Is it possible for a fish to choke on a piece of gravel and die?

Question

My sister thinks that happened to one of her goldfish. If it were possible can you take fish to the vet? What could the vet have done realistically?

The fish sat on the bottom of the tank opening and closing its mouth really wide and slow, wouldn't eat for over a week and then finally expired. Sis thought it had choked on a rock, I thought it might have been old age.

Answer 1

Quite a variety of opinions so far.

I guess the answer would depend on how exactly you define "choking". As long as the gravel is past the gills, it wouldn't interfere with the ability of the fish to obtain dissolved oxygen for respiration, which is how we'd define choking for humans. But it does prevent air from directly entering the swim bladder (goldfish have an open bladder to get air directly from atmospheric air as opposed to those with a closed system [or "rete mirable" as a scientific name for this] so it could cause balance problems similar to a swim bladder disorder. Most importantly, if the rock obstructs the digestive tract and the fish isn't able to pass it, it can create a "backup" of food which decomposes in the gut and eventually cause the digestive lining to burst. This will kill the fish.

Unless this was a very rare or expensive fish, I doubt most vets would do anything. Although their training would include other animals, you could also have trouble finding a vet with any extensive experience in treating fish unless you were in an area where they're produced commercially. Most specialize in dogs, cats, and smaller mammals, or large mammals (cattle, horses).


ADDITION: Goldfish should be able to live at least 8-10 years in an aquarium, although 20+ isn't unheard of. The record is into the 40+ year range. I doubt that you had a goldfish long enough that it would die from old age.

Another possibility is that there was too much waste in the water. Goldfish tend to produce a lot of waste, and this includes ammonia, which is toxic to them. The ammonia is converted to nitrite, which is also toxic, then to nitrate which the fish can live in if the concentration isn't too high. Ammonia and nitrite poisoning might fit the symptoms you're describing too. The fish tend to become less active, not eat, and respire quicker, which involves opening and closing both the mouth and gill flaps: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm This is something that often happens when people don't realize how large goldfish can get and the amount of waste they produce. Plus, most new owners put the fish into a new tank, and don't realize that without the bacteria needed to convert the fish wastes means more frequent water changes might be needed to reduce the ammonia and nitrite in the tank.

Answer 2

Fish are very good at picking up a lot of gravel or sand and sifting through it in their mouths, keeping when they want and spitting out the rest. Some spit it back out their mouths, others let it fall right out their gills, which is a sight to see!

I doubt the fish choked. It probably ate the large peice of gravela nd it caused some kind of blockage.

I doubt the vet would have been able to do anything but charge you $60 for a visit to still have a dead $5 goldfish.

Answer 3

yeah its possible the fish can go for fallen food on the bottom and suck up a piece of gravel. well you can try to use a tweezer and a pair of rubber gloves but its kinda difficult for a person to dislodge a gravel bit from a fishes mouth. There really arent any fish vets only ones for zoos and aquariums. Unless you can find one out in your area that will make house calls.

Answer 4

Yes they can. And it's common for fish like goldfish that scavenge on the bottom for food, they'll pick up pieces of gravel. That's why it's recommended to have larger pieces of gravel in a tank with them and other similar fish.

I'm sure there's vets that would see a fish, though may be hard to find. Probably not worth it $ wise though. Your best bet is to try to remove it yourself. Clean tweezers can work if you can see the gravel piece.

Answer 5

Aww! Don't wait to take a choking fish to a vet, perform the Heimlich right there. Of course there might be a problem figuring out what to hold and what to press, but I'm sure that could be overcome. I really doubt that fish choke to death on gravel,otherwise you would not be advised to line their tanks with it.

Answer 6

Its entirely possible. Goldfish spend the majority of there time sifting through the substrate in search of food. The fish wouldn't suffocate per say. but its possible that a small rock or other object prevented him from eating properly. Ive seen many websites say that. Most mysterious goldfish deaths can be solved by looking in their mouth.

Answer 7

Anything that can get into a gold fish mouth can be easily passed (except fishing hook) The fish expired from a different reason.

Answer 8

yes goldfish can swallow gravel and it can cause internal problems or choking. there's nothing a vet could really do. if it's visible from the mouth, or sticking out of the mouth, it is possible that the fish will eventually spit it out or it can be gentley eased out by yourself. this is why goldfish should either be kept in barebottomed tanks or with large river stones. they will hoover through gravel looking for food.

Answer 9

I don't think so. I have 2 goldfish around 2 cms long, they try sucking the gravel and spit it out....theye never hold it in their mouth for too long.....its like sniffing action!

Answer 10

gravel is not good for the intestines and can block it. My fish had one in its mouth and it threw a fit. i had to catch and remove the stone. I now buy stone that wont fit in the mouth. that way you dont have any worries. you can get it at the pet store.