When a cat, dog or even a gerbil gets sick, help is only a phone call away. But what’s a fish owner to do when his or her koi get sick?
Don’t despair. Veterinarians and other experts capable of treating fish are available, once you know where to look.

The best way to find a koi-friendly vet is through word-of-mouth, says Paula Biles, executive director of the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society.
“One of the things I would recommend when looking for a [fish] vet, is to get in touch with someone in a water garden club. They would be very knowledgeable about who’s good in the area,” Biles says.

Although the current number of koi vets is small, the field of fish medicine is growing.
“Over the next five years, it will be a lot easier to find a koi-friendly vet,” Biles says. “Five years ago, it was practically impossible. Now it’s a whole lot more common and I think it will continue to become more common.”

This frustrating quest for a koi medical expert is exactly what inspired Spike Cover, director of the Associated Koi Clubs of America’s Koi Health Advisor program and koi enthusiast for more than 10 years to start the Koi Health Advisor program about five years ago.

Part of the problem, Cover says is that when you have fish problems, the vet almost always has to come to you because fish are difficult to move, especially when they’re sick. This takes time out of a veterinarian’s busy schedule when he or she could be examining your typical cat or dog. So, veterinarians usually stick to treating fish on the side.

“There is literally no one I know who is making a living as a fish vet only,” Cover says.
The goal of the KHA program is to generate more koi experts that can teach and assist koi hobbyists about their pets’ health. So although KHAs are not veterinarians, they are excellent resources for fish owners and can usually treat the fish with over-the-counter remedies.
In situations that are beyond the KHA’s knowledge, the KHA refers the koi owner to another health professional who can give the fish proper treatment.
Cover says that what often occurs is a KHA will contact the fish vet, or “referral vet.” The referral vet, in turn, contacts the koi owner’s local veterinarian and directs him or her on how to treat the fish. Koi hobbyists can find KHAs and referral veterinarians at www.akca.org.

Other excellent sources for fish health advice are local koi dealers, Biles says. Responsible koi sellers are worth their weight in gold. Reputable salespeople will keep their koi quarantined, checking for external parasites, bacterial diseases and viruses and treating the fish before they sell them.

If you start with healthy koi, chances are high that they will stay healthy provided you follow a few basic rules, Cover says.

“People who are very experienced in fish keeping will tell you, ‘If you keep the water good, the fish will take care of themselves.’ This is true about 90 percent of the time,” Cover says.

Robert Hildreth, DVM, at the Aquatic Veterinary Services in Irvine, Calif., says that local veterinarians can contact a fish vet, and, depending on the situation, either connect you with him or her, or let the fish vet advise them on treatment.

Hildreth recommends finding a vet that specializes in aquatic medicine and husbandry. If you want to know if the fish vet is reputable in the field, ask how long he or she has practiced aquatic medicine, if he or she belongs to The International Association for Aquatic Medicine and if he or she has attended Aquavet training programs.

To find an aquatic veterinarian in your area that treats koi, visit the online searchable database at aquavets.com. Start by clicking “Search for Vets,” then check your state and the “Ornamental Aquatic Animals” box.

Laura Lee Bloor is an assistant editor with BowTie Magazines.