Imagine being a fish, it’s Monday morning. You’re swimming in your nice large tank with your fishy buddies and neighbors on the reef, and then you’re caught. *No biggie, they do this quarterly. Guess my calendar is off.* But instead of the routine check they do with the fish in water, you’re plopped into this Tupperware container, wet sponge on your gills. You’re completely out of water and you can’t see a damn thing because your eyes aren’t made for this. And this sponge is rather comfy, but god it’s bright in here. A few minutes later you hear the word “diagnosis”. You know this word. The blue tang next door got one two months ago after scratching his fin. You have been feeling a little bloated lately. Soon you’re back home in the comforting expanse of water that is your tank. That week your food tastes different but you don’t think much of it. Until Friday, out of nowhere you expel the most insane gas bubble anyone in the tank has ever seen. Even the clams are impressed. You immediately feel relief. You hadn’t even realized how uncomfortable you were, but now your swimming posture is back to normal and that bloated feeling is gone. Life is good….
I wish I were a fish.
Edit: I will literally cry y’all are so fucking sweet 😭
They did not share a photo of the recovered angelfish, but I can offer a [video of the zoo's newly hatched flamingos](https://youtu.be/U9Bwt_wSw-g?si=JSnamImwGV74nV2o) to make up for it!
Had an old big carnival goldfish that would suddenly have trouble with buoyancy. My mom told me to give the fish a green pea and magically it worked out the constipation / gas and Goldy would be fine. No idea where her idea came from….
Sometimes Bettas get constipated and gassy, and then they can't swim well and will float pathetically on their side. Green peas are the answer there too!
never in my life have i seen a fish get an x-ray… how long was he out of water?? or did you find a way to get his x-rays while he could breathe? this is so cool
I'm not sure on the specifics but according to their initial post:
Our veterinary medicine teams sedated the fish and ran water intermittently over its gills while they examined the fish and performed a CT scan.
Probably a little of both. So much case-sharing and networking goes in between the Zoo Rads. The lead vet from the San Diego Zoo was keynote at our conference last year and the stuff they do in imaging is amazing, but they don’t have staff radiologist. There is a collaborative effort to get a Zoo/Exotic/Wildlife imaging library up where everyone can contribute to the library of imaging for non-traditional species so that Zoo Rads/Vets everywhere can benefit from comparative imaging. I’m not sure if it will be open-source or, more likely, ACVR/ZEWDIS membership based.
Again, this is cool, but the reality for many of us is that this fucking fish has better healthcare than most of America. It floors me every time I see this.
Absolute perfection. There is nothing I wanted to see more than a fish on a perfectly crafted fishholder sponge getting a CT scan because he had to fart
What is the weight limit on that table? That gantry is wild looking... What is the bore size, it looks massive.
I want to scan something other than humans when I retire from people radiology.
I'm not sure, they didn't provide any other details. The only other thing they initially posted was [a photo of a tech doing a scan.](https://imgur.com/a/MKPwUkp)
I was just playing… I ran across this post the same day as my CT Chest. The robotic voice saying: “Hold your breath.” and the picture of the fish really struck a chord.
Awesome! Many years ago I had intense abdominal pain. Went to ER coz I thot I was dying.
After an X-ray they told me I was full of gas. I said, so I’m paying hundreds of dollars for you to tell me I just need to fart? Doc said yep and gave me a med to dissipate the gas in my belly.
Best I can do is give you the direct link to their [Facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/i44T6Jh3S1FU6Rse/?mibextid=xfxF2i) that I got the images from, sorry!
Imagine being a fish, it’s Monday morning. You’re swimming in your nice large tank with your fishy buddies and neighbors on the reef, and then you’re caught. *No biggie, they do this quarterly. Guess my calendar is off.* But instead of the routine check they do with the fish in water, you’re plopped into this Tupperware container, wet sponge on your gills. You’re completely out of water and you can’t see a damn thing because your eyes aren’t made for this. And this sponge is rather comfy, but god it’s bright in here. A few minutes later you hear the word “diagnosis”. You know this word. The blue tang next door got one two months ago after scratching his fin. You have been feeling a little bloated lately. Soon you’re back home in the comforting expanse of water that is your tank. That week your food tastes different but you don’t think much of it. Until Friday, out of nowhere you expel the most insane gas bubble anyone in the tank has ever seen. Even the clams are impressed. You immediately feel relief. You hadn’t even realized how uncomfortable you were, but now your swimming posture is back to normal and that bloated feeling is gone. Life is good…. I wish I were a fish. Edit: I will literally cry y’all are so fucking sweet 😭
This was amazing. Thanks!
Top shelf writing here.
🥲thank you
Thank you for this 👏🏻👏🏻 brilliant writing. I truly could see this whole scene in my head
Stop I’m gonna cry 🥹
Love a good wholesome story with a happy ending 😌
Me too 🥹
"Even the clams are impressed" Idk why, this line made me cackle. Thanks for making my evening lol
👏👏👏👏
[is that you, Mr. Limpet?](https://youtu.be/x6TtCyKwNAE?si=mJLPYGfUX9dhdIN3)
You just gave this autistic her new favorite film 😍
🤗 I hope you enjoy it, Neighbor!
"Even the clams were impressed"🤣
I hear a children’s book in the making.
The fish gotta be so confused with what’s going on lol
zoom in on the first image. his tiny mouth looks like he’s saying ‘whaaaaat?’
These are great, but you also have to post a pic of the recovered fish. HIPAA does not cover aquatic animals.
They did not share a photo of the recovered angelfish, but I can offer a [video of the zoo's newly hatched flamingos](https://youtu.be/U9Bwt_wSw-g?si=JSnamImwGV74nV2o) to make up for it!
Awwww. Birdie tax accepted.
Seriously cute and fluffy. I can't take it!
TIL Fish can have gas
And it can be so bad that they swim lopsided. Go figure.
You know sometimes you have to lean a bit to give it a way out. Guess that doesn’t work for fish.
The one cheek sneak, I know it well.
Same here! The poor little dude just had to fart
Back in the old days, if an expensive and beloved fish had symptoms like that, we'd just dose them with antibiotics and hope for the best.
This fish has better healthcare than half of America.
More than half lol
Had an old big carnival goldfish that would suddenly have trouble with buoyancy. My mom told me to give the fish a green pea and magically it worked out the constipation / gas and Goldy would be fine. No idea where her idea came from….
If it's constipation (pretty common) then the pectin in peas helps fish out. It's legit.
Sometimes Bettas get constipated and gassy, and then they can't swim well and will float pathetically on their side. Green peas are the answer there too!
Bettas are such divas. I had 2 different ones in college. Got some beautiful bubble nests from my one dude.
This 3D recon is better than the ones I get given for the face!
never in my life have i seen a fish get an x-ray… how long was he out of water?? or did you find a way to get his x-rays while he could breathe? this is so cool
I'm not sure on the specifics but according to their initial post: Our veterinary medicine teams sedated the fish and ran water intermittently over its gills while they examined the fish and performed a CT scan.
that’s so cool… i forgot other animals got x-rays too!
Did he ask for a warm blanket and a sandwich?
Seems like a great patient.
I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was young, I kind of imagined I would be doing stuff like this as the job lol.
This is the fish version of being abducted by aliens
Now *this* is the kind of content I come to Reddit for
This is amazing
I'm guessing they don't have an in-house radiologist. Did they consult with a university or an imaging service like ZooRadOne or Idexx?
Probably a little of both. So much case-sharing and networking goes in between the Zoo Rads. The lead vet from the San Diego Zoo was keynote at our conference last year and the stuff they do in imaging is amazing, but they don’t have staff radiologist. There is a collaborative effort to get a Zoo/Exotic/Wildlife imaging library up where everyone can contribute to the library of imaging for non-traditional species so that Zoo Rads/Vets everywhere can benefit from comparative imaging. I’m not sure if it will be open-source or, more likely, ACVR/ZEWDIS membership based.
\#4 in particular is mesmerizing.
This fish is now in debt $50k
Again, this is cool, but the reality for many of us is that this fucking fish has better healthcare than most of America. It floors me every time I see this.
4th image would look cool framed on a wall as art 🧐
Hey that fish got a CT scan just like me!
So the fish was swimming funny because he had to fart?!
Damn I want to print and frame some of these images. They're so cool! But I'm weird like that LOL
He really be like 👁️👄👁️
Evening shift in the ER, anything goes.
Would it be possible to share the DICOM fish images? I guess no HIPAA involved. I would absolutely love to have this exam on file!
Unfortunately I only pulled this from their Facebook post, you could attempt to contact the zoo for them to see if they'll share it!
Thanks for answering!
Were you able the find the DICOM?
Nop. But I didn't really look into it. If you have better luck please let us know!
How do you know if a fish is properly sedated?
When he starts to think that the shark in the other is his best friend.
If I put an octopus in there, would it just be a beak and a blur, or could I make out minute details?
>octopus All medical imaging devices Made in Japan are factory tested on octopus or giant squid...
Absolute perfection. There is nothing I wanted to see more than a fish on a perfectly crafted fishholder sponge getting a CT scan because he had to fart
What is the weight limit on that table? That gantry is wild looking... What is the bore size, it looks massive. I want to scan something other than humans when I retire from people radiology.
Awesome we got the images.
I love this story! 🐠 Thank you for sharing!
That's a cool story
Did the fish have contrast injected? I noticed it says CT angio on the images. If so, I am curious as to how and what type of contrast was used! 🐠🐠🐠
I'm not sure, they didn't provide any other details. The only other thing they initially posted was [a photo of a tech doing a scan.](https://imgur.com/a/MKPwUkp)
Imma need some credit here, u/jaimebbycakes… LOL!
u/vinescoproductions made the initial post, I was just following up with the update with the scans from their Facebook since it popped up on my feed.
I was just playing… I ran across this post the same day as my CT Chest. The robotic voice saying: “Hold your breath.” and the picture of the fish really struck a chord.
I wonder how much medical debt that fish is drowning in now… heh heh
does this violate fishy hipaa
Really cool 😎
Awesome! Many years ago I had intense abdominal pain. Went to ER coz I thot I was dying. After an X-ray they told me I was full of gas. I said, so I’m paying hundreds of dollars for you to tell me I just need to fart? Doc said yep and gave me a med to dissipate the gas in my belly.
You just violated hipaa
Coooooollll
So cool. Did the fish put the $5,000 on a credit card?
Whooaaaa, I always wondered what the follow-up story was! 😲
“My fish is sick” Anyone remember that old Red Stripe commercial
Would have loved a portal venouse phase.
So cool. Thanks for sharing.
Dory!
anyone else get Sopranos, Big Pussy vibes from this?
Small bowel obstruction?
is there any way i can get the 2nd pic in full resolution, for a graphic design poster.
Best I can do is give you the direct link to their [Facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/i44T6Jh3S1FU6Rse/?mibextid=xfxF2i) that I got the images from, sorry!