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What exactly is “dropsy?” Many people think it is a bacterial infection that causes a fish to have a pinecone-like appearance. Sorry, but no!

Dropsy is just a clinical sign that the kidneys or gills are not functioning correctly. This can be caused by many different disease processes, including stress from poor water quality, infectious disease or malnutrition.

Freshwater fish are constantly taking on water into their bodies since they are more dense than the water around them through the simple process of osmosis. The kidneys and gills are responsible for removing this excess water, but if they aren’t able to do their jobs, the fish will start to take on water. Excess water can collect in between internal organs and the skin, causing the fish’s scales to separate, causing that “dropsy” aka “pinecone-like” appearance.

Bottom line: there is no one cause of dropsy, and therefore, no one treatment.

Watch our video for the whole story or read our blog post (https://cafishvet.com/2018/04/02/the-dropsy-myth/)! For more information about pet fish health, please visit our website at https://cafishvet.com. If you have a sick fish and need help, call 866-FISH-VET or visit https://fishvets.org.

Constipation in Freshwater Fish VLOG: https://youtu.be/vh4rBMplRhA

At Aquatic Veterinary Services, fish are treated like family. Dr. Jessie Sanders – Owner/Chief Veterinarian.
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Chapters

0:00 Introduction
2:00 Causes of Edema
3:08 Symptoms of Edema
3:54 Diagnosis of Edema
4:17 Treatment of Edema

Edema, also spelt oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body’s tissue.[1] Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected.[1] Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area may feel heavy, and affected joints may be hard to move.[1] Other symptoms depend on the underlying cause.[2]

Causes may include venous insufficiency, heart failure, kidney problems, low protein levels, liver problems, deep vein thrombosis, infections, angioedema, certain medications, and lymphedema.[1][2] It may also occur after prolonged sitting or standing and during menstruation or pregnancy.[1] The condition is more concerning if it starts suddenly, or pain or shortness of breath is present.[2]

Treatment depends on the underlying cause.[2] If the underlying mechanism involves sodium retention, decreased salt intake and a diuretic may be used.[2] Elevating the legs and support stockings may be useful for edema of the legs.[3] Older people are more commonly affected.[3] The word is from the Greek οἴδημα oídēma meaning ‘swelling’.[4]
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