What is a humane way ....

[ilovemychickies]

Guys, try not to beat up on her to much. She had to make a hard decision. At least she cared enough to put it to sleep humanly. It doesn't matter that it was "just a guppy". She obviously cared about him/her enough to want to end his suffering with as little pain and stress as possible. Sonia, I'm very sorry that he died and I think that you made the right decision.

 

[shmooborp]

i am a aquarium inthusiast.. and have had o put fish to sleep before... my vet told me to put it in the freezer in a cup of water.. i know that sounds bad.. but fish are cold blooded.. so they dont feel the pain like a warm blooded animal would.. .. its almost like anathesia.. theuy just kinda fall asleep.. no pain... the become hazzey and then pass on. so if that ever happens again.. thats what i recomend... im sorry for your loss.. i become very attached to my fish..

i have had fish for many years.. it is hard on me tho..

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I agree with putting it with a larger fish, maybe just go to the pet store and ask if they can feed it to a larger fish. Since you have birds, I know a quick peck by a chicken to a gold fish will kill it right away...

 

[chickbea]

Quote:
You tell 'em, girl! It reminds me of my oft-repeated favorite S.T. Coleridge quote - "...he prayeth best who loveth best all things both great and small."
There is absolutely nothing wrong with not wanting to inflict needless pain on another living creature. In my opinion, there is something horribly wrong with someone who does not care if they do or not.
Ok, I'm hopping off the soapbox..

 

[Sonia]

LOL thank you! I wasn't even attached to the critter....no name nothing. I just didn't want to cause any suffering!

 

[bestponymilo]

I think it's wonderful that you have such compassion

 

[texasreb]

Kudos for culling the poor thing in a quick and humane way.

 

[glowworm]

I know the deed is done and all is well now, but I just wanted to add...

Feeding a deformed fish to another fish isn't the best idea because there could be something contagious involved.

Freezing a fish in water (happens in one second if you put fish directly into already freezing water), is NOT the same thing as freezing dogs or cats. Fish are cold blooded and their systems are completely different than mammals.

A lot of people over analyzed this situation; but it made an interesting thread to read.

 

[texasreb]

True that fish are not the same as dogs and cats, but fish do get stressed and they feel pain. Freezing certainly causes stress and probably pain.

Starting in September 2008, Switzerland is making it illegal to freeze or flush fish down the toilet as forms of euthanasia. The country as made available a narcotic with out prescription to stun the fish prior to killing it.

If a country takes the time and resources to enact a law making it a crime to euthanize a fish by freezing, there might be a reason for it.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1671

 

[glowworm]

It has been proven that fish get stressed, however it hasn't been proven in studies whether they feel pain or not. We can only assume. That said, I wasn't saying that fish didn't feel pain, I just said they react to extreme cold different than mammals.

Thanks for the link, its really informative. I got some laughs out of the last animal listed with all the pets and livestock...rhinoceroses I noticed they didn't include birds.

Like all laws, including good ones, this one has its problems. There are many people, that are law abiding, that will not want to spend the time or money for the narcotics for their little fish. I think many people will just let the fish suffer and let nature take its course if there is no "simple" way. There is nothing in the article saying that one must take care of a sick fish. Yes, they could smush the fish, but many people can't muster enough guts to do it this way. Many people who know no fish husbandry buy fish, stick them all in a little tank with improper equipment, and the fish slowly die in their own excrement or die for one of the many diseases fish come with at aquarium stores.

I think Sweden would be better off spending their money and time educating the public on pet care than mircomanaging them. On the other hand, I have never been to Sweden and I don't know much on how their government functions. If our government tried to apply this law, it would not go over well.