When Is It Time To Euthanize A Fish?

[r.w.girard]

A week ago, my betta was starting to do better. Then we changed his water to restart the treatment cycle and since then he was been doing worse each day. We've been using Maracyn, Maracyn II, and Melafix. I can't tell if the mouth rot is gone but it seem to be, more of less. His face is still a little white where the lip feel off but he no longer has spots on his cheeks or near his gills. But for the past three days he has been unable to stay up straight and has been floating sideways, barely moving his fins.

Will he get better? I don't want to make him suffer if he wont. It has already been 11 days. But don't want to give up on him if there is hope.

When is it time to euthanize a fish?

 

[karin]

Well I suspect you haven't gotten a reply because this is not an easy question to answer. It really depends on the fish and your own philosophy about these things. The hard thing is that for most of us, we can't really know what is going on and what the fish is feeling. So we try our best. For instance it sounds to me that if this fish were in the wild it would die. Some folks believe that this type of assessment determines when it is okay to stop the fish's suffering and euthanize. Another person might say that you should never give up and do everything you can but let the fish die a natural death. No euthanasia And then there is everything in between. It is not an easy answer. I suspect that there are multiple truths here. You have to find the one that feels right to you.

Sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted here.

 

[r.w.girard]

Sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted here.

But you did: another opinion on a choice that is hard to make, even if that opinion is "is you can or you can't, as you choose."

Thank you.

 

[r.w.girard]

The question is now moot: our crown tail betta passed in the night.