The Associate Koi Clubs of America host a Koi Health Advisor Program.
We’ve all been there before, starting out or relatively new and totally frustrated by a sick Koi in our pond. Who do you call, where do you go for answers? Many pet shops don’t normally deal with ponds and many of the ones that do just say “buy this”, most Veterinarians don’t treat fish or ponds, the agricultural extensions are geared toward farming. Out of this frustration was born the KHA program, taking from AKCA member club’s “help lines”.
Hobbyists learn the basic core principals of proper pond design, filtration and water quality. Along with this they learn disease prevention, good nutrition and health basics to become better Koi keepers. Once we are better Koi keepers ourselves we can now help others.
Do KHAs take the place of veterinarians who work with koi? Absolutely not! It is not the KHA’s job to diagnose or treat. The KHA is only the first line of defense. If we can teach our fellow hobbyists about good koi care, many problems would be alleviated. The KHA will be an available resource if a problem does arise. We will be there to give advice about how the owner could deal with the problem either by themselves, or with our help teaching them how. If the pond needs the attention of a Veterinary Professional then the KHA can help the owner get in touch with those vets that deal with ponds or give the local vet a vet contact who does deal with ponds for professional information.