Emergency Surgery on 17" Catfish

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Anythingfish

Registered Member
Jan 30, 2005
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Seattle
www.anythingfish.com
One Week ago, Sunday January 23, 2005 my friend Tim had to perform emergency surgery on his 17” Redtail-Tiger Shovelnose hybrid which had swallowed a 3-1/2” fragment from a broken clay pot. After perhaps several months a bulge in the fishes belly became obvious. The fish was acting strangely as you might expect. He/she reduced its food intake and as the fish lost weight the bulge got more pronounced. Here is a photo of the fragment which was removed with a box cutter.

“Dr.” Tim’s surgery pictures:
http://www.anythingfish.com/images/Ted/PhotoGallery/TigerRedtailSurgery.htm

Visit our website, 2400 gallon outdoor aquarium construction photos, Jumbo Pacu, Koi pond:
http://www.anythingfish.com

This is the object which was cut out of the fish’s stomach with a box cutter. Today, January 30, 2005 the 17” Redtail-Tiger Shovelnose cross is doing very well.

6ClayPotFragmentFromCatfishBelly2052.jpg
 
Wow thanks for the post, i never knew it was possible to opperate on fish. im such a newbie lol
 
How hard was it to keep the fish still while doing the cutting, etc.? I would think that fish would be constantly jumping around and stuff.
 
"How hard was it to keep the fish still while doing the cutting, etc.? I would think that fish would be constantly jumping around and stuff."--
probably anesthisized it (sp) via clove oil or something else that i dont know about...
Amazing work, wow, what a chunk of pot! (heheheheh) Thats pretty nuts that the fish swallowed it in the foirst place, let alone survived the removal of a massive shard like that.
 
The surgery on the 17” Redtail-Tiger Shovelnose hybrid catfish appears to have been successful, to date. The operation to remove the clay pot fragment was 8 days ago on January 23, 2005.

A broken clay pot was introduced into a 155 bow front aquarium to provide hiding places for the smaller fish. No one noticed the 3-1/2” shard missing from the scrap pile. As the catfish is an aggressive feeder it may have been trying to get at something alive and snapped up the fragment. He/she probably tried to regurgitate it, but it must have stuck in his craw.

The catfish was secured with wet towels and an extra set of hands while the one inch incision was made with the box cutter. Tim was able to pull it out with his fingers, see picture.

Clove oil would have been the proper sedative to use to quiet the fish but this was a spur-of-the-moment thing and none was available.

“Dr.” Tim’s surgery pictures:
http://www.anythingfish.com/images/Ted/PhotoGallery/TigerRedtailSurgery.htm

Visit our website, 2400 gallon outdoor aquarium construction photos, Jumbo Pacu, Koi pond:
http://www.anythingfish.com

This is the clay pot fragment starting to protrude from the catfish’s belly

3ClayPotFragmentFromCatfishBelly151.jpg


This is a photo of the catfish in recovery. The one inch incision is healing well. The reddish tissue left of center is what remains of the incision. No stitches were taken.

7ClayPotFragmentFromCatfishBelly-B2421.jpg
 
Wow!
 
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DANG! How do you gravel vac, or should i say, boulder bac the 2400 tank?!?!
 
Can I take a peek at yout tank? I'm from Seattle too.

But man... That is amazing! All those hugh fishes
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I hope you have solved that problem with the water.
 
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