Am I Being Cruel?

[redrhum]

Hey, My Lovely Betta Jimmy has been ill for some time with an ulcer on the left side of his face that since treatment with melafix, salt and methly blue has stopped getting bigger but has left him with a hole in the side of his head. My problem is i couldnt bring myself to ethuanase him when he was at his worst- not feeding or really moving, but then he started to get better after intensive treatment in the hospital tank. However, he has lost the sight of his left eye, and now only feeds if i hand feed him with a pipette right in front of his nose. He is swimming around more but not as much as before and mostly hangs out near the thermometer. The hole seems to be growing new tissue and his eye isnt cloudy anymore but looks different to the other. Im just worried that although he has improved it isnt really enough and im just prolonging his suffering. Any thoughts please?

 

[loraxchick]

hi. and welcome to the forum
dont give up on him. if he is showing improvement that's GREAT! he may or may not get sight back in his eye when the "cloudiness" goes. fish with one eye do just fine. just dont do a lot of redecorating/moving things in the tank. he will get used to the layout and not bump into things. also, try to feed him in the same spot everyday. maybe with a light tap on the glass to let him know its feeding time. he will get used to where to go for his food, and will most likely be able to eat on his own. but if he's weak at the moment by all means continue hand feeding for a while. just be sure to remove any uneaten food if you stop hand-feeding. he may or may not eat it all (ie-he will likely "miss" some of it with impaired eyesight).
his "hole" getting better is a great sign. as is his increased activity. im sure he is feeling much better! so dont do anything drastic. just keep his water clean, offer food and see how much he improves. if he's fighting, keep up the fight. usually they "let you know" when their time is up. to me, this does not seem like this is the case from what you've described.
hoping for a speedy, complete recovery for your boy!
cheers

 

[Assaye]

Hey, My Lovely Betta Jimmy has been ill for some time with an ulcer on the left side of his face that since treatment with melafix, salt and methly blue has stopped getting bigger but has left him with a hole in the side of his head. My problem is i couldnt bring myself to ethuanase him when he was at his worst- not feeding or really moving, but then he started to get better after intensive treatment in the hospital tank. However, he has lost the sight of his left eye, and now only feeds if i hand feed him with a pipette right in front of his nose. He is swimming around more but not as much as before and mostly hangs out near the thermometer. The hole seems to be growing new tissue and his eye isnt cloudy anymore but looks different to the other. Im just worried that although he has improved it isnt really enough and im just prolonging his suffering. Any thoughts please?

He is getting better and has perked up. I wouldn't even consider euthanising. It's not kind to euthanise when they animals has a chance of recovering to a reasonably normal quality of life after a little care and attention. I only consider euthanising if the animal is beyond hope and will not recover.

Give him some time. Even if he stays blind he can still have a very reasonable quality of life.

 

[Theplayboy]

Even if he stays blind he can still have a very reasonable quality of life.

Agreed! I had a molly once that lost both her eyes to popeye (i was uninformed at the time) and she went on to live out a happy life.

 

[redrhum]

Ah thankyou guys for all the advice. Thats set my mind at rest for now, though im still very worried about him as he just looks so miserable. But he is coming to the front of the tank to greet me like he used to. Im just trying to faten him up, his so scrawny now

 

[Mauricia]

Honestly he's probably not miserable, I think animals adjust pretty well to have disabilities. Think about dogs and cats that are missing legs, they do just fine. I have a horse that went completely blind and his personality is the same as before. He might just not be swimming as much because as you say he looks scrawny so he has less energy and he's still recovering. If he's still eating than that's a good sign that he's feeling decent.