Time to Euthanize?

by **dystopian** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 9:30 am

So my three year old black female angelfish has been sick for a couple of weeks now...

Originally I found her swimming oddly around the main tank..I removed her and set her up in bare bottomed hospitol tank because she was sinking to the bottom and I was trying to avoid her hurting herself.

Once in her new tank filled with water from her main tank--I did partial water changes to make sure her water was pristine....but she continued to go downhill. She finally has been crashed at the bottom of the hospitol tank for over two weeks now. I've tried treating her with tetracycline but she didn't show any improvements. She's still alive now and she continues to eat well when I feed her the pellets that sink to the bottom. But her fins are becoming raggedy and she's now got fin rot...and she looks bad.. she's flat on the bottom but her back half is just begun curling up and she looks miserable...

I feel bad when I go into the room and go to her tank she'll try to swim...but she whirls around the bottom half of the tank all spastic and crazed looking...so I try not to bother her too often...

I'm not sure what the heck is wrong with her. She wasn't exhibiting symptoms of anything aside from swimming funny...which made me think it may have been a swim bladder problem...I tried the treatment with Tetracycline thinking it may have been something bacterial and it didn't seem to help.

At this point I'm wondering if she has fishy TB...I really don't know what else to do for her...I would try kanamycin if I could find it and wasn't afraid the treatment would cause her even more pain and suffering.

I'm not sure what to do at this point except send her to that big river in the sky...I mean at this point the poor fish has been sick going on three weeks...it seems to me I'm making her suffer. Anyone else had experience with a fish like this recovering...or is she really past the point of no return?

by **Zambize4899** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 3:31 am

I'm not an expert, but I have had to euthanize a few fish. Fish are so sensitive it seems like it is very hard for them to come back after an extended illness. There are many factors, including age. I don't know how long Angel fish live, but if she's near the typical lifespan, then I may be more inclined to euthanize. You may want to write SnowBoss privately if he doesn't respond here. He's got Angel fish.

I use a product called Finquel to euthanize with. It is a powder mixed in with the water that works the same as Euthasol used by vets for cats/dogs. I got mine from Dr.s Foster and Smith. (Ignore those stories about freezing your fish to death being humane....it may be a traditional and common method, but that doesn't equal humane.)

Zambize

by **yasherkoach** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:31 am

isn't Finquel a temporary sedative which does not kill the fish.

I read somewhere that clove oil will slowly kill the fish in a nice way

by **Zambize4899** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:58 am

Olive oil is not reliable. Finquel is an anesthetic that puts the fish in an unconscious state. This is the same state humans (or animals) are placed in when ready for surgery. When the fish is fully sedated, a second dose of Finquel is administered that stops the heart. This is the same two-stage process used to euthanize all kinds of animals, including cats and dogs at the vet. I've euthanized countless cats and dogs (used to own a vet clinic) and never had a bad reaction, although it is possible. I've euthanized 20-30 fish and all have appeared to go as peacefully as did the cats and dogs. If I'm really ill, it's how I want to go.

Zambize

by **jrb_ami66** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:44 pm

I have a fish that seems constipated so I mixed extra virgin olive oil with some flake food and put it in the tank. then I read this article saying it can kill fish. What do I do now?

by **Alasse** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:27 pm

Its not olive oil, its clove oil that is used for euthanizing fish

by **jrb_ami66** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:42 am

Thanks! I noticed after I posted that one of the scripts said clove oil than the reply said olive oil but still glad to know I wont wake up to a tank of dead pets! The constipated one may die though. He wont eat and his body is bloated to the point of scale protrusion. Any suggestions?

by **Alasse** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 3:18 am

If its scales are protruding i would say it has dropsy, and i would personally euthanise it now.

I will too be euthanising a fish today :( Found at least 1 neon with NTS

by **snostorm** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 8:07 am

Hi dystopian, I would put the fish down with clove oil (small container plus lots of oil) . One of my fish recently died and in the end he was all curled up, I read somewhere it may have been nitrate poisoning which sounds like what you your fish may be suffering http://www.goldfish-emergency.com/viewp ... page_id=66

by **yasherkoach** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:54 am

I used to use clove oil...but I have found that by taking a small dish of water, placing the fish in it and placing the dish in the freezer, this will put the fish down as the cold water freezes, it is a slightly slower process than clove oil, but either way, the fish will go down without little pain

Time to Euthanize?

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