Shark with Bad Goiter

[Got Sharks?]

Thought I would post here as well, got a thread started in the aggresive tank section but seems more appropriate here..

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1453316

Cliff Notes:

I have a 20" sand shark with a bad goiter (size of golfball). Tank has undetectible levels of nitrates / nitrites / ammonia. Tried to administer Mazuri Vita-Zu with no luck, the shark can no longer swallow. For the past 3 weeks I have been treating the entire tank with iodine trace elements once a week following the directions on the bottle.

Any ideas? anyone have more experiance with bad cases of goiter? I have heard levothyroxine might help, but do not know anything about it.

any ideas or info is greatly appreaciated!
-Brian

 

[ivgonmad]

I would get some NSW and do a BIG water change (sharks greatly benefit from the elements in NSW), and as far as getting the shark to ingest the stuff you might have to use a feeding tube to administer the vitamins/food. I would wait until you detect actual weight loss which could take a pretty long while.

I would try to find a vet or someone with experience to help you with the feeding tube.

I would continue dosing Iodine and test the levels as well.

GL

 

[JHemdal]

Brian,

I've tried all manner of water changes, iodine and iodide additions to the water itself over many, many years - it has never worked for me - ever.

The only thing that has ever worked is potassium iodide in the food at a rate (I don't have my records here, so you should double check this) of 2.5 mg per pound of shark's weight in the food weekly for six weeks. It only works if you catch it early enough and iodide is distasteful, so you need to "hide it" in an empty gelatin capsule, inside the food. If you tube feed the shark, you can dissolve the iodide into the food mixture. Here's a tip - to weigh out these tiny amounts of iodide you'll need a very accurate gram scale - and even then it will be hard to do. What I do is say I need 25 mg for a ten pound shark. I make up ten capsules, and then weigh out 250 mg of iodide and divide it into ten portions visually and put a tenth into each capsule. It all averages out, so a little more or less in each capsule is o.k. - much easier than trying to weigh out 25 mg at a time!

I've heard people using Thyroxine - tried it once in the case of a swell shark that had gotten so bad it had stopped feeding - it didn't help. I think the dose is on the order of: 20 µg/kg


Jay

 

[Got Sharks?]

Thanks for the info Jay!

I only dosed the water to bring it back to normal level, and I will keep an eye on it in the future. I really did not think that would be the cure.

So far everyone I have talked to said to get the Vita-Zu into the shark atleast once a week by any means, even If I have to tube feed it.

I could try the iodide capsule but there is no way the shark could swallow it unless it is TINY, and I have no idea where to get the iodide or capsules anyway

I have Vita-Zu gel, and I think I am going to start tube feeding once a week for the next 6 weeks and hopefully I see progress.

I will keep posting updates.

Thanks!
-Brian