Hi
I hope you can help me. I am looking for someone in STOKE ON TRENT OR NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME who is confident in handling fish to either help me treat one of mine of put it out of its misery. I live in Cliffe Vale, ST4. my mobie no is:07806826494.
I'm afraid I cannot take the fish to a vet as i am on benefits and the PDSA say they have no experience of treating fish.
On Thursday I found one fish dead (out of the pool, head gone) and another floundering in the shallows.
My daughter returned the alive fish to the pond and it seemed to swim OK. For the next day or 2 it seemed to be faring quite well. Eventually I was able to get close enough to see that it had a big bite on its back behind the head. However still swimming well tho obviously depressed.
I sought advice but the only treatment I discovered (wound spray) requires handling of the fish and I am so nervous and incompetent. In addition, these fish, which I "inherited" about 5 years ago are so nervous and unused to being handled I am afraid of doing more harm than good.
Lady in the shop advised me to wait and see how fish progresses.
Today it looks worse. Is now getting black patches on other parts of its body and part of its tail has either gone or curled over. The edges of the main wound are also going black.
I should tell you that I don't think this is a carp as I have never seen any of the mouth "fangs", it may just be a big goldfish. But whatever, it is suffering.
Is there anyone in your club who lives near enough to me to be able to pop over for a few minutes and give some first aid or euthanasia if recovery is doubtful?
Thank you in advance.
Kath Hayward.

Kath, sorry cannot help, but if you need to euthanize a fish, the easiest and a humane way, is to place the fish in a plastic bag (no water) in your freezer.

As fish are cold blooded, their metabolism slows down with temperature and so will slow to nothing.

Was it a cat, or heron attack?

Thank you for your advice - that sounds much more humane than other ideas people have suggested.
I live in a very urban area - but have seen a heron - 3 years ago and a hawk - last year.
But we do have plenty of urban foxes so I layed the blame there.
As for cats, I have a cat,who is not interested in the fish at all but is a very good gate keeper. God help the cat that comes into our garden!
I also have a dog who is adverse to all cats except ours. So, as I say, I think the fox is the most likely.

If the edges of the wound are going black, that probably means it is healing. Goldfish usually get black marks after an injury, they are a good sign.

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Lucia

Phew I am feeling so much better! In edition to this forum I also emailed a local specialist and, amazingly, he just turned up at my door at little while ago. He administered first aid and said that it wasn't a bite at all but the result of over enthusiastic spawning!
he also said that the one that was out of the pond (dead) had probably been bounced out during spawning.
So I am doubly pleased - for the help of course and also glad to know that this was part of natural behaviour not something I could have prevented.
Although he said that the prognosis for the sick fish isn't good he has promised to come and euthanase it for me if it doesn't perk up in a couple of days.
In addition he said I was right not to have tried handling the fish myself when I've never done it before as I could so easily have dropped it. Maybe I'll get him to teach me sometime.
thanks again for help and support.
kath

if you need to euthinase the poor thing you could put him in a bucket of pond water and then add some Clove Oil .( the sort u use on your teeth for tooth ache.) add say 10 drops to a jamjar pot with water and a little vodka(helps dispers the oil) and gradualy add this to the bucket.

the fish will pass into a deep sleep . i would then add alot more oil to make it a overdose...... i have used this method and never fancy a flapping fish in my freezer( would it not suffocate in the plastic bag first?)


good luck

Robert

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Thanks for your reply. Goodness, there seem to be a lot of weird and wonderful ways to deal with this unpleasant problem of euthanasing fish. But luckily if it comes to it we will be Ok as the man who helped me yesterday has promised to come and do the job for me as painlessly as possible. But I am still hoping it will recover.

sorry have to disagree with this,freezing a fish to death is terribly painful the frezing causes the cells to explode and cause extreme distress and pain

I think any debate on this should be in a new thread ( not on a new members HELP thread)


there is one on euthinasing fish that i started by all means add to that .

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How is the fish doing?

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Lucia