I do hope that this helps someone. It is a collection of articles I put together since the subject of Fish Euthanasia is brought up fairly often. Please know that my heart goes out to you if you have lost a loved fish.
-Rebekah Elena: FishForums Moderation Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Stan & Debbie Hauter,
Your Guide to Saltwater Aquariums.
A Humane or Inhumane Practice?
At some point during the ownership of an aquarium, whether salt or freshwater, you are going to encounter a fish that is sick and dying from disease, old age, or has stopping eating altogether for any number of reasons. Many times, despite the healing efforts you make to save a fish like this, it cannot be saved. When this happens you have to make the choice of putting the fish out of its misery or watch it suffer.
Euthanasia can be a very sensitive, as well as a taboo subject to discuss for many people. The definition of euthanasia from the American Heritage Dictionary is, "
the act of painlessly ending the life of a person for reasons of mercy." Pet euthanasia is the act of painlessly ending the life of a pet for reasons of mercy.
People make this heart wrenching decision for cats, dogs and other pets all the time, so why not fish euthanasia to end a fish's needless suffering?
When any pet dies you have to deal with the grief of the loss. To complicate things even further, if you decide to euthanize a pet, you also have to deal with the guilt of having done so. Who wants to face the reality of that? Just like any other kind of pet, fish can be family members too. It is not unusual for aquarists to have fish friends that have been with them for many long years. They are truly loved, cherished, have distinctive personalities all their own, and the idea of loosing one may cause you to react in the natural instinct to hang on and not let go. But, is that fair to the fish? How long do you hang on in the hopes that it will get better? Wouldn't you think you should do the most humane thing you can do for the fish and not let it suffer needlessly, no matter how difficult it may be for you?
If you are not sure if fish euthanasia is appropriate, ask yourself these questions:
* Does my fish have a good quality of life?
* Has my fish been sick for some time?
* Have I exhausted all possible medication treatments for what ails my fish within a reasonable amount of time?
* Has my fish responded or shown any signs of improvement with treatment?
* Is my fish suffering?
* Has my fish been eating?
* Is my fish emaciated (nothing but skin and bones), starving to death?
By the way you answered these questions, you should know if it may be time to consider euthanizing your fish or not. If you decide this is the best way to go, of course you want to choose the most humane method possible, meaning one that is quick and painless, but this is where things can get even more controversial.
What may be considered to be humane to one person may not be to another. To me, flushing a still living fish down the toilet is totally out of the question. How humane is that, not to mention strangely enough as Shirlie Sharpe, About Guide to Freshwater Aquariums points out, possibly unsafe? We all know that if a fish is deprived of air it will suffocate. Is this humane? From my years as a youth fishing with my dad, and later years fishing with Stan for salmon in Washington State, they always knocked the fish on the head with the butt end of a knife. They said that it was not good to allow the fish to suffer by letting it thrash around gasping for air, and that by doing so the fish may poke you with a sharp spine causing injury to yourself as well. It was best to make it quick for them. So, is this humane or not?
The decision to practice fish euthanasia, as well as which method to use to end a fish's needless suffering is something only you can decide for yourself as humane, or inhumane.
End of Article. Start of New.
DONT FLUSH THAT FISH!
From Shirlie Sharpe,
Your Guide to Freshwater Aquariums.
Why flushing fish is not an option
Every fish owner is eventually faced with the dilemma of how to dispose of unwanted fish. All too often the desperate owner resorts to the age-old method of flushing. Oh the joy of the toilet - so simple, so quick, so effective. Or maybe not. Did pangs of guilt, or sobbing children keep you from whooshing Goldie down the porcelain throne? Okay, so it's time for plan “B”. Drag out that dog-eared state park map and locate a river or lake so Goldie can have a nice new home. The kids can visit on weekends. Everyone is happy, right? Wrong. Unfortunately for both the fish and the environment neither option is appropriate. Plan A - Flushing
Isn’t the septic system designed for disposing of.. well.. undesirable things? Yes it is, however diseased fish should not be on the list of flushable items.
Consider the issue of cruelty to the fish. The debate over how much pain a fish is able to feel will rage on long past our lifetimes. But there is little doubt that a live fish flushed into a system carrying all manner of noxious wastes will suffer in some way. Flushing a live fish is little more humane than dumping an unwanted kitten or puppy down an outhouse pit. Enough said. If that doesn't bother you, here's a more selfish reason to think twice about flushing. The fish carries with it the diseases or parasites that infected it in the first place. No matter how remote, there is always the possibility of passing those diseases on. Would you feel comfortable using a toilet knowing that a diseased fish had just been swimming there? Plan B - Dumping
There are so many ponds, rivers, and lakes. Why not put unwanted fish there? Seems kinda natural, doesn't it? And it would be - if the fish came from that body of water in the first place. However that is almost never the case. Thousands of non-indigenous species of fish are imported to the United States and other countries each year. Those fish do not belong in the local waterways. Why? For starters the living conditions are usually less than ideal. Water temperature and other environmental factors may be too harsh for them to survive. Bacteria and parasites they aren’t normally exposed to (and therefore are not resistant to) might infest them. There may be no suitable foods for them and they will starve. Or they may become lunch for the fish and other wildlife that are native to the area. For most non-indigenous fish the odds are not favorable for a long and healthy life. Those that do survive pose an even worse problem. Non-native fish can play havoc with the habitat. They may kill other fish and wildlife, destroy vegetation, and pass on parasites and disease. In some cases it is possible for them to breed with local fish and create destructive offspring that Mother Nature never intended to exist (and we all know the perils of fooling with Mother Nature). Considerable damage has been done to many local ecosystems by non-indigenous fish that were carelessly dumped. The Options
Healthy fish should never be a problem to get rid of. Any of the following options is preferable to dumping or flushing:
* Local Fish/Pet Shop - See if they will take your unwanted fish. Some will even pay you a small price for them.
* Other fishowners - Advertise if you have to, you'll be surprised by how many fishowners are willing to adopt your fish.
* Fish Clubs - Check to see if there is a fish club in your region. Odds are someone in the club will gladly take your fish.
* School, nursing home, or office - Any place that has an aquarium may agree to take your fish. If they don't have an aquarium, consider donating yours. Nursing homes and schools often welcome such gifts, and it might even be tax deductible.
Diseased fish are a little more difficult to deal with. Obviously they cannot be given away. However, they should never be dumped into local waterways or flushed. Sick fish that cannot be cured should be quickly and mercifully euthanized before being disposed of in a sanitary landfill.
End of Article.