# Euthanizing a betta



## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

Guys, I need help...

My poor guy. He's really struggling now.

I noticed something wrong at the end of July. Started out looking like this.
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd15/secretswimmer723/1375322521_zpsc9155f97.mp4

Posted about it, nothing really came about. So I just figured I'd watch it.

Toward the end of October it got worse.









Sakura really helped and we figured out it was Lymph. Basically nothing I could do for him, just keep him comfortable. Which I feel like I have been. He's been doing okay until recently. This was him about 15 minutes ago.



















His pectoral fin is severally damaged, as you can see in the fist photo from today. In the second picture his anal fin is starting to get "stringy" and he's got fin rot that just won't seem to go away and you can see the size of the growth. I've been keeping up with my water changes (2 times weekly, 50% for a 3 gallon tank w/ filter, all levels look great) and he's just getting worse. It wasn't so bad until about a couple days ago. He's having a hard time seeing food (sometimes he doesn't even come to the tank when it's feeding time), struggling to swim and has been resting most of the day either very close to the surface or hiding in his log. I'm so upset.

I'm moving out in the next month probably and I'm worried he won't make the move. It's on the opposite side of town with new water and I'm afraid it'll just totally stress him out. I think he's ready to go...

I've thought about my options. I've heard clove oil but can't seem to find any in my area. I also heard from another fishy friend to just put him in his cup and in the freezer. I don't know how well that would work, or even if it's humane. What other nice options are there? I can't stand to see him like this. I doubt he can breathe out of that gill and I'm sure it's spread inside his body.

I'm so upset that I have to do this, but everyday when I look at him he just kinda looks at me like "I'm ready". Even my dad, who isn't a fish person AT ALL was noticing how sad he looks.

I know you all are wise and I appreciate you letting me cry on your shoulders. Just hard.  Thanks.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Clove oil is my favorite method, but since you can't find that I would say that trauma or shock are the two other humane methods that you could do easily. 

Trauma is hard to do. You have to destroy the brain, which can mean putting them in a bag and hitting them with a hammer in the head, pithing the brain (hard to do properly in a betta), or putting it down a garbage disposal unit. All seem unpleasant but all are instant and that is paramount to being humane. You may see decapitation suggested, but there is good evidence that the fish remains conscious for minutes after, and that would make it inhumane. 

Shock is performed by getting a small container of water extremely cold, usually by freezing it until it is slush or by making an extremely icy cup/container of water, then dropping the fish in. The fish goes into shock and dies extremely quickly. I would recommend letting the fish sit in the water for five minutes to make sure it is dead.

Freezing them by putting them in water and then putting them in the freezer is inhumane since it is slow, extremely stressful, and ice crystals form inside their body, essentially tearing apart their insides and causing pain.


----------



## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> Clove oil is my favorite method, but since you can't find that I would say that trauma or shock are the two other humane methods that you could do easily.
> 
> Trauma is hard to do. You have to destroy the brain, which can mean putting them in a bag and hitting them with a hammer in the head, pithing the brain (hard to do properly in a betta), or putting it down a garbage disposal unit. All seem unpleasant but all are instant and that is paramount to being humane. You may see decapitation suggested, but there is good evidence that the fish remains conscious for minutes after, and that would make it inhumane.
> 
> ...


I've heard of all of them. The icy water and dropping them in seems like the best option for me. I don't think I could hammer my fish...


----------



## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

Add a little salt to the water and put in the freeze over night this will let the water drop below freezing without freezing, it will be quick. I have clove oil on my web site if you decide to go that way.
R


----------



## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

How much salt? Just a pinch or more than that? This is the route I want to go.


----------



## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

Doesn't take a lot 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon to a liter will hold freezing point of the water down to 0*F
R


----------



## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

Thanks. Got the water in the freezer. Will do it when I get up in the morning. He didn't even want to eat dinner tonight. I know he doesn't feel good.


----------



## Bailmint (Jun 15, 2013)

Oh this is so sad ;-;


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Be prepared to physically push the fish down past the surface.

Simply using ice water works in seconds, provided the water has had a chance to drop in temp. Anything in the 30s will do the job very quickly. Again, in a cup filled with ice cubes and water, you'll probably have to push the fish down past or amidst the ice.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Lizzy, I'm so sorry about your fish.


----------



## clementchee (Nov 26, 2013)

=(


----------



## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

Well, it's done. Water had a rim of ice so I put a hole in it big enough for him to go through. It was quick. This is the first time I got a really good look at the Lymph, it spread inside his gill and under his chin. I know he wasn't happy. He spent his last day resting on the bottom of his tank in his log where he loved to be. Rest easy, big guy.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm s sorry, Lizzy.


----------



## Aryia (Oct 10, 2013)

I'm sorry for the loss... I had to put down a female that developed severe dropsy after I rescued her from somewhere. She was pretty bloated already when I got to her :/ We decided to put her down after a painful two weeks of watching her suffer with no positive turnout to her medications. 

We tried alcohol but it didn't seem to have any effect on her weirdly and I didn't want her to suffer in it. So my boyfriend wrapped her up in a paper towel, placed her in a ziplock bag, and gave it a good whack on the counter. It was messy, but it was instant. I think if I ever had to do a euthanization again, that's the method I'd go to.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I use the garbage disposal - if you're okay with smashing the fish then pouring it onto the waiting spinning blades might be for you. Instantaneous, with no mess or clean up. This is an American Veterinary Medical Association approved method.


----------



## Aryia (Oct 10, 2013)

jaysee said:


> I use the garbage disposal - if you're okay with smashing the fish then pouring it onto the waiting spinning blades might be for you. Instantaneous, with no mess or clean up. This is an American Veterinary Medical Association approved method.


 interesting. It eases my mind knowing that the fish is entirely dead before I dispose of it, in the off-chance that my garbage disposal somehow misses.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I've never in my life put anything in the garbage disposal and not heard it get obliterated, but I understand your concern.


----------



## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

Ours even works on spoons
R


----------



## zombieaddict (Nov 11, 2013)

jaysee said:


> I use the garbage disposal - if you're okay with smashing the fish then pouring it onto the waiting spinning blades might be for you. Instantaneous, with no mess or clean up. This is an American Veterinary Medical Association approved method.


That made me shudder! I don't think I could put any animal down a garbage disposal. My aunt had a sweet little betta that her drunk boyfriend(now ex) threw down the garbage disposal to try and hurt her. Seems like a very sad way to go.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Only sadness is what you attach to it. I think it's a sad way to go not being euthanized, whichever method is used. Really though, what's the difference between methods? Certainly doesn't matter to the dead fish. Like someone said - do whatever you are comfortable doing.


----------



## zombieaddict (Nov 11, 2013)

I'm notorious for attaching emotion where it probably doesn't belong. lol That's what happens when you're blessed/cursed with an overactive imagination. I wouldn't let a fish that's got no hope suffer needlessly but if it were me I'd be more comfortable with oils or ice than whirring blades. It makes me think of the mechanical shark from James and the Giant Peach!


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Death is not an inappropriate thing for emotion to be attached. Death of a fish? Some people react more than others.


----------



## zombieaddict (Nov 11, 2013)

jaysee said:


> Death is not an inappropriate thing for emotion to be attached. Death of a fish? Some people react more than others.


I agree. I had a roommate who would have gone into a major bout of depression if anything happened to her fish. Personally, I'd be sad about losing a fish but nowhere near as devastated as I'd be if it was one of my dogs or cats.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I agree, there is just no comparison between losing a fish and losing a dog.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

The thing is that a lot of people here at bettafish do attach emotion to their fish. They aren't ornaments, they're living beings. I would never put a fish, living or dead down a garbage disposal. Maybe people at TFK feel differently about their fish. They aren't made of gold and can easily be replaced. Here at bf it's different. We love our bettas and many people here keep bettas to help them with anxiety or depression. We all have a right to our opinion though and if someone wants to put their fish down the garbage disposal them it's their right to do so.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

dramaqueen said:


> The thing is that a lot of people here at bettafish do attach emotion to their fish. They aren't ornaments, they're living beings. I would never put a fish, living or dead down a garbage disposal. Maybe people at TFK feel differently about their fish. They aren't made of gold and can easily be replaced. Here at bf it's different. We love our bettas and many people here keep bettas to help them with anxiety or depression. We all have a right to our opinion though and if someone wants to put their fish down the garbage disposal them it's their right to do so.


My powers of deduction tell me that Aryia considers their fish pets, and yet they plan to smash future fish on the counter top. I imagine from there the fish/paper towel/zip lock mess goes in the garbage can? Is this message for the both of us, or just me?


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I wasn't singling you out.  I understand what you're saying. It's just that while smashing or putting fish down the garbage disposal may be a difficult thing for one person who sees their fish as a beloved pet, it may be a practical solution for someone else.


----------



## Aryia (Oct 10, 2013)

jaysee said:


> My powers of deduction tell me that Aryia considers their fish pets, and yet they plan to smash future fish on the counter top. I imagine from there the fish/paper towel/zip lock mess goes in the garbage can? Is this message for the both of us, or just me?


I believe you got my message wrong. The only reason why I choose this as my euthanization method is because I believe it will be the quickest way to go. I have tried sedatives and alcohol before, but in my experience it is a slow process. None of us are fish, and we do not know how it feels like to be put in clove oil or alcohol. I don't like to watch my fish suffer, simply because I care for them. When I decide to put them down it's because all treatments failed and the inevitable will happen within the next week. And when this inevitable event will happen, I provide them with (the way I believe) will cause the least suffering to them. This is how we all choose for our fish to go, and the difference in opinion in what causes less suffering for the fish, does not make me a person who does not love her pets. 

People may think this method is gruesome and inhumane simply because it looks messy, but that's just a human perception of the entire situation. In the end, to me, it only matters if the fish suffered in the process or not. With a good smash, their entire nervous system is destroyed in an instant and nothing will be felt. 

As to the disposal method, how would you suggest dead bodies are disposed of? Some of us may live in apartments and do not have backyards to bury their pets in, and even then it is illegal in some cities due to health concerns to bury dead bodies in the ground. But it is a fish. People probably won't notice a mound due to a fish.


----------



## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

I'm in the ice water camp. Its quick and effective. I'm as attached to my betta as some are to their dogs. I hate to see anything suffer and can't stomach smashing them. Death with dignity should be the goal. Now if our government here could get their head around that for humans as well. Watching a loved person die slowly and painfully can be very traumatic.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Aryia said:


> I believe you got my message wrong. The only reason why I choose this as my euthanization method is because I believe it will be the quickest way to go.
> 
> ........... does not make me a person who does not love her pets.
> 
> ...


No, I totally understand exactly what you're saying. I think you misunderstood the nature of my post. You and I are in the same camp - the smashing method is one of the best, IMO, and deemed humane by the AVMA. I was just wondering if dramaqueens post was directed at just me or not. Since she said she wasn't singling me out, that means she was speaking to all of us who use methods that may be perceived as gruesome, or dispose of the fish in a seemingly uncaring way. I used you as an example because I know you love your fish and consider them pets.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Yes, I was speaking to everyone. I guess what it boils down to is that it's up to the individual as to what method they feel is best for their fish.


----------



## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

jaysee said:


> I agree, there is just no comparison between losing a fish and losing a dog.


Maybe for you, but I am deeply saddened when I lose my fish, dogs, horses, etc.. All life has worth, and all deaths leave a void. 

I don't euthanize my fish, and I don't euthanize my other animals. If they go, they either go on their own terms, or on an operating table. But, I understand others don't have the same perspective on this as me and I respect others choices. 

I am sorry about the losses people have mentioned on this thread, and to the OP for their loss.


----------



## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

OP, I'm very sorry you had to make the hard choice for your fish. At least he's not suffering any more. :c

Since we're discussing methods, earlier this year when I had to put my Jude to sleep, I found a really interesting research article where they tested two different methods of euthanasia on danios- they overdosed one batch on clove oil, and the other they lowered into freezing water. Basically, the fish put into clove oil showed more signs of distress for longer, and nearly 20% recovered after two minutes without gill movements, while the fish exposed to ice water showed only one sign of distress for about 10 seconds, and none recovered after gill movements ceased. The paper is here if anyone wants to read it for themselves: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2786934/ 

Personally I couldn't ever bring myself to use blunt force, or decapitation + pithing, or similar methods on a pet animal, rapid though they may be, since they're too violent for me and I doubt I'd have the coordination to do it correctly anyway. For me rapid cooling is the way to go; no mess and hard to screw up.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

In my opinion it is much more important to take the animals needs into account before your own with euthanasia... If smashing with a hammer means an instant and painless death for the fish but an unpleasant experience for you, so be it... IMO you should be happier with an instant and humane death for the fish then a drawn out one that's easier for you to watch. 

Clove oil has always worked for me so I personally see no reason to stop using it, but I have seen cases with fish that were "killed" via ice shock have to be killed via blunt force trauma because they "came back to life" (obviously they were never dead) in someone's pocket on the way to do a necropsy... 

The level of attachment is different with a fish then a dog for me but one life is no more valuable than the next...


----------



## Aryia (Oct 10, 2013)

jaysee said:


> No, I totally understand exactly what you're saying. I think you misunderstood the nature of my post. You and I are in the same camp - the smashing method is one of the best, IMO, and deemed humane by the AVMA. I was just wondering if dramaqueens post was directed at just me or not. Since she said she wasn't singling me out, that means she was speaking to all of us who use methods that may be perceived as gruesome, or dispose of the fish in a seemingly uncaring way. I used you as an example because I know you love your fish and consider them pets.


Sorry I think it would've been more appropriate for me to quote DQ's post. It's always so confusing when there's so many posts and thread to choose which one is relevant to quote! The quote wasn't meant to direct my post at you, but simply to quote the relevancy, since our discussion has become quite deviated from the OP's initial discussion.


----------

