How to euthanize humanely?

My loach is barely breathing and will not leave the top of the tank.
This morning it looks like his cheek and head are rotting away with little specs of blood dots over his whole head....how are you suppose to euthanize a fish in the easiest way possible for them? ...like theirs an easy way to do any of this but I dont know how to go about it......."(((((

My loach is barely breathing and will not leave the top of the tank.
This morning it looks like his cheek and head are rotting away with little specs of blood dots over his whole head....how are you suppose to euthanize a fish in the easiest way possible for them? ...like theirs an easy way to do any of this but I dont know how to go about it......."(((((

Added....he has been like this save for skin issue for almost 1 month.

 

I have done a few fish (all small) with clove oil. I put them in a small container or bucket, and mixed the clove oil (something like 10 drops) with water so it looks like an emulsion (white ish), then pour it in.

It acts as an anaesthetic agent, they go to sleep and stop breathing and die very peacefully.

You can buy it from a pharmacy, it is an analgesic for human teeth (I find that terrifyiing seeing the effect on fish!!)

also the biggest I did was a large tetra so you'd prob need more for a loach

 

Yes to clove oil. One benefit is that you can increase dose so that your fish dies when it is unconscious. Most humane way.

Sorry you have to do this.

 

ice water will kill a fish quickly.

 

ice water will kill a fish quickly.

That method is reserved for tiny fish. Larger fish don't pass instantly, and dojo loaches are invasive in the great lakes, where it gets pretty cold Not sure dojos would die from it

 

I have done a few fish (all small) with clove oil. I put them in a small container or bucket, and mixed the clove oil (something like 10 drops) with water so it looks like an emulsion (white ish), then pour it in.

It acts as an anaesthetic agent, they go to sleep and stop breathing and die very peacefully.

You can buy it from a pharmacy, it is an analgesic for human teeth (I find that terrifyiing seeing the effect on fish!!)

also the biggest I did was a large tetra so you'd prob need more for a loach

This is bumming me out bad.
Thank you for your help I appreciate it.

 

That method is reserved for tiny fish. Larger fish don't pass instantly, and dojo loaches are invasive in the great lakes, where it gets pretty cold Not sure dojos would die from it

Dojos can be in 68 degrees and not die,and can live out of water for 3 days..I keep saying leave him be and see if he gets better but just gradually has gotten worse.
I'm gonna do the clove oil....this is a sad day.

 

clove oil is the best way.
1=put the fish in a small but comfortable size container filled halfway at the most.
2=use something like a bottled water bottle, fill it with some tank water, and the amount of clove oil you will use for getting him to sleep. then shake the bottle well!
3. pour a SMALL amount of the clove oil water into the container with the fish every ten-15 minutes.
4. your fish will notably fall asleep, at this point, it is not feeling any pain, but it is not dead, you need to make sure that it doesnt wake up in the trash or something. you can add more clove oil to overdose it, you can add vodka, alkaseltzer, anything toxic to fish. I had to euthanize a beloved golden wonder killifish, I didnt want any mistakes, so i cut of his head .

 

clove oil is the best way.
1=put the fish in a small but comfortable size container filled halfway at the most.
2=use something like a bottled water bottle, fill it with some tank water, and the amount of clove oil you will use for getting him to sleep. then shake the bottle well!
3. pour a SMALL amount of the clove oil water into the container with the fish every ten-15 minutes.
4. your fish will notably fall asleep, at this point, it is not feeling any pain, but it is not dead, you need to make sure that it doesnt wake up in the trash or something. you can add more clove oil to overdose it, you can add vodka, alkaseltzer, anything toxic to fish. I had to euthanize a beloved golden wonder killifish, I didnt want any mistakes, so i cut of his head .

I for the life of me cannot find clove oil anywhere today.....I think unfortunately I'm gonna lay him down and get one of my really sharp cutlery knives and just do him fast. ...

 

I for the life of me cannot find clove oil anywhere today.....I think unfortunately I'm gonna lay him down and get one of my really sharp cutlery knives and just do him fast. ...

You can bleed it in a bucket of water by cutting through the isthmus, located between the two gill plates. You can call it the throat. For a small fish, a sharp scissor would work. Doing this will pump all the blood out, and is very quick.

 

I for the life of me cannot find clove oil anywhere today.....I think unfortunately I'm gonna lay him down and get one of my really sharp cutlery knives and just do him fast. ...

Yes that will work, and it will be much faster then most wild fish get. But if your interested, pharmacies should have clove oil, I had to get a grocery store pharmacy to order me some clove oil.

 

sharp knife to cut the head off nice and quick. had a few culls when i used to breed, I refused to sell deformed fish.

 

sharp knife to cut the head off nice and quick. had a few culls when i used to breed, I refused to sell deformed fish.

I think he knows what were talking about because he is at the bottom of the tank eating now.........hes a tough one I'm guessing...maybe another day or two and if he regresses I'll do it...watching him now...poor guy

 

I regret not euthanizing my mangrove jack, he went 2 months without eating before he died. I guess I always had hopes he'd recover.

 

I think he knows what were talking about because he is at the bottom of the tank eating now.........hes a tough one I'm guessing...maybe another day or two and if he regresses I'll do it...watching him now...poor guy

I'm sorry for you Wrench I wish u didn't have to do this.

 

I'm sorry for you Wrench I wish u didn't have to do this.

I keep having Hope's he will pull through...I habe only lost small fish to bigger ones..never over being I'll
..this will be my first bigger fish I have lost since I started doing this 2 years ago..."(

I regret not euthanizing my mangrove jack, he went 2 months without eating before he died. I guess I always had hopes he'd recover.

I have that false hope too...moments were he looks better or your just lying to yourself which at this point I think I am doing so....

 

I keep having Hope's he will pull through...I habe only lost small fish to bigger ones..never over being I'll
..this will be my first bigger fish I have lost since I started doing this 2 years ago..."(

I believe in him! HE CAN MAKE IT!

 

I believe in him! HE CAN MAKE IT!

Alright...he stays then!

 

YES! Keep us updated. Imma head out now! Peace!

 

i find the best way is to take a sharp knife and a hammer. u scoop the fish out and lay him on a plastic bag and u take the knife and hover it over its “neck” then u hit the knife with the hammer and the fish is instantly killed. if u put the knife on it will squirm so i prefer to hover it. good luck itsnever easy

 

I would be worried killing him with a knife would cause you big psychological trauma - I definitely wouldn't be able to do it (also I'm a surgeon for my living so perfectly adept with knives!).

Clove oil is very peaceful, and humane, it's the US vetinary guidelines too.

Another thing I do is I have a breeder net and if they look like they're dying but I'm still actively treating them I put them in there so nobody else can eat their body if they die - as a respect thing and to prevent disease spread. I imagine your loach is too big for that though.

 

Really a knife and a hammer ???
Nothing dies instantly with that method !
So much for being humane !
U S E C L O V E O I L !!!

 

Really a knife and a hammer ???
Nothing dies instantly with that method !
So much for being humane !
U S E C L O V E O I L !!!

i feel like decapitation is much more humane!!! its more gruesome but like it is not poisoning its water

 

Really a knife and a hammer ???
Nothing dies instantly with that method !
So much for being humane !
U S E C L O V E O I L !!!

Compare it to a guillotine

 

There’s a difference between going into a trancelike state and peacefully expiring , or a traumatic and I believe the word you used was “gruesome “ death ,
There’s a reason they put you in a state of trance before surgery or to a dentist
Just my opinion

 

i feel like decapitation is much more humane!!! its more gruesome but like it is not poisoning its water

Don't know if you've seen it but there is zero distress to the fish

 

I Don’t believe it
My opinion

 

I think it would be much more traumatizing flipping around on a counter in a bag than swimming in one circle and then knocking out.

 

Exactly

 

If the fish is small enough, take a couple pieces of paper towel, fold it over in half until its about 4x4, scoop up the fish, lay right near the middle of paper towel and fold the other side over and with your thumb and finger crush its head. Its dead instantly and painlessly.

Im not big on freezing or poisoning my fish. If theyre suffering, I want them out of their misery instantly. Not in 15-20 minutes.

 

If the fish is small enough, take a couple pieces of paper towel, fold it over in half until its about 4x4, scoop up the fish, lay right near the middle of paper towel and fold the other side over and with your thumb and finger crush its head. Its dead instantly and painlessly.

Im not big on freezing or poisoning my fish. If theyre suffering, I want them out of their misery instantly. Not in 15-20 minutes.

15-20 minutes? That is just being really untruthful. I have never had a fish swim more than 5 SECONDS in clove oil...One swim around the jar and OUT on its side sleeping.

 

Euthanization of a pet is always a touchy subject.
The way I look at it, by the time it becomes evident that the fish is beyond saving the manner of euthanization isn't really that important.
Thank goodness, I don't have to deal with fish disease very often. Occassionally I'll have a terminally injured fish. One of the realities keeping aggressive fish.
I remove the fish & just lay it in the flower garden, or under a fruit tree. No poisoning or fatal blows. Death is not instantaneous, but it usually comes pretty quick.

 

I guess the clove oil method is just to much of a bother for some people

 

15-20 minutes? That is just being really untruthful. I have never had a fish swim more than 5 SECONDS in clove oil...One swim around the jar and OUT on its side sleeping.

First of all, I didnt say clove oil took that long. But how do you KNOW your fish is dead? Have you taken its vitals? This is an honest question. Ive never used the stuff, no idea what it does or how long it takes. All I said was Id rather have my fish pass instantly than take 15-20 via poisoning or freezing. I see people recommend rubbing alcohol, Vodka, ice water, etc. These are NOT humane. Decapitation or crushing the head is far more humane in my opinion.

 

A201, that’s better than decapitation Or crushing
My opinion

First of all, I didnt say clove oil took that long. But how do you KNOW your fish is dead? Have you taken its vitals? This is an honest question. Ive never used the stuff, no idea what it does or how long it takes. All I said was Id rather have my fish pass instantly than take 15-20 via poisoning or freezing. I see people recommend rubbing alcohol, Vodka, ice water, etc. These are NOT humane. Decapitation or crushing the head is far more humane in my opinion.

So your saying you would rather have your head decapitated or crushed instead of drifting off to LaLa land

“stay fishy “

 

Everyone is going to have their own opinions on euthanasia. In the end, whatever works for you and is relatively non-traumatic to the fish is perfectly fine.

Decapitating or crushing might make some people squirm. If you don't want to do it, that's perfectly understandable. But in the end, it is a quick way to go.

Euthanizing with clove oil might make some people upset to watch their fish slowly slip into a comatose state. If you don't want to do it, that's perfectly understandable. But in the end, it is a peaceful way to go. Just like going under anesthesia. They are unconscious by the time of death. You do have to be aware of how to use it properly, though, because it can go wrong for some people if they don't emulsify the oil properly.

Euthanizing by cold water shock (not putting the fish in a freezer) is equally quick - but only acceptable for small fish.

In the end, just be smart, do whatever does not traumatize you. Everyone has their own opinions and that's alright.

 

So your saying you would rather have your head decapitated or crushed instead of drifting off to LaLa land

I mean, again like idkausernamesoyeah said, it is gruesome. However, in the end, both methods get the intended job done as long as you do it properly. I don't think euthanizing your fish is about how it looks when it is dead or dying, it's about ending your pet's pain so they don't have to suffer.

 

They knock out in seconds not slowly in clove oil. They have gills that move (very visable...)to know if they are still alive or not. Usually in about a minute the gills dont move anymore. Ive only had small fish though. To each their own...i guess.

 

So your saying you would rather have your head decapitated or crushed instead of drifting off to LaLa land

And yes, that's what I said, it's not hard to comprehend. It might not be pretty, but it's instant.

 

And yes, that's what Ive said a few times now, it's not hard to comprehend. It might not be pretty, but it's instant.

Says you ,have a great day

“Stay fishy “