What action to take...?

[Terri]

Scenario:
One Saturday morning Ian and I wander into our fishroom to feed our babies... Ian happened notice one of our favorite koi has something wrong with it :!: Visual inspection points to a sore or wound around the mouth area, it's swollen. The night before this koi was perfectly fine, we know this because we would have noticed this problem when they were begging for "dinner", which they didn't get because we have been fasting them for 4 weeks now..

Hmmmm, think, what could possibly have happened? At first we were quite puzzled. Not one's for jumping the gun, Ian did a water change and watched the koi for an hour or so.. trying to solve our puzzle. Could it be mouth rot? That quickly to appear? Or an injury... but how?
Here's phishy
http://canadiankoiandpond.ca/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/sora%201.jpg

She's in a 3000+gallon tank with 19 other koi. Tank is netted. Temp 50*F.

Well, after the day passed we were sure this had nothing to do with water quality (mouth rot) ... tank get's a w/c 3 sometimes 4 times a week. Not a flick, flash, jump from anyone in the tank... all was well. So we'll see what the next day or so brings....

[Terri]

A couple days have passed (this interent thingy can do that ;) )
It's become t obvious to us that Sora has injured herself. Some "lines" appeared in her wound that happened to look much like the pattern of the netting that sits 12" over the tank. Not sure if she jumped or what...

http://canadiankoiandpond.ca/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_sora%202.jpg

We started to raise the temperature of the tank and began feeding again. She was the first one to the food! Ate the most! Go figure LOL

After only 2 days, look at the improvement of the wound.

[Terri]

7 days later...
http://canadiankoiandpond.ca/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/sora%203.jpg

We did small water changes throughout the past week or so. We knew she did not have a mouth problem the day before Ian noticed the injury so we put our faith in the fact we have a healthy koi and we have good water... knowing she would heal herself with out our having to handle her for treatment... even in 50 to 55*F water.

Every health issue we come across we start with the water first.

So, you've seen were we went with this ... what do you think you would have done that Saturday morning if this was your fish?

[Dayleen]

I tend to leave some things and watch them. I have had many a female get injured from a feeding frenzy, spawning or just jerking around. They knock scales off and get different bumps but mostly they heal just fine by themselves. I have to say though...i am quick to grab the needle if it's looking worse.

[Tom C]

Terri, what type of netting do you have on the tank. I have seen a few koi that have got damaged from bad netting. In the first picture it also looked like you had some damage to the gill plate behind the eye.

I'm glad to see it's doing a lot better.

Tom

[Terri]

Thanks Tom. Was looking at her last night and you'd never know she had this injury, healed real nice. The marks behind the eye and on the gill were gone the following day.
The netting is by Laguna, pond netting... it's a bit corse, not as fine as bird netting. This is the first time we've has a koi hurt themselves this way...

[GregBickal]

I had a yamabuki in an Isolation net and it did the same thing. Its nose is all cherry red from rubbing it on the net to get out. Looks like its healing up on its own.

[luke frisbee]

I'd have never noticed...but right away it looked like a ding....i thought she worked herself into the corner and slapped her head into the side trying to get out after she freaked.

[Tom C]

Terri I'm sorry to say, I would never use that kind of netting on koi I care about. First large koi will jump right through it. I know, it's happen to me a few times. I also have had koi get stuck in it. I had one that jump up into it and got stuck by it's gills. This koi was found dead the next day. If they are koi you care about spend some money on some better netting. If they are cheap low grade koi you don't care about it works OK.

Tom

[Terri]

:-D It's in the mail as I type Tom.. Had to use what was available at the time. Don't apologize for speaking your mind ;)