Ninja Smee’s chart
This evening, I noticed that Ninja Smee’s jaw was sitting slightly crooked and jutting out, and she could barely open her mouth. I might not have noticed if she hadn’t wiggled through a gap in the tank divider when it was dinnertime and swam up to where the food caught the current from the filter, where she tried to get a piece of food to float into the small opening of her mouth.
I inspected Smee’s mouth and ticked off all the things that might be the matter. The first thought was eggs, but the mouth is too far extended and not fully closed. She can eat if she can get a piece of food to fit through the small opening. My experience with Madame Geoffrey tells me this is not a case of eggs, as the hopeful mother does not eat (or try to) while trying to hatch roe.
After spending a considerable amount of time researching causes of cichlid jaw issues unrelated to babies, I believe I have diagnosed the problem. Queen Beetlejuice must have dislocated the Ninja Smee’s jaw during one of her escapes from behind the partition. Thankfully, there are ways to realign a fish’s jaw. Unfortunately, I have no experience with fish dislocations and need to read up on how to fix the problem without breaking the jaw. I’m a bit concerned about the outcome since I won’t be able to practice on something non-organic before I take Smee’s jaw into my hands, but what can one do? I’m also looking into how to care for a fish with a broken jaw, just in case I get this wrong. I’m convincing myself that I am not nervous, and all the hours I put in to become a doctor have prepared me for the surprises that no one thinks to read about on the internet before they occur.
I’ve scheduled Smee’s jaw procedure for sometime tomorrow evening. She doesn’t know this yet, but I fear if I tell her, she’ll allow her white coat syndrome keep her from getting treatment.
Dr. Nursey (a.k.a Authority #1 who thought Dr. Nurse Shark was a good pseudonym)
Written In Ink 