Vet removes brain tumor from goldfish: Article

[Masha]

Have you guys seen this yet? I think it's pretty interesting!
Australian Vet Removed a Brain Tumor From a Goldfish Named George

 

[Fishperson]

Very cool! And surprisingly not too complicated it seems.

 

[Kittykat364]

That is an amazing story, I found some of the comments horrible. One was talking about how goldfish only live one or two years meanwhile the article stated that George was ten!! And then another was saying that they don't have feelings and who cares it's just a fish.


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[Masha]

I agree, Kittykat. Unfortunately, most places where I've seen this article, the comments have been like that

 

[sinibotia]

"But it's just a fish", people comment.... and to them, I say, you're just a person, and if I had to choose one or the other I would, in good conscience, choose the fish. Say what you will, but it's terrible to think that one animal is more important than another.... sorry, but I'd choose a fish I cared about over a stranger I didn't. Not to mention that the fish isn't contributing to large-scale environmental destruction- no burning fossil fuels, no using up forests to build its home or get its food....

 

[Masha]

Sinibotia those thoughts crossed my mind too.

Also, what about the increase in knowledge?

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[dragon14]

Wonderful news! I am so happy the vet was able to save this goldfish

Shame on those nasty comments... I read some of them. Come on really. Goldfish can live 20 yrs or more with proper care. I hate how people say "it's just a fish". No no no! If you think that, you ought not to ever have fish!

 

[Kittykat364]

Wonderful news! I am so happy the vet was able to save this goldfish

Shame on those nasty comments... I read some of them. Come on really. Goldfish can live 20 yrs or more with proper care. I hate how people say "it's just a fish". No no no! If you think that, you ought not to ever have fish!

I feel the same way. I told my mom about this she said it's horrible how humans think they're so great, better than all other living things. A lot of people think 'well it's not a human it doesn't have feelings/it's life doesn't matter.' That disgusts me so much.


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[dragon14]

I feel the same way. I told my mom about this she said it's horrible how humans think they're so great, better than all other living things. A lot of people think 'well it's not a human it doesn't have feelings/it's life doesn't matter.' That disgusts me so much.


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I'm glad you agree! This is not the first fish surgery I have heard of either.

That mentality disgusts me too. If we can't have kindness, compassion, and love for creatures other than humans, what kind of a person does that make us?

I never thought less of fish, but, until I had one, I didn't know how much I could like one or interact with one. I didn't think they had much personality, but boy was I wrong about that! He gets all excited when he sees us, he is a very curious smart little guy. He follows our fingers... very sweet I just love fish now!

 

[Kittykat364]

I'm glad you agree! This is not the first fish surgery I have heard of either.

That mentality disgusts me too. If we can't have kindness, compassion, and love for creatures other than humans, what kind of a person does that make us?

I never thought less of fish, but, until I had one, I didn't know how much I could like one or interact with one. I didn't think they had much personality, but boy was I wrong about that! He gets all excited when he sees us, he is a very curious smart little guy. He follows our fingers... very sweet I just love fish now!

I had the same experience. My betta is so social, he comes right up to you when you are by the tank! He's smarter than some dogs, I think, because he knows when you stop paying attention to him so he goes back to hiding. Then if you show interest in him he peeks out of his cave, and looks to make sure that you really want to see him. If he's sure, he will come out.

I think he might have a tumor in his abdomen, I really hope not! It would be great if I could get it removed but a) I can't afford it and b) I think he's getting into the older range for bettas so I'm not sure if it would be worth the risk. The dedication of the owners that do this for their fish is just amazing, I applaud them.


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[dragon14]

I had the same experience. My betta is so social, he comes right up to you when you are by the tank! He's smarter than some dogs, I think, because he knows when you stop paying attention to him so he goes back to hiding. Then if you show interest in him he peeks out of his cave, and looks to make sure that you really want to see him. If he's sure, he will come out.

I think he might have a tumor in his abdomen, I really hope not! It would be great if I could get it removed but a) I can't afford it and b) I think he's getting into the older range for bettas so I'm not sure if it would be worth the risk. The dedication of the owners that do this for their fish is just amazing, I applaud them.


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I'm glad that you have such a sweet little guy! He sounds like a very smart little fishy! Ours has been flaring his little gills at me lately LOL. Trying to be aggressive I suppose Do you have a picture of his side? Mine has a little bulge, but, I think it's muscle and normal. It's not huge or anything. I try to make sure he doesn't eat too much, and he fasts every Wednesday. I am not sure how the fasting once a week will work when we have catfish in there with him, but, I'll do my best...

If you think his quality of life is suffering now or in the future, there is a fast way to put him to rest... another forum member told me about it, PM me if you are interested if you ever think you need to use it. I hope I don't ever have to use it, but it is good to know just in case.
I'm sorry to have to mention that to you , but, I just wanted to tell you.

 

[Kittykat364]

I'm glad that you have such a sweet little guy! He sounds like a very smart little fishy! Ours has been flaring his little gills at me lately LOL. Trying to be aggressive I suppose Do you have a picture of his side? Mine has a little bulge, but, I think it's muscle and normal. It's not huge or anything. I try to make sure he doesn't eat too much, and he fasts every Wednesday. I am not sure how the fasting once a week will work when we have catfish in there with him, but, I'll do my best...

If you think his quality of life is suffering now or in the future, there is a fast way to put him to rest... another forum member told me about it, PM me if you are interested if you ever think you need to use it. I hope I don't ever have to use it, but it is good to know just in case.
I'm sorry to have to mention that to you , but, I just wanted to tell you.

Thanks. He is a feisty little guy, he has always been a fighter. You walk into the room he flares at you, you walk away he stops. Lol it's like he's trying to get your attention.

The bump showed up only recently and it got steadily worse, I fasted him for a day and it helped, so I fed him a little less recently. Hopefully it's just bloating. I hope it doesn't come to the point when I'm thinking about putting him down, I would have such a hard time since I love him so much. He reminds me of my late cat so I have even more of an attachment to him. Just writing this is making me tear up, I really don't understand how people could think fish don't matter.


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[dragon14]

Thanks. He is a feisty little guy, he has always been a fighter. You walk into the room he flares at you, you walk away he stops. Lol it's like he's trying to get your attention.

The bump showed up only recently and it got steadily worse, I fasted him for a day and it helped, so I fed him a little less recently. Hopefully it's just bloating. I hope it doesn't come to the point when I'm thinking about putting him down, I would have such a hard time since I love him so much. He reminds me of my late cat so I have even more of an attachment to him. Just writing this is making me tear up, I really don't understand how people could think fish don't matter.


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Awww that is so precious Does he have a name?

What are you feeding him and how much each day?

Maybe try fasting him two days a week, at least for a few weeks? Say Monday and Thursday fast him or something like that. He will be fine with that and it could help even more. It's good you're already fasting him one day. Ours gets fasted every Wednesday, hopefully we can still do that when we get our pygmy catfish....

I hope it is just bloating too. I am so sorry to even had said anything I just hate to think of any creature suffering. I know you'll do all you can for him before it comes to that.

I don't understand either how people don't think fish matter. I don't even want to think about this now, but, when our fish pass, they will get a burial just like any other pet would. I would never dream of flushing a fish, it makes me sick that people do that!

Here is a few links I found on betta bloating (not sure if you have read anything yet but I wanted to try to help!)
Bloating and Constipation | Betta Fish Care
http://bettaessentials.wikispaces.com/Sick+Betta+-+Bloating+%26+Swelling

Just a note on the second link, the salt recommended for treatment in my opinion is a little too much (but not completely out of the question depending on severity of what is being treated). I found a great link here about treating bettas with salt:
http://bettasplendid.weebly.com/fin-rot-101.html

Of course, sometimes more salt may be helpful, but I wouldn't run the whole ten days with it, maybe just 5-7. Do research and use your best judgment. in the link above, it says to gradually up the salt, so if you ever did use more than 2 tsp per gallon at once, graduate it into the water like it says.

Ours was treated twice for fin rot... first round was 1/2 tsp per gallon then up to 1tsp per gallon for the rest of the days. Second time about 2 weeks later, 1.5 tsp per gallon then 2tsp per gallon for the rest of the time. I hope he is all better from it now. He had beautiful fins & tail and now they are all ripped looking and shredded I don't think he's getting any worse though, which is good, plus it can take a long while, if at all, for the fins to heal. All throughout, he acted like his normal, active curious self, so that was good

Oh! and one more thing about the salt -- no more than 10 days in a row or it can cause organ damage and it's just not good for them to be in it too long. If you have to treat with it again, wait at least 10 days in between.
We used api aquarium salt. inexpensive and pretty easy to find. Of course the smallest container is more than we'll ever need, but, at least we have it in case we ever need it again.

 

[Fishperson]

How often do you feed? Fasting isn't harmful, honestly I believe that is one of the most prevalent and dangerous myths of this hobby. Fast him for three days straight if you like it won't do damage.

Also feeding blanched, shelled peas can supposedly help clear up constipation.

 

[Kittykat364]

Awww that is so precious Does he have a name?

What are you feeding him and how much each day?

Maybe try fasting him two days a week, at least for a few weeks? Say Monday and Thursday fast him or something like that. He will be fine with that and it could help even more. It's good you're already fasting him one day. Ours gets fasted every Wednesday, hopefully we can still do that when we get our pygmy catfish....

I hope it is just bloating too. I am so sorry to even had said anything I just hate to think of any creature suffering. I know you'll do all you can for him before it comes to that.

I don't understand either how people don't think fish matter. I don't even want to think about this now, but, when our fish pass, they will get a burial just like any other pet would. I would never dream of flushing a fish, it makes me sick that people do that!

Here is a few links I found on betta bloating (not sure if you have read anything yet but I wanted to try to help!)
Bloating and Constipation | Betta Fish Care
http://bettaessentials.wikispaces.com/Sick+Betta+-+Bloating+&+Swelling

Just a note on the second link, the salt recommended for treatment in my opinion is a little too much (but not completely out of the question depending on severity of what is being treated). I found a great link here about treating bettas with salt:
http://bettasplendid.weebly.com/fin-rot-101.html

Of course, sometimes more salt may be helpful, but I wouldn't run the whole ten days with it, maybe just 5-7. Do research and use your best judgment. in the link above, it says to gradually up the salt, so if you ever did use more than 2 tsp per gallon at once, graduate it into the water like it says.

Ours was treated twice for fin rot... first round was 1/2 tsp per gallon then up to 1tsp per gallon for the rest of the days. Second time about 2 weeks later, 1.5 tsp per gallon then 2tsp per gallon for the rest of the time. I hope he is all better from it now. He had beautiful fins & tail and now they are all ripped looking and shredded I don't think he's getting any worse though, which is good, plus it can take a long while, if at all, for the fins to heal. All throughout, he acted like his normal, active curious self, so that was good

Oh! and one more thing about the salt -- no more than 10 days in a row or it can cause organ damage and it's just not good for them to be in it too long. If you have to treat with it again, wait at least 10 days in between.
We used api aquarium salt. inexpensive and pretty easy to find. Of course the smallest container is more than we'll ever need, but, at least we have it in case we ever need it again.

His name is Dexter. I do have salt, maybe I'll try a little of it. And yeah, I burry my fish too. Even though we are in NYC and we aren't technically supposed to, we take our fishies out to the park and burry them near a bush, like you would a dog or cat.

How often do you feed? Fasting isn't harmful, honestly I believe that is one of the most prevalent and dangerous myths of this hobby. Fast him for three days straight if you like it won't do damage.

Also feeding blanched, shelled peas can supposedly help clear up constipation.

I feed him 5 pellets every morning, but lately I've been feeding less (maybe 2-3) and he seems fine, the bloating is going down. For the pea, is a frozen pea ok?


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[dragon14]

Awww I had a hamster named Dexter when I was a kid. I loved him so much.

Try that Just make sure it is the correct kind of salt... SODIUM CHLORIDE is what is listed on the API's website for the salt datasheet.
Welcome to API Fishcare: AQUARIUM SALT
You MAY be able to use another kind, just make sure... I THINK table salt is ok but NO IODIDE/IODINE added. Do some research first!

I give mine breakfast and dinner daily except for Wednesday. I guess I just like the routine, plus he gets excited in the am and the pm for his food He gets 1 or 2 freeze dried blood worms and 1-2 pellets (depending on if he gets 1-2 worms) in the morning and 2-3 pellets at night, usually just 2. I started feeding him in his floating log last night. He's getting the hang of it, and he already loves his log, so, win-win

5 pellets is fine normally, but maybe 3-4 each day with at least two fast days a week would be better for a few weeks. 3 fast days for a week or two ish is fine too.

That's sweet that you are able to bury them

I'll let the other person who replied to you answer about the pea, but, if you had a chance to read any of the links I gave you, there are directions for peas, including frozen I believe.

 

[Fishperson]

Yeah I'm sure frozen is fine just cook them first. I'd guess 2-3 minutes in boiling water or maybe 30 seconds in a bowl of water in the microwave?

Make sure to peel and cut in half too.

And I would seriously consider a fast longer than a day. My fish (not bettas but still) were fed on Tuesday night and not fed again until Saturday morning. I wouldn't do it every week but it's certainly not harmful.

 

[dragon14]

It depends on the kind of fish too. Some fish must eat daily. I think I even heard goldfish need to eat twice a day?

But bettas can handle a fast day or two or three a week. Ours is fine eating daily with one fast day, but, some instructions recommend feeding 3 times a week. Eh. Before we really knew better he got like 5 pellets am and 5 pm. Oops. He got two fast days that week.

 

[Kittykat364]

It depends on the kind of fish too. Some fish must eat daily. I think I even heard goldfish need to eat twice a day?

But bettas can handle a fast day or two or three a week. Ours is fine eating daily with one fast day, but, some instructions recommend feeding 3 times a week. Eh. Before we really knew better he got like 5 pellets am and 5 pm. Oops. He got two fast days that week.

Yeah. I think I've been feeding too much, but I don't want to starve him (that would be bad) so I've just lowered the feeding until I can figure out if that's the issue. I have API aquarium salt so I can use that (we had some Popeye at one point poor fishy passed away). We have frozen peas too so I'll just blanch a few and mash it up into bite size pieces for him. Thanks for the suggestions guys!!


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[dragon14]

Maybe feed him every other day (4 days a week) for a week or two, then have two fasting days for a week or two, then keep the habit of one fast day a week. A good friend of mine told me to fast him one day a week (she is well versed in fish!), and lots of reading about betta fish has backed that up too. It is good for them. They will beg and be cute little brats wanting food, but I promise a fast day a week is fine

Good luck and please keep me posted on how it goes! I hope you are able to bring your baby boy through! I'm sorry about your fish that had popeye.