lethargy, decreased appetite, external wounds, breathing issues, and erratic behavior. Major challenge is to find out whether its only one fish or multiple that are affected, and then how to treat – injections, oral medications, medicated baths, gel diet or medicated feed for an entire pond.
How does the care of aquatic animals in captivity differ from that of land animals?
The quality of the water is very important. Unlike terrestrial mammals, most of the time their environment isn't only the factor we need to take into account. Fish can live in a toilet bowl and in the tank or pond; we provide the filtration, water circulation, temperature, lighting, etc. Mainly, it's the stress which leads to disease and stressors can be caused by poor water quality or poor husbandry.
It sounds like a challenging yet rewarding profession.
Performing x-ray on a puffer fish
Any particularly memorable or rewarding experiences you've had as an aquatic veterinarian?
My favourite case is when I worked with an electric eel. I was contacted about an eel with his tail floating at the top of the water column. Also, the aquarist (a person who keeps an aquarium) noted swelling along the distal (end) of the tail which was increasing in size and one side had ruptured.
When the aquarium had obtained the electric eel they noticed a worm/parasite that was exiting from the distal aspect of the tail. Till this time, we were unsure what was causing the positive buoyancy of the tail, differentials included: swim bladder issues, gas-producing bacteria, barotrauma (sudden changes in barometric [air] or water pressure damage the body), etc.
I had the aquarium start oral antibiotics till we could perform an exam. The challenge was how to safely perform a physical exam, perform culture/sensitivity, obtain a tissue biopsy, and give antibiotic injections and vitamin B12 and vitamin C injections.
After consulting with several aquarium veterinarians, the aquarist and I came up with a plan for sedation, obtaining a weight, monitoring voltage potential, and performing my discussed treatment plan. Once the electric eel was sedated using MS222 (Tricaine Mesylate, white powder used for anesthesia, sedation or euthanasia of the fish).
We monitored how much volts the electric eel was producing using a volt meter. Once the meter was reading <10V it was deemed safe to handle and performed culture, biopsies, and injections. After the sedated exam the electric eel was doing well and his tail was in a normal position.
The culture grew out Aeromonas (a genus of Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shape, bacteria) and we switched antibiotics. The biopsy revealed mixed inflammation - no defined diagnosis.
Shortly, after switching antibiotics the electric eel stopped eating and the tail started to float up again. Since the electric eel wasn't eating and we couldn't perform injections, we started antibiotic baths.
After a week or so the electric eel unfortunately passed away.
I wish, I had paid to have a necropsy performed to get a definitive diagnosis. We suspected a bacterial infection secondary to the parasite migration, caused a swim bladder infection resulting in the positively buoyant tail and eventually leading to sepsis. Though, this case wasn't a happy ending, I learned a lot from the experience.
Hmmm! That's really unfortunate!
Endoscopy on a fish in progress
What does it take to become an aquatic veterinarian?
To become an aquatic veterinarian you need persistence and gain experience where you can. Prior to veterinary school, getting experience with aquatics is valuable. Work/volunteer at an aquarium, work at a fish store, take aquarium science/marine biology classes, etc.
In veterinary school, opting for aquatic medicine classes, externships (aquariums, aquaculture, fish/exotic practice, etc), and veterinary aquatic programs (AQUAVET, MARVET, etc).
After graduation, veterinary exotic internships and residency (aquatic focused), master's, PhD, CE (continuing education), and work experience.
Tell us something about you that may surprise us?
I have a lot of interests and hobbies. In college, I played in bands and collect vinyl records – I played bass in a ska/punk band. I was a college radio DJ, a friend and I had a punk radio show called Media Blitz.
I love coffee and enjoy making pour over coffee. I'm an endurance athlete (though not as much since my kids were born) – I have run multiple half marathons, seven marathons, three 50K trail races, multiple gravel bike races, multiple triathlons, a few half ironman, and three full ironman triathlons.
Thank you, Dr. Robert Martinez, for sharing your insights and experiences in the field of aquatic veterinary medicine. It's been a pleasure learning about the world of aquatic veterinary medicine.
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