Goldfish lease of life

[guernseyman]

This morning about 9am I noticed a goldfish had been lifted out of our garden pool, probably by one of our cats. It was just laying on a paving slab so I left it there. Just now at 1pm, I saw it was still breathing! I've put it back in the pool, minus most of its tail and it swam away gently. It now looks as though some of the other, smaller fish are trying to nibble at it.
Should I leave it in there to take its chances. or lift it out to die under a hedge?

[naomi24]

Why not put it into a bowl on its own and see how it goes? I wouldn't leave the poor thing under a hedge to die.

[woofgang]

I would leave it in the pool but keep an eye on it, have you got any pond antiseptic? If you decide it can't survive, then don't dump it somewhere, kill it. If I need to do this i get a plastic bags ready, quickly put the fish into it and smack it Hard on a hard surface really really quickly. Its horrible to do but i haven't found a faster way.

[erin-x]

Leaving it under a hedge to suffocate is cruel! I would do what Naomi has suggested.

[B00]

Please do as Naomi suggested.

And if you really think it's beyond help do as Woofy suggested, euthanise it quickly, it's a horrible thing to do but it's far kinder than to let it slowly die- starved of oxygen.

[guernseyman]

Thanks for the options!

I really don't fancy doing the plastic bag thing, so I've taken it out of the pond and put it in a clear plastic bucket with pondwater, and put it in my unheated greenhouse. Hopefully it will pull through in the next couple of days, and I'll put it back in the pond.

Is it likely if the fish survives that the tail will re-grow?

[guernseyman]

Bill, I don't necessarily think it is a kind thing to do, but I didn't think that cannibal fish are a good thing either, so I'm doing another option, as above.

[B00]

As long as there's no damage to the fin base, yes. But if he or she is to stand a chance of it regrowing, it'll have ot be kept apart from t'others, they'll just nibble away at it, as you've already noticed.

[wildwood]

I am absolutely flabbergasted that the fish managed to stay alive without oxygen for 4 hours!!!!!!

[boxtops]

The hedge would have been unkind, it would have been more likely to have fallen prey to cannibal cats!

[jomifl]

Wildwood, it isn't so much lack of oxygen that kills fish out of water as dehydration and consequent damage to the skin and gills, which reduces there osmoregulatory abilities so that they die when put back in water. If many fish are kept cool a damp they can last for days. An eel is a good example of this.

[tamborine]

eels dont last here ;p

[jomifl]

particularly the jelllied ones?

[henrythewasp]

I remember as a child my dad kept goldfish and he would do this amazing thing that brought dead ones back to life!.......He would put it in a saucer of water with a pinch of salt and blow on them,they would eventually burst into life!

[jomifl]

Freshwater fish that have had their osmoregulation ability reduced can be helped by keeping them in isotonic saline(about 1.8% salt solution) until they repair themselves. You do have to get the strength right, guesswork will not be good enough.

[firewatch]

i was going to say the other fish are probably nibbling the damaged flesh off to allow it to heal they do it in the wild so why not in a domestic situation. i hope the little guy pulls through

[RATTER15]

henrythewasp, Im assuming that you are an adult now? You dont actually believe that now do you?

[henrythewasp]

I am 10 years old and i saw him do it,bet my dad can beat yours up!

[guernseyman]

Little fella passed away today. Damage to tail too much for it to recover.
I'm glad I gave him/her the chance to get better though.

Funeral has taken place.
Donations to NSPCC please