What's the best way to Euthanise a Fish?

[platytetrafan]

I have done the freezing method and I agree the fish died pretty quickly the couple of times I have had to do it. I didn't know where to get clove oil when you do the clove oil method what do you do to euthanize the fish? It isn't an easy thing to do either way is like saying goodbye to an old friend luckily I don't have to do it much.

 

[clenzpilot32]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1370852#post1370852

This is a great link for humane euthanasia. There is a lot of agreement in the scientific community that fish do feel pain, and slowly freezing is painful.

Msjinkzd mentioned a bowl of water with a layer of ice formed over the top of it, break the ice and drop the fish in the water.

This method is quick because the sudden near freezing water shocks them instantly to unconsciousness and death.

I have had to use the clove oil, also called eugenol at the pharmacy.

The link above has thorough instructions for this. I keep clove oil on hand just in case. I can't stand the thought of one of my fish in pain.\

I've read on the AC that freezing is ok for snails, but I want to know if there's any possibiliy that they feel discomfort or pain.

Jinkzie, is it painless? Just for future referrence, just in case.

I read that article before, it has some good information. Thanks for the link and info anyways.

 

[boostnbuds]

what exactly is a priest to the head going to do? lol i have not fully read this entire post but from what I've seen no one mentioned a bowl of water and an alkaseltzer tab. it works and slowly starves the fish of o2. i guess thats a fall asleep and die method...I don't know, i posted awhile ago about how to put my fish down and I got many responses, but honeslty i spent hundreds in medicine trying to save them. I've never put a fish down per say. I know how to "git er done" but i just cant do it.

I've had fish go sideways and sit on the bottom but with 10 bucks of medicine their good in a couple days. With the right info on whats happening most things cans be saved. Posting on AC is a heck of a start.

 

[boostnbuds]

in a book that i have it says that the quickest method is to wrap them up in a paper towel and whck their head with priest until the brain/head is destroyed, then push a pin through the brain just to make sure.

...

 

[mel_20_20]

The link in the post above details the method. The fish slowly goes to sleep, and once in a deep unconscious state, stops breathing.

The clove oil is an anesthetic. It numbs and renders the fish unconscious and the fish is in no pain, nor feeling the effects of starving for oxygen: suffocation.

Once asleep, induced gently by just a few drops of the oil in a small container of tank water with the fish in it, then the dose is increased for deeper unconsciousness, and increased to a fatal dose.

It is very sad, I cried when I had to do this to a guppy with severe bloat. I didn't want him to suffer anymore.

I saw a guppy at Petsmart, with a prolapse of his intestines out of his anus, that I know was in terrible pain, and I tried to get the kid working there to euthanise it. His little body was bent from the pain, and he was struggling to swim.

She said. "We don't have clove oil.... I'll just put him in the isolation tank." I asked her to just "get one of the boys that work here to slam him to the concrete floor, to put him out of his misery...", she said, "That's not our policy." Then I tried to buy him to take home and euthanise him. They wouldn't sell him to me. I made it to the parking lot before bursting into tears... I cried all the way home; so sad for that little thing.

If that happend to one of my fish I would immediately euthanise him. There are things that we just can't cure, and some of those things cause a great deal of suffering. I'll do eveything I can to heal, but if I can't, I'll do what needs to be done. Crying as I do it, but nevertheless, I'll do it.