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Cotton is 2+ years old, from Petsmart - I got him two years ago as a full grown adult, so he's 2.5-3 years old in age. Over a month ago, he developed a potbellied appearance, more noticeably on one side. I thought he may have been overfed once, so I fasted for a few days. The potbelly didn't go away, but he was acting totally fine - eating, flaring, swimming around. He is a marble color, and I just lost another marble to a tumor and I learned then that marbles tend to be more prone to cancer than others. I figured maybe Cotton had developed a tumor too. On 10/29, so 12 days ago, he developed the dreaded pinecone. I've done 3 rounds of Kanaplex, and recently two Epsom salt soaks. He's still eating, but his appetite is starting to drop (not because he isn't interested, but because his energy seems too low to chase food down now). He's been eating brine shrimp (frozen/thawed) as I figured it may help with gut movement. Unfortunately, his condition isn't improving. His breathing is pretty labored (~52 breaths/minute with gill flaring). He is still looking at me, trying to come over to me, and trying to be interactive, but I recognize that the prognosis at this point is quite poor.
I am just looking to confirm that euthanasia at this point is not the wrong decision - that there really isn't any meaningful or reasonable chance for recovery in this case. Nothing has changed in his tank - he has no tankmates, his decor is the same, I have maintained his regular water changes. He lives in a filtered, heated 6 gallon tank with silk plants and sand on the bottom.
I am just looking to confirm that euthanasia at this point is not the wrong decision - that there really isn't any meaningful or reasonable chance for recovery in this case. Nothing has changed in his tank - he has no tankmates, his decor is the same, I have maintained his regular water changes. He lives in a filtered, heated 6 gallon tank with silk plants and sand on the bottom.
