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