Treatments

It is vital that you find a good vet or koi specialist, and form a strong relationship with them to ensure that you can obtain medications and services when needed. If all other avenues of treatment fail, it may be necessary to use antibiotics as a last resort and these will have to be obtained from your local vet.  However, before antibiotics are ever used, a full sensitivity test must be obtained by taking a swab.

Administering the wrong antibiotic is as bad as giving none at all, and if it is given for a prolonged period  it will encourage a resistance to that particular drug to build up. The only exception is when a koi is so ill that the delay in waiting for a swab results is unacceptable and immediate selection of the "best guess" antibiotics is needed. It must be stressed that antibiotics should not be used without the guidance of your vet or koi health specialist. Do understand that the treatments are all potentially harmful if they fall into the wrong hands, and so all medications and treatments must be kept securely.

When using some medications, such as those which are powders or give off fumes, it is also advisable to wear a face mask, as well as ensuring that the treatment area is well ventilated. Finally the wearing of eye protection is sensible, as many chemicals can cause serious injury if they get into your eyes, and wash your hands after handling chemicals. Before actually administering any medications, it is vital that the expiry or use-by-date should be chacked as many chemicals may become more toxic with time or simply be ineffective.