Cancer and Old Age in Fish: Dr. Todd Cecil Gives Us the Facts
Cancer and old age are difficult to handle when they happen to our pets. Although most people are familiar with these issues in dogs and cats, not many aquarium hobbyists have the same level of understanding for their fish.
Our guest today is Dr. Todd Cecil, owner and operator of Western Aquatic Animal Veterinary Service, and primary exotic animal veterinarian at Pet Emergency and Specialty Center based in San Diego. Dr. Todd is well known for his fish medicine expertise and has been working with fish and other exotic animals for the past seventeen years. Join us, as Dr. Todd teaches us all we need to know about cancer and old age in pet fish.
BIO:
Dr. Todd Cecil's journey as a veterinarian working with avian and exotic patients began with the fulfillment of a lifelong pursuit as he received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of California at Davis in June of 1994. For the past seventeen years he has had the pleasure of treating and administering to a wide variety of ‘special species’ family members including birds, small exotic mammals (ferrets, rodents, rabbits), reptiles, amphibians, wildlife and fish, just to list a few.
As the owner/operator of the Western Aquatic Animal Veterinary Service (WAAVS) for sixteen years, I’ve had the challenge and joy of treating individual fish as pets in ponds and aquaria, and groups of fish (ponds and aquaculture). It has given me the experience to see a wide variety of fish disease situations, predominately in koi.
The Pet Emergency and Specialty Center, where Dr. Cecil is based, is composed of a team of individuals dedicated to improving the lives of “special species” patients and their relationship with their human family members. As an additional member of this team,his goals are to provide the best quality veterinary services, whether medical, surgical or behavioral, to ‘the rest of your extended family’.
Dr. Cecil first started his pursuit of avian and exotic animal medicine and surgery with a two-year internship in private practice. As a recent graduate, his clinical experience multiplied rapidly through an expanding variety of medical and surgical cases involving avian, exotic, fish and wildlife patients. He completed his internship in 1996, then embarked for a one-year intensive post-doctorate program at Mississippi State University in aquaculture/ aquatic animal medicine. After this, he returned to San Diego, where for the last nine years he has been practicing avian and exotic animal medicine exclusively. Dr. Cecil enjoys working closely with, and providing veterinary/consultation services to many local wildlife and exotic animal rescue organizations.
At present Dr. Cecil's life and joys are shared with his wonderful wife and their two children. The Cecil household is controlled by their non-human family members: Rufus, a Goldendoodle; Fluffy and Tiger, the cats; eight desert tortoises; Isaboa, a rosy boa, Bob the hamster and multiple fish tanks and ponds.
In his limited free time, their family enjoys discovering San Diego and the surrounding area. His greatest passion is SCUBA diving, but he doesn't seem to participate often enough these days!