This Section Is For Advanced Hobbyists Discussing new original cutting edge Experimental and Trial Treatments and Surgical Techniques, here we take koi health and pond keeping to the next level
My first post (I should have realised I could keep quiet too long!) is a query.
This koi has been grown on from tosai over the winter, and looking well, however there is a bit of pec damage that doesnt appear to be repairing as it should.
The pec isnt 'angry' but still has a parting after the primary ray, so was interested in your thoughts, as its a young koi.
Leave alone - will grow back eventually
OR
Intervene and if so - suture or surgical glue/both?
I have two koi both overwintered out side in the "warmed" pool. Boyh doing fine but both with these small pec fin injuries. My initial feeling is to see how they go as we eneter the growing season. I don't feel (i have no evidence !) that is a good idead to do minor cosmetic surgery when the fish are just coiming out of winter but Dunc Gazz I will atke anybodys' advice.
As you can tell I don't know yet when to leave alone and when to repair I am waiting for Dunc or Gazza to tell me?) but I am concerned about the use of Superglue. It is used in plastic surgery in patients when you don’t want to leave suture marks on the face etc.
The problem is to get a good healing of a fin split like this you have to freshen (emery board from the partners handbag works great) the edges until they bleed. Now if you stitch you have blood to blood/tissue contact along the whole length and the tissue growth stimulating factors will be able to do their job and the wound should heal.
If you put glue between the edges you have imposed a barrier to that blood on blood contact and I am concerned that you will not get as good healing.
Perhaps it’s time for an experiment if it hasn’t been done already?
I think with this being a young fish and it not being a mess or damage i would leave this as it is as its not a mess or very bad at the moment. As Peter has said if you wanted to start to suture it back together you could end up making it more of a problem than you have already got now.
For me i would leave alone at the moment as it doesn't look to bad and see if it does start to heal up on its own but it may just sort of grow out and end up not looking to bad.
i let this thread develope for a while see what you guys came up with
im glad to say the right descission yes leave this for the time being it looks to me like this was a lot worse originally and is on the mend and in fact looks like its about to grow out completely
