I have been watching with horror as one of my bettas has progressed from fin rot to body rot to now finally dropsy. Before you say it, it is not the water quality, I was changing it every 3 days. I have used every antibiotic availiable and sometimes it slowed the progress, but never once turned it around. I know now that dropsy has set in he doesn't have much time left, so I would like to euthanize him humanely. The problem is I don't know how to do it.
I have only have had to euthanize one other betta, and it didn't go well at all. I used clove oil, which I have used with other types of fish and it has always worked very quickly and humanely. But with my betta it was very different. He thrashed a lot and kept struggling to the top to breath. It took him at least 30 minutes to finally go to sleep and I was nearly in tears by the end. The only thing I can think is that he must not have been getting the clove oil into his system because he wasn't breathing it in through his gills.
I am just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with bettas and clove oil, or if this was just a freak occurance, and if anyone has any other methods for HUMANE euthanasia.
Oh, and I don't think I can bring myself to chopping his head off. I am too afraid that I would botch the job and cause even more pain than letting nature take its course.
I have only have had to euthanize one other betta, and it didn't go well at all. I used clove oil, which I have used with other types of fish and it has always worked very quickly and humanely. But with my betta it was very different. He thrashed a lot and kept struggling to the top to breath. It took him at least 30 minutes to finally go to sleep and I was nearly in tears by the end. The only thing I can think is that he must not have been getting the clove oil into his system because he wasn't breathing it in through his gills.
I am just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with bettas and clove oil, or if this was just a freak occurance, and if anyone has any other methods for HUMANE euthanasia.
Oh, and I don't think I can bring myself to chopping his head off. I am too afraid that I would botch the job and cause even more pain than letting nature take its course.
