Once again, you are correct, Zaffy, and if you adhere to the "every little bit helps" then your philosophy is also on target. I would be willing to bet, however, that dumped aquatic antibiotics accounts for only a tiny percentage of the antibiotic overexposure that we are seeing today. I would be more concerned about the old advice to drop unused medication into the toilet. That would seem to me to be a greater percentage of the problem, along with doctors who overprescribe to get patients out of their hair.
Petco "Going Blue"
- Thread starter katschamne
- Start date
im not sure what everyone is talking about iv never heard of petco but i co-run a pet store and any ideots who think of not selling any antibiotics for fish is completely out of their bloody minds every time we get fish we treat out tanks so we don't lose fish which whats the point of selling fish to not be able to help someone wen a disease hits their tank people spent $1000's of dollars on their tanks and fish for what to have them all killed by one simple attack of ick what the heck is their problem we make sure and take pride in makeing customers tanks look as beautiful and lasting they can be
I couldn't agree more.
A for people meds are people meds and fish meds are different. Not true. Many fish meds are exactly the same (although not regulated to the same quality control standards as human meds) tetracycline for one, Maracyn is Erythromycin, also used for people (often prescribed to treat chlamydia- a STD. Now why would anyone prefer to get their STD cure from the fish store and blame it on their sick goldfish than have to take the prescription to the pharmacist? or perhaps have their mom receive the EOB in the mail for getting that prescription filled on your family health plan. Explain that one. It is also used to treat strep infections and anthrax among other things).
The label also says it will not interfere with your biofilter which is blatantly false. It does not kill bacteria, it simply stops it from multiplying, so the infection dies its own death- it will also stop your biofilter from replenishing itself and growing- read on to see why this is so bad.
They should be pulled- primarily because the makers of these medications are practically criminal in their labeling. For example, from Maracyn two's recommendations for diagnosis and treatment:
"Symptoms of clamped fins, general listlessness, not eating or other unusual behavior can be caused by internal infections and treatment with Maracyn-Two would be indicated."
Maracyn says "Symptoms of clamped fins... heavy or rapid breathing........ change in swimming behavior or corner hiding can be signs of possible bacterial infection. All suspected bacterial infections should be treated immediately."
You have those symptoms? Test your ammonia and 99% of the time you have your culprit- advising fish keepers to add an antibiotic which will stop the bacteria in your biofilter from growing to address that probable ammonia issue- its abhorrent to me.
They claim that Maracyn II treats dropsy - dropsy is fatal. It happens when a fish's organs begin shutting down and they can no longer excrete the excess water that accumulates in their bodies through osmotic pressure - this pressure is constant on freshwater fish, throughout their entire lives, every moment of every day, but is usually expelled as urine. Dropsy is when a fish can no longer do this. It is most often end stage renal disease. Kidney's kaput. You show me someone who's cured a fish of dropsy and I'll show you a liar. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but it is true- and isn't education what this conversation is about? Dropsy is a symptom of dying. Yes, kidney failure can be caused by bacterial infection- but it can be caused by a multitude of factors- even if you could be sure its bacterial, which is no more likely than any other cause- once the kidneys shut down to the point of the fish swelling to twice its normal size and looks like a pinecone, you're not brining them back. That's why your doctor puts you on the transplant list when your kidney's fail instead of sending you to the pharmacy with a prescription for penicillin. Dropsy should be treated with clove oil, the sooner the better. (clove oil is a nice way to euthanize a fish)
Until the medication makers become responsible AND TRUTHFUL in their advertising, their products should not be made available. If the makers won't give you ethical professional advice on the proper use of their medications, then it is very responsible of petco to require we DO get professional medical advice from another source before dispensing such meds to the public.
You are partially right.. But take this web board for example. How many people on this board actually know how to correctly observe symptoms, diagnose the illness and properly medicate their fish very few. If you down believe post a question about some random fish illness and see how many different answers you get. I still don't get the big deal either. Shop some where else.
I have found numerous members of this board to be both helpful and knowledgeable in treating diseases. Not from personal experience mind you, but mere observation. Sorry if you feel differently but you have the right to your own opinion. I hope you are able to find the right diagnosis and treatment if your fish do come down with an infection...
My statement had absolutely nothing to do with comparing the actual meds themselves. The situations, however, are completely different. If I was to purchase an antibiotic for an infected fish and for some reason it ended up doing them in, I would not be faced with the same situation as if I was taking unperscribed, unregulated medication and I too died or at the very least developed a medical condition as a result. Sorry, as much as I love and respect my fish you have to draw the line between humans and fish.
That would be all fine and good if that were the stance they were taking. Not once do I see any stand against the companies themselves. Instead they are trying to become a leader in the industry by pulling this huge PR stunt.
Antibiotics are just like firearms in the sense that they're not inherently good or evil. How they're used is the issue. Some people just have the attitude that if some people can't use something responsibly that nobody should be able to have it. I'm just glad I'm not that afraid of life!
Petco is a total joke and widely known over the aquarium hobby as the lowest-of-the-low already, so I'm not sure why people are so upset over this. If you have a Petco near you and nothing else, where are you buying all your healthy fish from? If the answer is "online," then why don't you simply stock up on what you need before your Petco gets rid of it? You can never be too safe and if you're in this hobby for the long run then there's no reason not to have a healthy supply of anti-biotics in your home.
Order it online ahead of time so you don't have to worry about running to cure an unannounced outbreak.
People -- this is Petco, not Sea World. They are not in the fish business, they are a pet chain store. Nothing you say or do will change that. Stop giving them your time and money. Again, if they are the only store nearby, it's time that you become a real hobbyist and stop worrying about distance and instead focus on healthy stock and experienced sellers. Nothing will change in Petco if they keep their meds on the shelves. You will just keep supporting a pitifully bad chain store with your money and everyone will forget this ever happened.
Instead learn from what they are trying to do and if, for some insane reason, you weren't already aware of how foul Petco's policies are, now you will be. Forget about convenience and move on. Let them further humiliate and degrade themselves to the experienced hobbyists eye. Nothing will change and this announcement proves that. They simply don't care.
Order it online ahead of time so you don't have to worry about running to cure an unannounced outbreak.
People -- this is Petco, not Sea World. They are not in the fish business, they are a pet chain store. Nothing you say or do will change that. Stop giving them your time and money. Again, if they are the only store nearby, it's time that you become a real hobbyist and stop worrying about distance and instead focus on healthy stock and experienced sellers. Nothing will change in Petco if they keep their meds on the shelves. You will just keep supporting a pitifully bad chain store with your money and everyone will forget this ever happened.
Instead learn from what they are trying to do and if, for some insane reason, you weren't already aware of how foul Petco's policies are, now you will be. Forget about convenience and move on. Let them further humiliate and degrade themselves to the experienced hobbyists eye. Nothing will change and this announcement proves that. They simply don't care.
Turbosaurus made the assertion that dropsy is always fatal. With most fish, she is absolutely right, but if one goes on a number of goldfish specialty sites, the recommendation (with some success) before euthanasia is treatment with an antibiotic. For some reason, it seems that goldies have a better chance of the causes of dropsy being reversed than other fish. So, yes, Turbo, most people who claim to have reversed dropsy are "liars" since it is an end symptom, but some lucky goldfish owners with access to aggressive antibiotics are able to treat the root disease in time to prevent total kidney shutdown.
