BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish VERY sick Betta what can I do??

Glad he's hanging in there! he might pull thru, and we are rooting for him! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi. Just read some of this very long post. I do hope your fish makes it. The fact that he swam and hid seems like a good sign. Please keep us all posted.

I am so excited!

Jonah has not eaten in FIVE weeks and has been doing nothing but a dead float as reported. We have many times watched him for long periods of time, not sure if he was even alive before we would see some sign of motion.

Today he moved himself a few times, nothing ambitious, but still movement. BUT just a few minutes ago, as I did his daily water freshening, he was UPRIGHT while holding onto the plant with his tail!!! So I tried to feed him again and he actually seemed interested!! I held a tiny bit of his favorite food (blood worms) up to him and he actually moved to touch it with his mouth!!!! Previously he has acted like food was nothing but unpleasant debris and like he was helpless to remove an offending foreign body if it floated onto him.

So, after tasting it just a little, he wriggled directly to his spot behind the filter where he is back to doing his dead float (he can only lie on his right side). But it is as if he is learning to adapt to a disability. He actually went to his "I'm dead" spot purposely rather than the filter just sucking him over there as before. So maybe maybe maybe he'll be up to eating a bite tomorrow??!! All I ask is one bite! His interest in it was an absolute first in over a month. Yippee!!

Yesterday was odd, too. When I tried to feed him, he ignored the food but moved himself under my finger and snuggled it. Now I know he can't possibly love me, but it was still a thrill. Can a fish actually feel affection and try to reassure his momma? Surely not, but who knows?

By now his bowl must be about half bettafix. Not really, but it is quite concentrated. I add a new full dose every day as it says on the label but I am only refreshing maybe a quarter or less of his water each day. Last week, the water tests showed quick build up of ammonia, but now I don't really need to refresh the water daily at all, but have kept it up anyway. I'm not sure what that means, but think maybe he has quit losing protein from his body. That seems like a good sign, too.

For such a fighter, I found a little oval Flavigny Rose Pastilles tin box with pretty roses on top and was going to line it inside with Sitka rose petals, but maybe it is not going to be necessary. He is such a wonderful boy!

I will definitely keep you posted. This must be something for the books! I suppose I should take pictures of Jonah, Betta Wonder.

Thank you all for your wonderful wishes for my fish and suggestions. It helps a lot! And it has certainly helped me to be able to share what I've been feeling with folks who love their betta's too. Thanks!!

Jonah's mom,
Your post brought tears to my eyes. What a darling fish! Here's hoping he eats today. Nan

Today, same old, same old. Phooey.

Do any of you know of a food suppliment that can be put into the water bowl like medicine drops? I think I need something that is the equivalent of an IV for Jonah. He has shown some interest in food, just can't seem to manage it and then quickly loses interest. Something he could just absorb and cycle like water would be perfect.

Maybe call around to a few local vets and see if any of them know at all about fish. Some do.

J's Mom..
I had a fish that had a bladder disorder. When I bought him I didn't see any signs of it..but I also didn't notice that he had a deformity to his upper lip..if fish have lips that is..

anyway..after I had him for about a month he started to show signs that all was not well with him..he wasn't swimming very well. He looked healthy enough otherwise, just wasn't swimming quite right. Eventually he got to the point where he just layed on his side on the bottom...all day long. He went from not being able to stay on the bottom, to not being able to get to the top of his water. Even so, he still tried to get up to the top to eat so I just kept his water clean, lowered the level of water in the bowl I had him in so that he could get to the top for air and made sure his food sank to the bottom for him. But, when he got to the point where he wasn't eating anymore I finally took his bowl and put him in the freezer..poor thing..I just couldn't stand to see him just laying there anymore.
What I believe was his problem was is that at some point in his early developement he had been overfed and his swim bladder did not develope properly. I Have a bunch of babies myself and have seen that happen to a few of my fry. I also had read that the symptoms can go away and then reappear later on as the fish grows.
Have you tried to feed him a cooked frozen pea? If it is constipation I know that works very well.
Anyway..sounds like you are doing a fantastic job with him...keep up the good work, you just never know! :-)

I have been trying something new this week. He is so weak now that he doesn't even try to fight me, so I can push GENTLY down on his belly and kind of pen him upright against the side of his bowl with one hand while tweezing food into his mouth with the other. He can handle the thought of food if he is upright. I finally turned to flakes as probably easiest for him to gum or simply dissolve in his mouth. I do blood worms, too. It is possible that he might have sucked in tiny bit. I hope so. But the heartbreaking thing is to see him lurch at the food when I'm through trying, so he must want it, but seems to always miss and then gives up after one try.

He has seemed on death's door for so long I didn't think it could get any worse, but he is starting to look like our spawned out salmon and a tiny bit of him fell of today despite the clean water and betta fix. Today he isn't even lurching. I am sure he is beyond recovery and now he is being tortured and hassled by us all the time trying to feed him, keep his water clean, etc. Now I think we are being cruel to be kind. It is probably time for the freezer for his sake.

My sweetie made him a hideaway this morning and maybe it is enough to just let him sleep in it and quit tormenting him. I've been nursing him for how long? With this much agony over a little blue friend, it is probably good that I didn't have kids!! But when something is in your care, you have to give it your best.

I will let you know when we hold the funeral. It is looking very much like it will be this week. Pastilles box is ready and the ground is thawed so summer is a good time for it.

I'm so sorry. Seems like it's a bad week for our babies. You've definitely gone beyond the call of duty for him!

(((((((((Jonah's mom)))))))))))))

Take care of yourself.
Nan