Fish With Dropsy For Months? Euthanized Today

[trianglekitty]

Update: I had to euthanize him today. He started having trouble swimming (falling to the bottom of the tank and laying with his head in the gravel) and the skin on his underbelly was starting to split. I'm 99% certain it was a tumor based on the time span and how it gradually progressed over so many weeks. I'm glad I gave him every chance I could, but I'm also glad he's no longer in pain. This was my first time using clove oil and it was over very quickly and seemed painless.

One of my guppies has had what looks like dropsy for going on six weeks now. It seems to get just a little worse everyday and at this point he's hugely swollen with all of his scales up in that classic 'pinecone' dropsy look.

The tank is fine (ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates low, ph 7, temp 78)

I've done two rounds of Marcyn 2 and 1 with no result. He honestly looks like he might burst at any moment. It isn't just his stomach that is swollen but the entire body.

However, he's still eating and swimming fine. He's not acting like he's suffering. Is there any other treatment I can try? Is it possible he could literally burst, and if so would it be kinder to euthanize before that possibly happens?

Updated with blurry pictures...he's a QT tank now and has been for awhile, though I don't think he's contagious. In the first photo he's the one in front facing the camera.

 

[mctavish132]

Wow im surprised he's been that bloated/swollen with what looks exactly like dropsy and he's still alive and kickin. I've only ever had one fish get dropsy and it was a guppy aswell. He got extremely bloated so I treated for an internal bacteria infection unsuccessfully for a week then his scales began protruding. As he got more noticeably pineconish he sat in the top corner of the tank, did not eat or move just treaded water for 48 hours looking very sickly, and by the end of the 48 hours he literally looked like a pinecone and could not swim so I eauthanized the poor little guy in some clove oil, he just dozed right off. I felt like I had done the right thing in that situation. Ive never heard of a fish surviving very long past the point of serious scale protrusion. I would think that even if he is active and eating the scales protruding must be causing him pain, its weird that he has been this way for so long and has not shown signs of stress.


There are medications out their that say they treat dropsy but I think it really only works at very early stages, and it doesnt seem like your at an early stage
I dont know if chemicals would help or make things worse at this point.

I would be stumped in this situation too because its almost impossible to euthanize a fish not knowing forsure if that fish is actually suffering.
I would just let him be until he starts acting sickly or showing obvious signs of stress or suffering, then I would bust out the clove oil... I really dont think its worth trying to keep medicating it when their is such a little chance at the stage your at, and its just gonna make everything more harsh on the fish.

I'm no expert I'm just throwing in my opinion on the situation, Im sure someone with more knowledge will give you a better answer.

Best of luck

 

[FishBlast]

Is he pooping? Did you try peas? Might have a congestion. Or worse could be a tumor, but try feeding him peas.

 

[trianglekitty]

Hmmm. I haven't tried peas for awhile...I'll certainly do that.

I was very surprised to that he's made it this long and still behaves normally too. I bought a bottle of clove oil almost five weeks ago expecting I would need to euthanize him, but he just kept doing his regular fish thing. I did the Marcyn when he just a tiny bit bloated, so I did do the treatment very early on, it just didn't help. Or maybe it just helped slow things down.

My worst nightmare though is that all the internal pressure will make his skin split or his organs prolapse, which would just be awful for him. Part of me wants to euthanize before it gets to that point, especially if it happens overnight and he doesn't die immediately. On the other hand, he's giving no indication at all that he's suffering. I'll try the peas and give it a few more days before I make any decisions

 

[FishBlast]

Hmmm. I haven't tried peas for awhile...I'll certainly do that.

I was very surprised to that he's made it this long and still behaves normally too. I bought a bottle of clove oil almost five weeks ago expecting I would need to euthanize him, but he just kept doing his regular fish thing. I did the Marcyn when he just a tiny bit bloated, so I did do the treatment very early on, it just didn't help. Or maybe it just helped slow things down.

My worst nightmare though is that all the internal pressure will make his skin split or his organs prolapse, which would just be awful for him. Part of me wants to euthanize before it gets to that point, especially if it happens overnight and he doesn't die immediately. On the other hand, he's giving no indication at all that he's suffering. I'll try the peas and give it a few more days before I make any decisions

It would also be better if you can put him in a hospital tank and watch if he poops. He might just have a blockage and needs veggies. Though it could also be a tumor, in which case it will eventually start getting weaker and near death.
As long as he isn't sitting at the bottom or swimming sideways, don't kill it. Try to save it first and keep under observation.

 

[trianglekitty]

Hmmm. I haven't tried peas for awhile...I'll certainly do that.

I was very surprised to that he's made it this long and still behaves normally too. I bought a bottle of clove oil almost five weeks ago expecting I would need to euthanize him, but he just kept doing his regular fish thing. I did the Marcyn when he just a tiny bit bloated, so I did do the treatment very early on, it just didn't help. Or maybe it just helped slow things down.

My worst nightmare though is that all the internal pressure will make his skin split or his organs prolapse, which would just be awful for him. Part of me wants to euthanize before it gets to that point, especially if it happens overnight and he doesn't die immediately. On the other hand, he's giving no indication at all that he's suffering. I'll try the peas and give it a few more days before I make any decisions

It would also be better if you can put him in a hospital tank and watch if he poops. He might just have a blockage and needs veggies. Though it could also be a tumor, in which case it will eventually start getting weaker and near death.
As long as he isn't sitting at the bottom or swimming sideways, don't kill it. Try to save it first and keep under observation.

He's already in a hospital tank, but I took the gravel off the bottom so I can see if he produces any feces. I'm giving him some peas tonight...the only problem I have is cutting them up small enough so he can eat them!

 

[FishBlast]

Hmmm. I haven't tried peas for awhile...I'll certainly do that.

I was very surprised to that he's made it this long and still behaves normally too. I bought a bottle of clove oil almost five weeks ago expecting I would need to euthanize him, but he just kept doing his regular fish thing. I did the Marcyn when he just a tiny bit bloated, so I did do the treatment very early on, it just didn't help. Or maybe it just helped slow things down.

My worst nightmare though is that all the internal pressure will make his skin split or his organs prolapse, which would just be awful for him. Part of me wants to euthanize before it gets to that point, especially if it happens overnight and he doesn't die immediately. On the other hand, he's giving no indication at all that he's suffering. I'll try the peas and give it a few more days before I make any decisions

It would also be better if you can put him in a hospital tank and watch if he poops. He might just have a blockage and needs veggies. Though it could also be a tumor, in which case it will eventually start getting weaker and near death.
As long as he isn't sitting at the bottom or swimming sideways, don't kill it. Try to save it first and keep under observation.

He's already in a hospital tank, but I took the gravel off the bottom so I can see if he produces any feces. I'm giving him some peas tonight...the only problem I have is cutting them up small enough so he can eat them!

Boil them, then cut them small enough and then give them to him.

 

[trianglekitty]

He ate his pea very happily tonight, so please cross your fingers that this helps.

 

[FishBlast]

He ate his pea very happily tonight, so please cross your fingers that this helps.

Fingers crossed. Hope he is just constipated and it's no tumor.

 

[trianglekitty]

He ate his pea very happily tonight, so please cross your fingers that this helps.

Fingers crossed. Hope he is just constipated and it's no tumor.

Update: I had to euthanize him today. He started having trouble swimming (falling to the bottom of the tank and laying with his head in the gravel) and the skin on his underbelly was starting to split. I'm 99% certain it was a tumor based on the time span and how it gradually progressed over so many weeks. I'm glad I gave him every chance I could, but I'm also glad he's no longer in pain. This was my first time using clove oil and it was over very quickly and seemed painless.

 

[FishBlast]

He ate his pea very happily tonight, so please cross your fingers that this helps.

Fingers crossed. Hope he is just constipated and it's no tumor.

Update: I had to euthanize him today. He started having trouble swimming (falling to the bottom of the tank and laying with his head in the gravel) and the skin on his underbelly was starting to split. I'm 99% certain it was a tumor based on the time span and how it gradually progressed over so many weeks. I'm glad I gave him every chance I could, but I'm also glad he's no longer in pain. This was my first time using clove oil and it was over very quickly and seemed painless.

Must have been due to an error in the gene pool. Poor fishy. May he rest in peace.

 

[trianglekitty]

He ate his pea very happily tonight, so please cross your fingers that this helps.

Fingers crossed. Hope he is just constipated and it's no tumor.

Update: I had to euthanize him today. He started having trouble swimming (falling to the bottom of the tank and laying with his head in the gravel) and the skin on his underbelly was starting to split. I'm 99% certain it was a tumor based on the time span and how it gradually progressed over so many weeks. I'm glad I gave him every chance I could, but I'm also glad he's no longer in pain. This was my first time using clove oil and it was over very quickly and seemed painless.

Must have been due to an error in the gene pool. Poor fishy. May he rest in peace.

I've said before that I've had far more trouble with guppies than any other fish. None of my other fish ever get sick (knock on wood). But with the guppies I've had 3 outbreaks of bacterial infection. Even then, the rasboras, gouramis, and cory cats that shared the tank were fine. Now this poor guy, and one recently that died for no obvious reason (he was fine one day, dead the next morning.) I have three guppies left and once they're gone I'm not replacing them...I plan to add more rasboras or maybe endlers. I love guppies and all the unique colors, but they are sickly little fish and not worth the heartache. Too much inbreeding I guess.

 

[FishBlast]

I've said before that I've had far more trouble with guppies than any other fish. None of my other fish ever get sick (knock on wood). But with the guppies I've had 3 outbreaks of bacterial infection. Even then, the rasboras, gouramis, and cory cats that shared the tank were fine. Now this poor guy, and one recently that died for no obvious reason (he was fine one day, dead the next morning.) I have three guppies left and once they're gone I'm not replacing them...I plan to add more rasboras or maybe endlers. I love guppies and all the unique colors, but they are sickly little fish and not worth the heartache. Too much inbreeding I guess.

The only trouble I've had with guppies was sterility, back in 2003 or so. That stopped my last colony from breeding.
No fishes have had any odd disease while I supervised the tank, no dropsy or ich or other stuff that's common. A hoplo female had a weird death where she just floated upside down and died an hour after that. She was 6 years old. But could blame that on either poor water quality or overfeeding. Or both, since I didn't know about filtration.