Rescue emergency!

[Miss Jinkx]

I work in a hospital and one of the wards had a little fighter in a 1 gallon tank for about six months. He looked sicker and sicker every time I saw him and finally, today I managed to convince them to let me take him home for a "retreat"...They gave me his little tank, and his food which was a very fine flake that had CREATURES moving in it on close inspection.

The little guy is emaciated, and he is clamped and pale. He isn't eating the food I have offered him (I have crushed regular betta bites so that its a similar consistency to the "food" he has been used to) Anyone who has experience with rescues, could you please advise me of emergency measures that I can take to help get him on the road to recovery if its not too late.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Try persuading him with some blood worms :)

[Adastra]

I would definitely do daily 100% water changes--poor water quality is likely the source of the poor guy's woes. It would also be great if you could get the little guy a heater, or at least put him in a place in your house that is consistenly warm. Hospitals tend to be quite climate controlled, so without a heater he was probably very cold. Poor guy. Are they going to let you keep him?

[Miss Jinkx]

Hey guys, thanks for your replies.. Today I took him down to my LFS, which is a family owned and run business who have been operating for over 20 years, so they know their stuff. They looked at him through a magnifying glass and a light and said he has flukes and an internal parasite.. :( The recommendation was to do 100 percent daily water changes, as you suggested Adastra. I have treated him with a medication that they sold me, although its thought that in the condition he is in, he may not cope with the dosage. Either way he would die so I am giving him a chance on the meds.
Are they going to let me keep him? If he survived all of this and gets healthy there is NO way I would hand him back to them.
Dipsy I have tried him on blood worms today to no avail. I will keep doing my best with him however, and my fingers are crossed that all is not lost...

[wallywestisthebest333]

Good luck! If he get's better you could always say there was an "accident" where his home was knocked over. Then you'd get to keep him because they'd believe he's dead. =] Or you could just be totally honest and say "I'm not giving it to you if you won't take care of it! It was DISEASED for gosh's Sake!" Then they might feel bad and let you keep him!

I hope he gets better soon! <=]

[Romad]

Poor little guy. Good luck with the treatment. Hope he makes it but if he doesn't, at least he got a good home for a bit.

[Campbell]

Good luck!

[frogipoi]

Good luck!

[Adastra]

Fish with internal parasites typically do not have any appetite--but if this is what his problem is, in a few days you will see him start to pass the worms (in the form of gigantic poops). After that point, they start eating again and go on to live happy lives. I've seen this happen with a betta and a pearl gourami. What did they give you to treat the parasites? Generally what you want is something with the ingredient praziquantel.

Any way you can get the guy a bigger container? Rubbermaid/Sterilite plastic storage bins from wal mart or target work great, they're the perfect shape for bettas because they're long and shallow, so he'll have a lot of swimming room but won't have to strain to reach the surface. Plus they're way more practical than glass for frequent water changes. 4 Gallon ones are only about $3. These containers are safe to heat and might be a lot easier for you to dose the medication in.

[Sarada]

You can also soak his pellets in garlic juice, it's supposed to help with their appetite.