chickadee

I am looking at the fact today that this fish is really suffering. Today is the first day that his coloring has changed from the lovely blue to a kind of off white/tan color and he is breathing very heavily. Today the bloat is back and he looks bad and will not swim or eat. I do not know if I can bear the idea of him living this way. Up until now I really felt that he was going to make it with the time and patience and daphnia and clean water and help but today I feel like I am being selfish and making this fish suffer just so I will not have to lose him.

I have done everything I can to help him and at this point I feel that perhaps the responsible thing for me to do would be to help him end this suffering and go to his rest. I will be SO upset but after all if the fish's best interest and care is my true wish, is that really the important thing. I am thinking that I need to end his suffering. So please excuse me if I am not on for a few hours as I feel I should spend some time taking care of the needs of my littlest boy.

Rose

tzqng8

Sorry for the loss Chickadee. Good luck and our thoughts and prayers are with you and Marty.

Lucy

Oh Rose, I cried when I saw this thread, I'm so sorry. My heart is with you. It's a hard decision but ultimately we have to do what's best for our precious finbabies.

Marty, you've been a brave boy, you will join the bettas who have gone before you, where fish feel no pain and swim freely.

Fishies-for-me

Sorry for your loss ..even sorrier that you have to intervene, it is a very hard thing to decide ..but as you say it is best for the animal whether it is furry or finny ...good luck.

chickadee

I do not believe it!I was totally prepared to go ahead and put an end to his suffering and when I went in there to take the water out of the tank and get him in the smaller container to do what I had to he came swimming out of the plants like his old self and the bloat was gone, his blue color was back and he looks better than he has in weeks. I am so totally flabbergasted I do not know what to say but he is still here and looks to be for some time. He is probably the healthiest little fish I have now. I do not know what to think but he is much better, better than I have seen him in over a month. Do you suppose he could read what I was writing from clear in the other room and decided that he better perk up?

Rose

Martinismommy

What I believe is the POWER of prayer Rose.......I am beside myself in the fact that a miracle just happened......Thank God! I feel like jumping up and down right now.....All I can say is YIPPEEEEEEEEE Horrah for our man Marty

Lucy

OH MY GOSH!!!!
That's wonderful, I can't tell you how happy I am for you.

Marty, you bad boy, worrying us for so long.

(The smiley looks mad, but we're not mad!! lol)

mrsmuffin

Wow! I am so happy to hear abou his recovery.

sirdarksol

Thank goodness he's doing okay. I'm glad Marty pulled through. We've had enough sadness and difficulty in the forum over the past couple of days.

Allie

Ya never know...I hope he keeps getting better.
Sebastian is looking a tad shaby so I think I am going to give him a Maracyn Two treatment.

shellbell4ever

Oh Rose I too cried at the beginning of your post.I am soooo Happy for both of you Miricles happen here everyday!!!Please keep us posted on your boy Marty!
I don't know if I could, or even know how to intervine if ever I needed to,I'm hoping it never comes to that with my babies...A big hug from me to both of you!!!

capekate

Ohhhh Rose... I am soooo very happy for you and Marty! I cant believe it either. But I got the chills of the 'spirit' when I read your post.. and I know that deep down inside.. your prayers were answered! God Bless you both..

's ~ kate

COBettaCouple

So glad to hear that Marty bounced back!!!

chickadee

Yes thank you all!

He is resting now and has lost a bit of color again but is still going much stronger than he has in a month or more. Just probably weak after laying about all that time. But he ate and is doing MUCH BETTER.

I am amazed totally.

Rose

MissMTS

Rose, this is unbelievable!!! I was sitting at my desk at work getting teary-eyed when I first read your post, and now I couldn't be happier for you. Sometimes our little guys scare us so badly- if only they knew what they put us through. I had a similar scare with Zeus the other day. He had been hiding all the time (he never hides) and I saw him laying on the gravel against the side of the tank completely still. I started crying and went to net him and say goodbye, and as soon as I stuck the net in the tank he swam up to the top to greet me. Ever since that moment, he has stopped hiding and (besides the finrot) is doing better than ever. I am so happy for you and I am so glad to hear that Marty is better

COBettaCouple

They're amazing little fish, aren't they?

Sprinangl2

HOORAY FOR MARTY!!!!!!!!!!! i'm SOOOOOOOOO glad he pulled through!!!

pamd

What an emotional ride of a thread, from teary eyes to jubilation. What a story! I'm so happy for you and Marty, Rose!

Religious beliefs aside, I can't help but think the prayers and collective thoughts from those of us who have been following Marty's saga, as well as your own prayers, played a crucial role in Marty's miraculous recovery. There's also a fascinating demonstration of the bond between you and Marty. I don't think he read your post, but I wouldn't be surprised if he sensed something from your thoughts.

chickadee

Well we had a wonderful day and I played with him and we had fun and he swam and played in the plants and through his hampster tubing and in his log like he had not done in a month or more and this morning he was gone.

I woke to him "sleeping" in his tubing and when he would not wake I began to wonder and sure enough he had gone. But it looked like he had simply slipped away in his sleep peacefully. He did not look like one who had been sick for over a month or suffered. I am so grateful that we had yesterday to play and be happy.

I am now going to go clean the tank up and get it ready for another one of the guys when it is good and sterilized and clean and taken apart. I decided to sterilize it and use it for a quarantine tank or hospital tank so it will go into storage. I am not replacing the betta. I am going to be moving some of my fish around and going to 3 tanks instead of my current 5 as with the loss of my other fish it will work. With the way things have been going here the decrease will be felt but perhaps be a blessing in the long run due to some other factors.

Thank you all for the love and support I have felt through all of this and I want you all to know that you are wonderful people. Marty would appreciate the caring and I know I do but I am not going to grieve because God gave me a wonderful gift in yesterday to have one last sweet and great day with him.

Rose

Fishies-for-me

Wow ...that is so touching. I am glad you did not have to put him down and that you had one lovely day to enjoy each other and that he slipped away peacefully...but I am sorry for your loss.

Martinismommy

Rose I'm sorry you lost your little man Marty...I know how much you loved and adored him.....I'm so glad that you got to spend yesterday with him and that when his time came to swim across the bridge he went peacefully.....He was a very special boy and we will all miss him.......

RIP Marty

welshalien

It's almost like he was sparing you the agony of making the decision. I am soooo sorry for your loss.

RIP Marty

Kelly

Tazmiche

Oh my word, i too filled up with tears of sadness but then more came with joy!! What an emotional rollercoaster!!! I'm so sorry he's gone now but thrilled that he spent time with you!! The tears are back again!

tzqng8

It is poignant that in humans, this sometimes happens, too. Just before a loved one will pass, they recover for a short period of time, as if to give the one's that love them a glimpse of the "real" them before they part. I think it is God's way of letting us say goodbye to our loved one's in a more natural way, and vice versa.

I am very happy to hear that you had a smiliar experience with Marty. Peace be with you.

COBettaCouple

Aw, Rose.. we're sorry that Marty's gone on but grateful and happy that his last day was a gift to you. He had a happy day and passed peacefully.

Lucy

Rose, I'm so sorry Marty is gone.

He gave you a special gift, almost like he was saying, It's ok, Mom, I know there's a special place waiting for me and I'll be alright, don't worry.

I'm truly amazed by this. Before my mom passed, she had a stroke and couldn't speak coherently for months.
I mourned over the loss of those special mom daughter talks we used to have. One day she just started talking and we had a wonderfully long talk, then her speech was gone again, she passed a couple days later.

It was a gift from her just like the gift Marty gave you.

You have my deepest sympathy, my friend.

chickadee

I want to thank you all but please do not grieve for him. Of all the fish I have lost I will probably remember him most even though I had him the absolute shortest period of time for this last day he gave me and the love that it showed me. It was a thing I did see in humans in my nursing career but never had witnessed with another species until now and I will remember it until I go on to my reward. It was truly an unselfish gift from him and I will adore him forever for it.

Rose

Tazmiche

and now i am crying again!!! We don't even have to know each others fish and but it still gets you!!! To Marty!!

sirdarksol

Sorry to hear that he's gone.

capekate

Hello Rose...
My heart is broke as well, tho you have asked us not to grieve.. but I am and like Tazmiche.. I am crying too. The tears are of compassion... for you and for Marty. I feel your loss... But I want to say that in a mysterious way... Marty left the world as he wanted to and having given you a wonderful day together was his loving passing gift to you.
I am so very sorry...