My fish having problems staying down,...

[Don Quiote]

I have a fish, a platy that seems to have a real problem,...I think that
it's a problem with it's swimming bladder[?], because it's constantly
struggling as it swims to stay level, bobbing upwards, and then
struggling to get back down to where it was. Is there anything that a
rank amateur like me can do to make things better for this fish?
Thanks! ~D.Q.

[Dick]

On Fri, 1 Dec 2006 14:09:53 -0500, (Don Quiote)
wrote:

>I have a fish, a platy that seems to have a real problem,...I think that
>it's a problem with it's swimming bladder[?], because it's constantly
>struggling as it swims to stay level, bobbing upwards, and then
>struggling to get back down to where it was. Is there anything that a
>rank amateur like me can do to make things better for this fish?
>Thanks! ~D.Q.

I have had several fish with the floatation problem. One lived about
a year. Talk about "will to live." I could not just kill them, I
respected their struggles.

dick

[default]

Dick wrote:

> I have had several fish with the floatation problem. One lived about
> a year. Talk about "will to live." I could not just kill them, I
> respected their struggles.
>
> dick


Again, to each his own... When I see one of my fish obviously in
distress or oncoming disease I take quick action and end it's life
quickly. I do this for two reasons mainly. The first being I don't want
the disease to spread to other fish, and the second because I'd rather
end the suffering than watch the struggle.

I also think it's unnatural to allow a crippled or sick fish to
struggle on. In the wild, when one shows signs of weakness, it quickly
becomes food for a larger fish or other predator. We have the ablility
to prolong this maybe painful struggle for days, or even a year or
more. When we do that, are we doing it for our benefit or the fishes?

steve

[Dick]

On 3 Dec 2006 06:49:40 -0800, "default" >
wrote:

>
>Dick wrote:
>
>> I have had several fish with the floatation problem. One lived about
>> a year. Talk about "will to live." I could not just kill them, I
>> respected their struggles.
>>
>> dick
>
>
>Again, to each his own... When I see one of my fish obviously in
>distress or oncoming disease I take quick action and end it's life
>quickly. I do this for two reasons mainly. The first being I don't want
>the disease to spread to other fish, and the second because I'd rather
>end the suffering than watch the struggle.
>
>I also think it's unnatural to allow a crippled or sick fish to
>struggle on. In the wild, when one shows signs of weakness, it quickly
>becomes food for a larger fish or other predator. We have the ablility
>to prolong this maybe painful struggle for days, or even a year or
>more. When we do that, are we doing it for our benefit or the fishes?
>
>steve

Hi Steve,

I believe strongly in the right to die for myself. My mother quit
living by not eating. I respected her choice.

I too dislike watching suffering and have made the ugly choice of
death for my dearest dogs. However, some accepted the choice and
their heads eased down with the injection, but several fought to keep
their heads up; one was paralyzed, but fought to lift his head.

The "will to live" is a strong argument over not killing. I suffered
for many weeks (and still do) over the last dog. He has a strong
influence on my current opinion.

One fish stands out in my mind. A Platy, she developed a swim bladder
problem. I have no success medicating such problems. However, I let
her live as she had developed a means to cope: She would swim to the
surface then relax and "fall" slowly to the bottom, then repeat. I
did try to catch her to end "my agony," but she always found strength
to get away from the net. She lived well over a year longer. My
agony over her struggles, turned to admiration for her will to live.

I am at the relative end of my earthly travels. I dread the day will
come when I no longer can meet my own needs, I dread having to leave
my home and my pets and wonder how I would manage the long, lonely
hours in some "care facility."

I wonder how I will see value in my life then. I do have a high
regard for the will to live. Some fish have obviously given up and
presented no resistance to the "Net."

dick

[Papa Red]

If and when the pains get too great, your body too tired, and you're at
that place where things get to be just too much, close your eyes and
drift to the other side without fear or apprehension. In 1970 I had a
deadly form of Break-bone Fever, aka, Dengue Fever, and died for a short
time. And from what I experienced then, and from what others have
experienced whom I talked to, there is nothing to fear, except perhaps
of coming back to this place and time. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.

[Dick]

On Mon, 4 Dec 2006 14:20:34 -0500, (Papa Red) wrote:

>If and when the pains get too great, your body too tired, and you're at
>that place where things get to be just too much, close your eyes and
>drift to the other side without fear or apprehension. In 1970 I had a
>deadly form of Break-bone Fever, aka, Dengue Fever, and died for a short
>time. And from what I experienced then, and from what others have
>experienced whom I talked to, there is nothing to fear, except perhaps
>of coming back to this place and time. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.

Another group, I referred to "cuddly death." I drove a car over a 75
foot embankment, as I saw tree tops ahead, my only thought: "Well,
this it. I wonder what's next." I blanked out, no white tunnels,
well I wasn't dead, just expecting it.

I worked with a woman who had died. She had a dread of dying, but
after her journey, she found she was no longer afraid.

dick

[Papa Red]

Never fear death,...Dying yes,...for dying can be very, very painful,
both physically and emotionally. But death is just the end of one
journey, and the beginning of another. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.