Sun Keeping His Eyes on Me
Since Sun had his Wen surgery he has been keeping an eye on me. He watches every move I make when I enter the room. You can click onto the titles under the photos to get a larger view.
Wen Trimming Video of Sun
This is a surgery I’ve decided to do by myself. Sun had this surgery a year of so ago at KSTATE University at Manhattan, KS. The cost of the surgery was nearly 150 dollars. However, the Wen grew back and also another Oranda I have needed surgery. The cost of raising goldfish is surprisingly high when you consider the filters, cartridges, chlorine remover, water conditioner, food, utlra-violet light pump and replacement bulbs and the list goes on and on.
Sun’s Wen had grown tremendously covering his eyes from above. Also Wen or some jell growth also grew over his jowels, covering his eyes from below. I first started cutting and could not find the eyes. I had to remove lots of Wen before I could even see the eyes. Had to be careful not to cut or pierce his eye during the procedure. Was more difficult than I thought it would be, however it was doable. I will not allow the Wen to grow over his eyes again. Next time I will remove the Wen before it overtakes his eyes. I had the clock in the video so you could see the time span of the procedure. Took about 30 minutes from taking him out of the tank, putting him to sleep, operating on him, and for him to recover. The end of the video is of Sun the next day swimming in his tank. He can now see his food and find food hidden within the gravel on the floor of the tank.
Oil of Cloves Fish Anesthetic
Ok, I’ve ordered some Oil of Cloves Fish Anestheticto operate on my fish and some Chlor-No-More to remove chlorine from my tank.
When I receive these items I will start a new system of working with goldfish. I will operate and remove any excess Wen from both my Orandas. I attempted to do a little of this with Wabi, but refrained when I realized the complexity of the situation. I’ve some tissue scissors and anesthetic coming in. I will photograph the Wen surgery and post. Also I’ll be treating my water with this new chlorine remover. Gonna’ see what happens.
A Time for Change
Whatever it is I have been trying to do for three years has not worked and has failed. I’ve tried using Prime and Zymestress…. did not work. High levels of Nitrites and Amonia continue in this tank. I’ve had surgery on an Oranda to have the Wen removed from his eyes…. the Wen has grown back. I’ve installed two of the most recommended water filters, the over the tank Emperor 400 and the Eheim Canister. I’ve made frequent and not so frequent water changes. I’ve changed large amounts of water and lesser amounts of water. Still the ammonia and nitrites are pitifully high. I’ve a 9 volt ultra-violet light to kill bad bacteria. I’ve tried using live plants and no plants at all. This tank has never cycled for three years so I will no longer do what I’ve been doing.
I will only change 10 to 15 gallons of water once a week, that is it. I will clean one water filter every two or three weeks. If the fish die, they will die for I’ve tried so many different things and have invested tons of money on trying to raise these five goldfish. The strongest of these fish may survive or maybe they won’t. This tank will have to cycle by me doing much less to it. Maybe less is more. Will see…
Wabi-Sabi has been laying on his side for weeks now. He is partially curled around, however he will swim and does eat. However I’ve thought of ending it all for him by taking off his head. I’ve also thought maybe he doesn’t get around because he is blind for his Wen growing over his head. I’m not going to take him in for surgery when it appears he is dying anyway. So yesterday while cleaning the tank I took Wabi out and with a small pair of scissors, removed a little Wen from both his eyes. Thought what the heck…. Removing Wen is harder than you might think. That stuff is tough to cut. Seeing my limitations I stopped while I was ahead. I would like to say it was a success but Wabi still lays on his side and swims around to eat. He does appear to move slightly better. I’ve ordered a special pair of scissors for cutting tissue and will use them to work more on Wabi’s Wen. If Wabi survives this homegrown surgery and continues to thrive, later I will remove the Wen over Sun’s eyes. I can not afford to pay for such surgeries for these fish. It may appear cruel, but if it works I will do it my way from now on.
My plan is to change 10 to 15 gallons of water once a week. Monthly I will address the filters and ultra-violet light. If the Wen appears to start growing over their eyes, I will cut it off. I will not use any more chemicals of any nature in this tank. I will let my stored water sit for several days before putting it in the tank without using any chemicals. This will either work or not work. What I have been doing has not worked, so it is time for change.
Sun Shines But I Worry About Him
It has been a week since Sun had Wen Trim Surgery. He looks pretty good but he isn’t acting quite the same. Before the surgery I believe he swam around more and was a bit more active than he is now. He basically lays in a spot for a long time. He will move to another spot and lay there. The only time he really swims around is during feeding time. He appears to be very top heavy. His Wen is really thick and huge. His jowls are huge as well. Sun appears to use a lot of effort to swim, to push his body forward. If I hold him at the top of the tank and release him, he almost makes a nose dive to the bottom before he levels off.
However, Sun appears quite content. He lays in his spot and watches everything going on outside the tank. He does eat and swim. He enjoys the company of all the other fish and looks happy. I’m pretty sure he is going to be ok. Maybe the surgery was quite traumatic on him and it may take a bit to recover. He is always watching me and seems to be aware of being photographed. Sun is a really cool fish. I’m hoping the best for him.
Sun’s Recovery From Wen Trim Surgery
Inside the waiting room sat a couple whose dog was seen about the pace maker it had. Appears the situation was under control and details were being explained to the family on things to watch out for and how to monitor their dog for preventative measures.
Two girls, very skinny young ladies, came in with a small dog on a leash. They were there to retrieved their silver/gray Weimaraner. I believe the Weimaraner had suffered an injury on it’s leg and was treated and was ready to be released. The poor dog was rather skinny as well. However he looked as if he was loved quite a bit. When I was younger I had pets, but wasn’t until I grew older before I really began to learn about the love these pets had to share. Until I learned I didn’t own a pet, instead shared an existence with another species, I was just simply a pet owner. Now I’ve learned the specialness of these creatures we call pets and am better for it.
I saw a person come in with a rabbit in a pet carrier and I saw a black cat in another carrier. The lady place the carrier on the floor and the black cat looked at me looking at him/her.
Later I spoke with a woman with a pet bird (Conure) in a cage. The bird was missing quite a few feathers and I figured that was the reason she had brought it to the veterinarian. Actually the Conure had a bad foot bothering it which stressed it causing it to pluck it’s feathers. The Conure had been a member of this woman’s family for 13 years at this point. The woman spoke of “Bud” the Conure as if it were her child.
I on the other hand had walked into the Kansas State University Veterinary Hospital with an orange Homedepot bucket containing about 4 gallons of water from a fish tank along with Sun, my Fancy Oranda Goldfish. Supporting me and always by my side was my wife of 30 years. You know your wife loves you in a case like this. Face it, you don’t see too many gray haired old men with a goldfish at a veterinarian clinic.
Sun’s surgery went well and he has been recovering the last couple of days. At first he didn’t move around a lot and didn’t eat. Now he eats and is getting around a bit better.
Wen Trim Surgery ~ Success
Sun Can See ~ Yeah!!!
The above photo shows Sun’s Right Side. Sun had partial vision with this eye, but very little.
The above photo shows Sun’s Left Side. His Wen had this side completely covered for several months now.
Here is Sun’s front view. He appears to be smiling.
Click this link to see Sun before his Wen Surgery.
Click this link to see Sun in a video prior to his wen trim surgery.
The treatment performed on Sun is as follows:
Sun was placed under anesthesia with Tricaine Methanesulfonate and sodium bicarbonate as a buffer. Under anesthesia, radiocauthery and scalpel exicision were used to excise the excess wen growth. There was minimal bleeding during surgery and the surgery lasted 20 minutes. Recovery from anesthesia was uneventful.
Client Invoice:
Sodium Bicarb Powd 1gm 1.70
Tricaine-S MS-222 1 gram 2.74
Minor Surgical, Exotic 1 51.00
Exam Exotic/Avian 39.00
Nebulization Treatmnt/day 14.00
============================
Total 108.44
Thanks go out to:
James Carpenter
Professor
Zoological Medicine Service
Rodney Schnellbacher
Intern,
Zoological Medicine Service
Julia Paul
Senior,
Veterinary Student
Sun’s Wen Trim Journey Begins
Today Sun and I make a visit to Kansas State University Veterinary Hospital. I will draw about three gallons of water from Sun’s tank to put into a plastic bucket I’ve been using for fish water. Inside the bucket I will place a one gallon glass bowl which Sun will be in. This way I’ll be sure to have enough water to make this journey. The trip to K-State is 30 miles. So I figure between the trip there and back along with the visit, Sun will have to live in this temporary world for nearly three hours.
At K-State they will exam Sun and decide on the procedure and cost. Then I have to make a decision. I know the local vet will do the job for $250 with the knowledge this will be his first time ever working on a fish. Maybe K-State will be cheaper and they have more experience? But what if K-State comes off with some ridiculous amount; say three or four hundred dollars? Do I fix something which isn’t really broken? Sun is very happy, I just want him to be happier. I am going to chronicle the life of this fish so I want to give him the best quality of life possible. However, I would be crushed if this procedure killed him or caused him irreparable damage.
In the photo you can see Sun swimming by the new Bonsai Tree I’ve put into the 55 gallon tank. His wen covers his eye but he does alright. Will see what happens.
