Goldfish has dropsy

[Maxi]

One of my Goldfish has dropsy. He is really really bloated, his scales are sticking out and his eyes are bulging. I feel horrible because of it .

I noticed a few weeks ago that he was a bit floaty, like he had to work to keep himself down at the bottom, and when he went up floated up really quickly. But that fixed itself the last few days and his buoyancy seemed fine. And now this, ugh. Before this he was always at the surface foraging for food and I was afraid something like this was going to happen because he was always doing it.

He wasn't gasping at the surface before anyone thinks that's what it was. I can tell the difference, and none of my other fish are ever at the surface. My water parameters are always fine, 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and usually between 5-10 Nitrates on a constant basis.

I thought a while ago that he had parasites as he was pooping long stringy white poop but lately his poop has been fine too. But I'm not sure if the two are related.

What should I do now? I know it's basically incurable, but how much pain would he be in? I'd hate to feel that if I euthanise him, there was maybe a chance he could have made a full recovery. It's the first time I've had a fish with this so I don't know how to go about it. Any advice would be greatly welcomed. The camera on my phone is terrible, so I can't get a proper photo of it.

 

[coralbandit]

Unfortunately by the time pine coning (swelling from dropsy) is noticeable it is too late.
Sorry for you and your fish.
A treatment of Epsom salts and antibiotics may possibly cure the fish from this bacterial infection.
Some believe if cured(very un often) that the cured fish is then a carrier that should never be re-introduced to a community setting.



You may medicate a beloved sick fish if you wish, but don't return to a community aquarium a fish that has "recovered" from symptoms of bacterial disease once its outward symptoms have been alleviated. "Dropsy" is a case in point. Sometimes a fish recovers enough from a bout of severe ascites to lead an outwardly-normal life. Then the "cured" fish is returned to the community aquarium, where it may become a sub-clinical carrier of bacteria, free of visible symptoms. A sub-clinical carrier remains a source of infection for all your other fish. When it dies quietly among the plants, a couple of months after the episode of "dropsy," the two events may not seem connected. Initial quarantine, even a full four weeks' time, may not be long enough to identify weakened fish that are bacterial carriers before they enter your system. It's quite probable that all your fish have already been exposed to a variety of bacteria that could be pathogenic, given the right circumstances


^taken from;^
Bacterial infections | The Skeptical Aquarist
Sorry again.