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What to do with a really sick fish...


elusive_fish

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This comes up from time to time. In terms of a humane death, quicker is always better, e.g. a blow to the top of the head or a strategically placed knife.

Edit: You beat me to it Ryan. Your method is good too. I personally can't do the physical violence :oops: , give me a lethal injection and I can do it any day. :roll:

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clove oil and vodka method is what I used for my dying guppy .. clove oil to sedate and put into a sleep, add more till it stopped breathing.. .. then vodka to make extra sure

I too could not use physical force to kill a fish ... just can't.

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clove oil .. it's cheap enough to buy from a pharmacy and keep on hand for emergencys.

I actually had a bottle sitting in the cupboard for dental pain.. when I was pregnant I wouldn't take medicines.. endured a deep filling (almost a root canal) without anaesthetics.. ouchee!!!!!! But the clove oils helped.

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How much clove oil does it take to euthanise a fish in a small container?

not a lot.. just a few drops.

I put the fish into a shallow amount of tank water in a small Jimbos container (500g plastic pottle) about half full..

In another small container (i had saved for this purpose) i put some water and a few drops of the oil and shook it up so it was properly mixed (goes all milky) then added this to the jimbos container a bit at a time till he was asleep and then poured the rest in and waited for him to stop breathing.. then to be extra sure he wasn't still just asleep I added a few drops of vodka.

The clove oil is very strong smelling so make sure it's not a container you want to keep and use for something else afterwards.. I used an empty glass essence bottle . The oil tends to stick to plastic.

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i just flush them cant handle killing it my self :o

:lol: :lol: You flush them down the loo?

It pretty sad to find your pet near death, I couldnt do any of the harsh killing :cry:

The last time I sprinkle the fish with table salt, when it dead I really missed him, I wrapped it in a clear wrap and put in the freezer. :roll:

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not a lot.. just a few drops.

I put the fish into a shallow amount of tank water in a small Jimbos container (500g plastic pottle) about half full..

In another small container (i had saved for this purpose) i put some water and a few drops of the oil and shook it up so it was properly mixed (goes all milky) then added this to the jimbos container a bit at a time till he was asleep and then poured the rest in and waited for him to stop breathing.. then to be extra sure he wasn't still just asleep I added a few drops of vodka.

The clove oil is very strong smelling so make sure it's not a container you want to keep and use for something else afterwards.. I used an empty glass essence bottle . The oil tends to stick to plastic.

how long does it take?

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not compared to a bang on the concrete. when you die would you prefer to be poisoned or die instantly?

I'd prefer sedation first ... to go to sleep under anesthetic.. it's just like an operation .. it's a sedative first ..then you can overdose and /or poison with the vodka. (so they just don't wake up)

I just can't handle the slamming into concrete thing.. what if they don't die straight away and flop around... no couldn't handle that at all.

Clove oil is used for a sedative when shipping also... it clams them down.. when using to euthanise, the fish go peacefully... and there isn't the violent memories for the person doing the deed!

Each to their own .. if you can handle giving out a quick swift death .. then good for you.. but the clove oil and vodka method is equally as humane for those of us more sensitive.

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the few times i have had to do it i just net it out then whip the net onto the concrete. job done.

This is the way I do it too. Took me a long time to be able to do it myself, I used to net them and get hubby to do the other bit. He'd take it away outside so I couldn't see or hear what he was doing. But I can do it myself now, still sad for me but you just have to get beyond the killing part and realise that you are doing the best thing for the fish by ending his/her misery.

Speaking of which, if my skinny zebra loach doesn't cark it while I'm at work, I'll be euthanising him tonight when I get home. :cry:

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Clove oil (eugenol) overdose is very humane, it makes them go unconscious almost immediately and within a minute respiration ceases. The way I do it is put 1ml (about 1/4 teaspoon) of clove oil into 30mls (2 tablespoons) of vodka (because it is more soluble in ethanol than in water). Then I mix it into 1 litre of water and pop the fish in. The fish will go brain dead within a minute or so but I tend to just leave them in there for a while.

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This is the way I do it too.

I've done it this way too, but it can take a bit of practise. I think I didn't use enough force or the wrong angle or something the first time and the poor neon went flying out of the net before hitting the concrete & landed somewhere in the grass and I couldn't find it to finish the job so he would have just sat out on the lawn til he died :oops:

So in future, I'd probably take the clove oil approach. Cos I'm not very good at the net smacking.

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Also, do you have to use vodka? I don't generally have vodka (or any spirits for that matter) around the house.

I don't think the vodka part is essential , just use a few extra drops of clove oil. .. but I'm sure meths would have the same affect as Vodka and the fish isn't going to know!

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