EMERGENCY Dropsy

[ClassicCharm]

My guy was showing no symptoms this morning, buy about 10pm he was lying on his side unable to swim. Put him in a cup with clean water. About ten minutes ago he started pineconing around his abdomen. Every couple minutes his gills will hugely enlarge, he'll get some air, and then he's still again.

I put him in 4tsp/gallon epsom salt and the heater is at 86.

I think it's time to euthanize, but I don't have any clove oil.

What's the best thing for him?

[AyalaCookiejar]

I've heard of euthanizing by submerging them in ice cold water, but I'm not so sure I would like to do that myself. :/ I've heard it is very quick.

[ClassicCharm]

Euthanasia is not humane unless the animal is unconscious when it passes. I don't agree with the freezing method or decapitation.

[Frazzle]

freezing wont kill them I heard... not right away that is.

[JennybugJennifer]

I found this site which seemed helpful and it says the freezing method is not humane

http://nippyfish.net/2007/02/12/euth...aquarium-fish/

[JennybugJennifer]

Ew. I just read someone tell another person to freeze it to sleep then drop it in the garbage disposal -.- because it's "instantaneous and zero clean up"

[twolovers101]

Clove oil is the way to go, then freeze in ice-cold water

[callistra]

If you do the clove oil properly, freezing is unnecessary. Clove oil is the only humane way to do it. You can get it at the grocery store. Sometimes I find the health food stores are more likely to carry it. Of course you can try to treat.. dropsy is generally a condition of poor water quality and there is hope of full recovery if you catch it soon enough.

I've never heard of using more than 3 tsp per gallon epsoms and I've only used 1.. be careful with that.. I don't know if that's a very good idea. He probably also needs a good internal antibiotic like Kanaplex, Maracyn Plus or Furan 2. I would not increase heat as this dropsy could be due to an internal bacterial infection that actually will be SPED UP by higher heat.

More info would be helpful as well: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[ClassicCharm]

Unfortunately, my little fellow passed over night before I could get my hands on antibiotics/ clove oil.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Callistra, I have used Epsom salt in that concentration before (it's the max I would go). I increased heat as per the instructions in the disease/illness sticky.

[callistra]

Sorry for your loss :(

Dropsy can move very quickly making it difficult to treat unless you have a stash of meds on hand. Personally, I would not increase temps with dropsy because if it's bacterial in nature it can speed up the disease process, however if you KNOW it's parasites and there is no secondary bacterial infection present then increasing water temp can be helpful.