# When is it time to say goodbye? - Dealing with Euthanasia



## MoonShadow (Feb 29, 2012)

This is something I wrote up a couple months ago for my website, so I thought I would post it here too! 

A question that I get asked a lot is “When do I know that it’s time to euthanize my fish? And how do I go about doing it?” Euthanasia is an unpleasant topic but unfortunately it is a necessary one to talk about. There are two main purposes for euthanasia in fish – to relieve the pain and suffering of a severely ill or injured fish, or to humanely destory fish with severe deformities (particularly fry).

*When to Euthanize a fish*

There are several diseases that effect are beloved bettas, that are consistently fatal, and euthanasia is sometimes the kindest thing we can do for our sick fish. The main fatal diseases in bettas are: Dropsy, Columnaris, and Fish Tuberculosis.

*Dropsy*

Dropsy isn’t a disease, but rather a symptom of other underlying problems, and there is no single underlying problem for every case. A fish with dropsy will be obviously round and swollen, particularly around the abdomen, the swelling causes the scales to stick out, and when viewed from the top the fish will resemble a pine cone. Fish suffering from dropsy are often lethargic, poorly colored, and uninterested in food. 

The symptom that we call dropsy is essentially an accumulation of fluids within the body. As the body swells the scales are forced out, causing the pine cone appearance. The most common causes of dropsy are bacterial infections caused by poor water quality and maintenance, certain viral and protozoan infections, and organ failure. 

Dropsy is extremely difficult to treat, by the time the fluid in the body has built up enough to cause the scales to pine cone, Severe internal damage has already occurred. By the time it gets to this point it’s usually best to euthanize the fish. You can try treating with Anti-biotics, epsom salt and increased water temperatures, but most of the time these treatments do not work, and you are just prolonging the suffering of the fish! 


*Columnaris*

Columnaris is a bacterial infection caused by something known as flexibacter bacteria. The bacteria are most likely to infect fish that have been stressed by conditions such as poor water quality, inadequate diet, or stress from handling and shipping. Columnaris can enter the fish through the gills, mouth, or via small wounds on the skin. The disease is highly contagious and may be spread through contaminated nets, specimen containers, and even food.

Columnaris can be external or internal, though most cases tend to be external, it can also follow or chronic or acute course. The chronic cases progress slowly, and offer more opportunity for treatment. Acute cases spread quickly and can kill within hours. High water temperature speed up the course of the disease, however lowering the temperature will not effect or slow down the progression of the disease.

*Symptoms include*

White spots on mouth, edges of scales, and fins 
Cottony growth that eats away at the mouth
Fins disintegrate beginning at the edges
‘Saddleback’ lesion near the dorsal fin
Fungus often invades the affected skin
Rapid gilling in cases where gills are infected


*Fish Tuberculosis*

Fortunately Fish Tb isn’t as widely spread as it used to be, with fewer and fewer cases being reported, but it is still out there, and fish keepers should know what to look for! Symptoms of Tb include loss of scales, loss of color, lesions on the body, wasting, and skeletal deformities such as curved spines. Tb is not treatable, and can be spread to humans through open wounds. If a betta is showing symtoms of Tb the best thing to do is euthanize the fish. 


Severe injuries to the betta, such as large open wounds where bone is showing, are also times when euthanasia might be the best option. Fish with poorly developed swim bladders (“belly sliders”) and deformed spines are particularly common among inbred fish, such as some fancy livebearers. In this case, euthanasia removes bad genes from a particular batch of fish, ensuring each new generation is healthy and conforms to the standards of the type.

*How Not to Euthanize*

Submersion of the fish in ice water or boiling water are not humane, though ice water can be used in some situations while I will discuss later on. Suffocating the fish by leaving it out of water is also inhumane, as fish will remain unconscious out of water for long periods, in some cases several hours. 

*Acceptable Methods of Euthanasia *

*Clove Oil*

Clove oil is a sedative at low doses, but at higher doses it has been recommended by some researchers as an inexpensive way to euthanize fish, particularly small fish. In a container, mix aquarium water with clove oil and mix. When exposed to high concentrations of clove oil, fish quickly lose consciousness and stop breathing, both of which reduce pain. Hypoxia eventually causes death, and once verified, the fish can be removed from the water and clove oil mixture, some people choose to add alcohol to the clove oil and water which will cause the fish to pass on more quickly then the clove oil would alone. 

*Ice Bath Method*

Tropical Fish less than 2 inches in length can be euthanized by exposing them to freezing cold water. The fish is put into a small container along with some aquarium water at the normal temperature. This container is then placed into a much larger container filled with crushed ice. This will rapidly chill the water in the smaller container, eventually rendering the fish unconscious. When death is verified, the fish can be removed.

*Decapitation*

While too difficult for most aquarists, stunning a fish, decapitating it and then pithing it (physically destroying the brain with a metal rod) is a humane way to euthanize a fish. Because fish can remain conscious for some time after decapitation, the pithing step is essential. If you don’t know how to pith a fish, then don’t use this method.

*Disposing of Dead Fish*

Dead fish should not be flushed, flushing can contaminate native fish populations. Dead fish should be burned, thrown in the trash (tightly wrapped in a paper towel), or buried in the yard (deep enough that scavengers will not dig it up)


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## caljamsam (Jun 26, 2012)

Sounds about right to me. Thank you.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

As this post, in fact this discussion, will never be stickied, it is good that someone who knows what she is talking about occasionally brings this to our attention.

Thank you, Moonshadow. That was a particularly well-written and accurate presentation of this valuable information.


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## caljamsam (Jun 26, 2012)

What kind of alcohol are you referring to? There are many different types of alcohol.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Hallyx said:


> As this post, in fact this discussion, will never be stickied, it is good that someone who knows what she is talking about occasionally brings this to our attention.
> 
> Thank you, Moonshadow. That was a particularly well-written and accurate presentation of this valuable information.




Why can't it be stickied? I think it should be - these are important things to know if you're keeping these animals.

MoonShadow, great post. Very well written and clear. Thanks for sharing this with us!


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## MoonShadow (Feb 29, 2012)

caljamsam said:


> What kind of alcohol are you referring to? There are many different types of alcohol.


Well I personally use Vodka, but anything containing alcohol will work, I've even heard of people using pure vanilla extract because it contains small amounts of alcohol


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Just a few drops of any kind of alcohol helps the clove oil blend into the water.

Mix it in a shot-glass, then slowly pour it into the euthanasia cup.


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

even though its sad to think about doing, its good to know the proper way to do it, so YES this SHOULD be a sticky! thanks for the info, i hope I never have to use it, but if the time comes alteast I know how to do it right


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## nickdolin (Sep 16, 2012)

Agreed, while not a subject anyone likes to think about. Sticky-ing should help increase the instance of humane euthanasia vs. inhumane.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

i havent had the chance nor time to euthanise as my only loss was during th 3rd day of treatment. the DTHM had severe swelling and went into shock upon ES treatment, passed 3 days later. i did put the fish in a plant pot after documenting final pics and such after its death. what are some of the risks of putting fish in plant/flower pots?


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

You mean burying the fish under a live potted plant? I think that's charming, very reasonable and somehow just right.


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## Sivan (Aug 30, 2010)

Good post, MoonShadow. Keep 'em coming!


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## MoonShadow (Feb 29, 2012)

I just wanted to bump this up for new members!


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Thanks for bumping this, Moonshadow. This is valuable information.

Regarding Clove oil/alcohol: I've been advised by experienced keepers over on TFK (Tropical FishKeeing--our parent site) that alcohol causes painful burning in the gills. They recommended the Clove oil/water mixture be shaken vigorously and thoroughly.


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## lillyandquigly (Nov 24, 2011)

how do you pith a fish?


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

[/COLOR]*Thinks that should be edited*

I've seen many fish come back from dropsy, even though often is lethal. Columnaris is _far_ from fatal if you know what you're doing.. I disagree with that whole heatedly.

Fish TB is usually lethal, but I've also seen fish come back from that too. That should be noted.

I also _very strongly_ disagree that an ice bath is humane. The fish does not die immediately. They will suffer for several minutes before they succumb to the shock. 

When using clove oil it is important not to immediately throw a large dose at the fish. This will cause some suffering to the fish and you will see it in their thrashing and panic. _The key to using this humanely is to do it so slowly the fish doesn't notice the change in water_ The fish will need to be moved to a smaller container - 1 gallon would work well. A mixture of just a couple drops can be mixed into a cup or two of water and then added to the gallon - stir it in very slowly and gently. Continue making these mixtures and adding it to the tank every several minutes for a total of 3 or maybe 4 doses of the 2-3 drops. The fish may appear dead and even belly up but it's not. You will see the gill movement slow and stop completely - watch for several minutes as there could be as little as one gill movement in several minutes. The whole thing should be done slowly and can take up to an hour if you do it right. Alcohol along with clove oil is also inhumane and cause the fish to suffer needlessly because if you know what you're doing with the clove oil it is foolproof. Some people submerse in alcohol _after_ using clove oil because they're afraid it didn't work, or they want to be absolutely sure there fish is gone before they take it out of the bath and risk having it wake up, but I've never heard of initial doses of alcohol being humane. It is very stressful and painful for a fish who is not first anesthetized. - I could give you _lots_ of links on this but we're not supposed to link to outside info.

You can also sub clove oil for pharmaceutical grade fish anesthetics.

Sorry to pick that apart but I really feel those are things that need to be pointed out.


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