Abstract

The pet-fish industry is growing rapidly, and so is our knowledge about the species we enjoy keeping. With the continued development of this aquatic pet interest, there has been a demand for veterinary expertise in treating pet fish. The concept of fish surgery is a fairly young one, and information concerning this topic is beginning to appear in the literature. In addition to keeping pet fish healthy, an awareness of wildlife conservation has increasingly found its way into many research settings. For example, those performing telemetry and toxicology studies often perform surgical procedures that range from liver biopsies in lake bass to securing a telemeter to the skin of a bluefin tuna. The tissue reaction to five suture materials placed in the body wall of scaleless koi was evaluated histologically. Similar studies have been performed in other species, including dogs, cats, birds, rats, and humans. Silk, monofilament nylon (Dermalon), polyglyconate (Maxon), polyglactin 910 (Vicryl), and chromic gut were placed in the body wall of each koi. All sutures were placed in each fish after stab incisions were made, and each fish served as its own control. Ten fish were used in this study. Punch biopsies were taken from five fish at 7-days post-surgery and at 14-days post-surgery. Biopsies were evaluated histologically for tissue reaction.