Poorly Betta

[Rynofasho]

Ya, any progress pics? Definitely looking better from the last small photo.

 

[loraxchick]

My GOODNESS that sore looks SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better. It is amazing what clean water can do, eh?
All sounds like great news. I would keep him in hospital for at LEAST another week (2 if possible). I know all those water changes stink but the proof is in the pudding!! hopefully you are keeping his filter cycled.
He looks so much better.
Not trying to be a downer but please dont be hard on yourself if he still doesnt pull thru. That was a pretty sever injury, and with the pineconing could have been a number of issues. Hope hes not just rallying but honestly seems to be on the mend . Are you doing any meds right now or just clean water? Id keep on a diet of Bloodworms 2-3X/week and flake/pellet every day in between. fast once a week.
Good job so far. Im realllly routing for you and the fish.
Just shows how resilient fish can be. He had a really nasty wound/infection. again. job well done. Be proud
Please keep us posted!
Cheers

*edit to add*
his scales probably wont grow back. that injury was very deep. It will likely be like a scar on his body. I still see some redness/irritation in that area from your pics. I would not move him until all the redness/irritation is gone. Maybe a few quick 5 min salt dips but nothing more( 1 tsp/gal for about 5-10 mins once a day/ every other day. dont go running out to buy aquarium salt for it tho. if you have some on hand not a terrible idea. Prob doesn't need it tho, really. He looks s zillion times better)
**edit AGAIN to add**
Id say it is safe to d o short dips in aquarium salt now that his swelling has gone down. If you do use salt dips, just make sure you pay attention to his pineconing. If any signs of pineconing stop aquarium salt dips stat.
im very happy for you both. HATE when the fish get sick!
cheers again.

 

[Lacuna]

Thanks for the comments guys. Up until a few days ago there was no more redness on his side and judging by outward appearance he looked almost completely better. But he has now started to develop some redness again, this time slightly higher up than where his sore/ulcer was before. This was taken today:



I am definitely going to keep him in the hospital tank for the time being. He is not as bothered by the water changes now; he used to dart into the corner and try to hide behind the moss ball but now he swims around the top and tries to nip my fingers, and I take that as a good sign.

I haven't been medicating but if the redness gets worse I'll do anti-bacterial again. I have no idea what is causing this, but it is as though he bashes against things and bruises himself. Although the only thing he can bang against is the heater. The salt is a good idea, and he's not at all bloated, so I think I will try that.

 

[loraxchick]

Aquarium salt now i would imagine is fine to use, he is not bloated or pineconing at all from the pics. If you are not squeamish about it you could try Hydrogen peroxide solution (a capful/litre) and dab the affected area with a cotton swab. Lay the fish on a washcloth that is soaked in tankwater/dechlorinated water...do this every third day.
There is certainly some lingering issue which i can only assume is bacterial from the look of it. Meds might not work well unless you can get some pretty potent antibiotics. I would not recommend more rounds of the same med. might make the bacteria more resistant to them which is certainly not what you want.
have you considered dips for salt? instead of adding to the tank, take some tank water in a container (even a mason jar would be fine) dose at a tablespoon/gal or teaspoon/liter. do waterchange every day and leave him in the dip while you go about the change up to 15-20 mins. You are w/c anyway and makes it easier to keep track of salt levels (Will build up quicker than you thing in the tank, esp if doing daily changes).
im so routing for you and the fish!!!!!!! The pics are very helpful in ascertaining his progress
you are doing a TERRRRRIIIFFFIC job!!! Hang in there.
All the best! Please keep us posted.
cheers

 

[Lacuna]

Well, my betta's side has healed up nicely and there are no signs of any problems there. I moved him back to his big tank about a month ago. There are khuli loaches in there so it remained cycled. He has continued to be quite lethargic however, mainly sitting on the sand and sometimes lying on his side. He hardly ever swims, and he has started darting about again, not scratching against objects but just charging about the tank. Tonight I noticed how skinny he is looking. He is still eating plenty and always seems hungry. I am wondering if he maybe has internal parasites? Although I have read that being skinny can also be the result of bacterial problems, and I think his illness before was bacterial. I haven't seen his poo recently, but when he was in the hospital tank it was normal. I think I should treat with a parasite med, I need to try something. He just never seems to get better

 

[Lacuna]

I have tried to take some photos to show how skinny he is. This is him before (normal):



This is him now. You can see it best at the top of his head where his spine is really showing:







His belly doesn't really look sunken, it's more along his spine where it shows. I have dosed the tank with Kusuri which is meant to kill parasites, including internal. I hope it works, not sure what else I can do. Has anyone else seen something similar with their fish?