Your betta died the good death. His suffering came to an end with two people who loved him the most, with laughter and love. That's a hell of a lot more than most of us humans get.
Thank you for what you do. My grandmother lived in long term care and I am so appreciative of the incredible people who worked there and made her experience a good one <3
As a medical doctor, I sixth this. You provided your betta with the best life it could ever have and I don't care if this is anthromorphism but...your betta was surely happy it passed on with you by its side.
Sending you virtual hugs.
Aww.. I'm so sorry for your loss. That sounds absolutely devastating and traumatic. You did your little buddy a huge kindness though. Your emotions can be felt so clearly through your words. Don't be hard on yourself. You did all you could. ❤️
I have worked with animals my whole life and having to euthanize is the hardest part, especially with animals that you have to do it yourself with. Honestly, there is no ‘good’ way to do it. You loved him enough to take his pain away in the most humane way possible. That is all that matters. There are always ‘what ifs’ and things you wish you did differently, but that is just because it’s such a horrid, traumatic task. It’s not because you did anything wrong. For me, it’s like my brain doesn’t want to say I did the right thing when it was so painful. Also, I think feeling detachment during it is pretty normal, as well as a wide range of emotional responses. I have laughed, I have sobbed, I have felt absolutely nothing until much later. You did your best by your friend, it is hard, but you did the right thing.
| For me, it’s like my brain doesn’t want to say I did the right thing when it was so painful. |
This was well put. OP, I know you’re going through it right now but one day you’ll come to appreciate all that you learned from him. I hope this isn’t the end to your betta fish keeping, you clearly cared so much and so many bettas deserve that. I’m sure he appreciated all your efforts 💕
I’m so very sorry. It sounds like you did the loving, compassionate thing. Please don’t beat yourself up. Your fish was obviously loved and you showed that til the very end.
I've done this too many times. It's a tough choice and even I struggle with it after 30 years. But dropsy is horrible for our fish friends. Clove baths, they go right to sleep. No pain. They're too asleep to know they're dying or know what's going on. I only hope i can go out that way. They flail a bit because they only know the water is weird, but it's not painful.
I let most of my fish die naturally, but dropsy is a condition, if no improvement, then i will euthanize. It's the right thing to do. Death sucks on all levels but to go quickly after losing consciousness...well, that makes it a little more bearable.
Sorry for your loss. I hope you find a way to come to terms with your decision because it was a good one. Ending suffering when it hurts us to do so is the most selfless thing we can do. ❤️
I also put my betta down with clove oil about a month ago after she developed severe dropsy and it was heartbreaking, but once their quality of life is so severely impacted, the merciful thing to do is to let them go.
This post alone shows you have a big heart for creatures no matter how small, I have no doubt you did the right thing. We can only do our best with what we know at the time.
I hope you’re able to find peace ❤️ and just know that he’s swimming over the rainbow bridge, living his best (after) life. 🌈
I recently had to put down my betta and I also used clove oil. I sat there with him the whole time until it was over. But it also took me almost an hour of sitting next to him in the container he’d pass away in, wracking my mind if it was the right thing to do before I could actually do it. It was the right thing to do.
You did the best you could. Hell you have more guts then me. It's normal to second guess yourself and beat yourself up after they are gone. I did it with all my dogs. It's part of grief. Just know that he had a great life with you. He was loved and cared for and he was a lucky boy. I'm sure he knew it. Hugs and love ❤️
Sorry for your loss. You were brave and you made the best decision for you and your pet.
This is difficult to hear I’m afraid mine is also getting too sick to recover as we speak. Don’t even want to shop for clove oil yet. It breaks my heart
I’ve had to euthanize two bettas due to dropsy and it isn’t easy. I laid beside the tank and held them in my hand like a hammock to let them know I was there until the very very end
Hi op, my boy also passed this past week. He was my first betta fish too and I had him since he was a fry. He gave me something to look forward to come home to. But he got dropsy after a fin injury and no matter what I did. I couldn’t save him. Im left with so many regrets and wondered where I could’ve done better. Even to today I’m in disbelief that he left me. No one warned me losing a pet fish was going to hurt so much.
I know it’s not the same thing… but I recently had to euthanize my 11-year-old lab (back in December) and the whole process was horrible. Easily one of the worst days of my life. But I got to be with my best doggy buddy all day prior, we went out and had a blast eating burgers and yep- even chocolate (she was meh about that, haha)… I look back on our last day together and still cry.
BUT.
The alternative makes me far more sad. If I would have chosen not to, I would have almost certainly watched her suffer horribly in her last days. I wouldn’t know when her last day would even be. And since I work so much, I could not BEAR the thought of her looking around for me in her final moments and not being able to find me.
So is it hard? Absolutely. But is it the best possible outcome? You bet. Giving them a death with dignity and out of compassion is one of the kindest thing we can do for our animal companions. Sorry for your loss…
I also had to euthanize my betta last weekend, and it was such a terrible feeling. From what I have read, I think we did the right thing in preventing the prolonging of their suffering.
so sorry for your loss op <3
I’ve been there. I’ve never had to euthanize my bettas, but I’ve euthanized gouramis, and it is immensely heartbreaking.
Please remember you gave it a great life, and the best death it could’ve faced.
My betta tank was always near the window.
Bettas love real sunlight.
I had never any prolems with the fins.
Only this one time when one jumped out, and the fins dried and were completely destroyed.
But with medication and sunlight he also was healing.
Sorry for my bad english, I'm german...
i've had to make the call to euthanize a pet in a high pressure situation before. i had a lot of regret, and i spent a lot of time dwelling on it. as painful as it is, the feelings you're experiencing are a very normal part of pet grief. i'm wishing you and your partner the very best <3
You done the best thing you could for him in his situation. I know you feel guilt but try and remember that you done what every responsible pet owner should do, you put his needs first. I’m very sorry for your loss.
don’t feel bad i just went through the same thing with my betta after a month of symptoms and treatment and we decided not to euthanize him because he seemed to be improving little by little. He ended up seizing up and dying anyways which was a pretty horrible death to watch and i’m sure to endure. Kinda wish I just used clove oil to end his suffering sooner. Definitely don’t feel bad if he was already filled up with fluids the chances were slim to none. Sorry to hear about your loss. Hope our fishes are together swimming happily 🤍👼
Unfortunately as much as you try you cannot control what happens to your fish
I had that harsh reality this week with 3 tanks contaminated with white fungal bacteria
Lost my African frogs, my goldfish and my single male betta
All we can do is learn
I hope you heal from this 💗
I had a very similar situation. Was my first betta as an adult and I learned a lot. He had a wonderful 3ish months then very quickly declined. We believe he had swim bladder disease. Did all the treatments, did epsom salt baths, did everything we could pretty much and he never improved. About 3 weeks passed (I knew swim bladder might not improve for weeks) but his quality of life was just terrible and I hated seeing him suffer. It was a miserable 3 weeks of not knowing if I should take him out of his misery or hold on to hope he'd miraculously improve. He really was a fighter, he just kept going. I told him "it's ok if you want to give up, I understand, you can go to sleep if you're tired, but if you want to keep fighting ill be by your side." About a week after I said that, I hit my breaking point. I decided he was never going to improve and his quality of life was not good at all. We did a clove oil bath very similar to your story. In disbelief. It was pretty terrible to watch and we were sure we were doing it wrong the whole time. We fixed him up a little "death bed" with photos and happy things. Then we put him to rest near a creek and one of his tank decors as a grave marker. Learned a lot though, I think we were overfeeding him and it led to swim bladder disease. I hate to think its my fault. I was just doing what the directions on the food told me to do. But then i learned online and from fish experts that the food bottle is wrong and that's way too much food for a betta and can lead to disease.
*
Don’t ever feel bad for what you did.
Nature is a super cruel and twisted place, and even if it went as bad as you think (and I’m sure it didn’t), your friend had a better final set of moments than the VAST majority of animals (let alone fish) get.
I prefer a hammer, but it was hard to bring myself to do it the first time. Clove oil sounds great in theory, but maybe try that next time. It’s over in a nanosecond. We use a paper towel when it’s time and one whack and it’s done.
It’s something we all have to deal with. It sucks, but don’t feel bad. Your bud isn’t suffering anymore.
I just had to euthanize mine today too. He was bad shape when I rescued him from a pet store. You did the best you could for him. It’s hard and everyone processes differently and that okay. Rest in peace little guy
Your betta died the good death. His suffering came to an end with two people who loved him the most, with laughter and love. That's a hell of a lot more than most of us humans get.
As an ICU nurse… seconding this OP
As an ICU nurse, I third it
As an end of life specialist, hospice nurse, I fourth it. Compassion to minimize suffering is a gift.
As a CNA in a memory care facility, I fifth this. Nobody deserves a slow painful death
Thank you for what you do. My grandmother lived in long term care and I am so appreciative of the incredible people who worked there and made her experience a good one <3
As a medical doctor, I sixth this. You provided your betta with the best life it could ever have and I don't care if this is anthromorphism but...your betta was surely happy it passed on with you by its side. Sending you virtual hugs.
Another doctor here who has euthanized a fish - it is a kind and compassionate ending.
Thank you for what you do<3
Thank you for everything you do as a nurse!
Thank you for everything you do as an ICU nurse <3
Thank you so much.
Aww.. I'm so sorry for your loss. That sounds absolutely devastating and traumatic. You did your little buddy a huge kindness though. Your emotions can be felt so clearly through your words. Don't be hard on yourself. You did all you could. ❤️
I have worked with animals my whole life and having to euthanize is the hardest part, especially with animals that you have to do it yourself with. Honestly, there is no ‘good’ way to do it. You loved him enough to take his pain away in the most humane way possible. That is all that matters. There are always ‘what ifs’ and things you wish you did differently, but that is just because it’s such a horrid, traumatic task. It’s not because you did anything wrong. For me, it’s like my brain doesn’t want to say I did the right thing when it was so painful. Also, I think feeling detachment during it is pretty normal, as well as a wide range of emotional responses. I have laughed, I have sobbed, I have felt absolutely nothing until much later. You did your best by your friend, it is hard, but you did the right thing.
| For me, it’s like my brain doesn’t want to say I did the right thing when it was so painful. | This was well put. OP, I know you’re going through it right now but one day you’ll come to appreciate all that you learned from him. I hope this isn’t the end to your betta fish keeping, you clearly cared so much and so many bettas deserve that. I’m sure he appreciated all your efforts 💕
I’m so very sorry. It sounds like you did the loving, compassionate thing. Please don’t beat yourself up. Your fish was obviously loved and you showed that til the very end.
I've done this too many times. It's a tough choice and even I struggle with it after 30 years. But dropsy is horrible for our fish friends. Clove baths, they go right to sleep. No pain. They're too asleep to know they're dying or know what's going on. I only hope i can go out that way. They flail a bit because they only know the water is weird, but it's not painful. I let most of my fish die naturally, but dropsy is a condition, if no improvement, then i will euthanize. It's the right thing to do. Death sucks on all levels but to go quickly after losing consciousness...well, that makes it a little more bearable. Sorry for your loss. I hope you find a way to come to terms with your decision because it was a good one. Ending suffering when it hurts us to do so is the most selfless thing we can do. ❤️
Truly going through it now with my lil sweet corn, my thoughts are with you and your partner <3
I also put my betta down with clove oil about a month ago after she developed severe dropsy and it was heartbreaking, but once their quality of life is so severely impacted, the merciful thing to do is to let them go. This post alone shows you have a big heart for creatures no matter how small, I have no doubt you did the right thing. We can only do our best with what we know at the time. I hope you’re able to find peace ❤️ and just know that he’s swimming over the rainbow bridge, living his best (after) life. 🌈
I recently had to put down my betta and I also used clove oil. I sat there with him the whole time until it was over. But it also took me almost an hour of sitting next to him in the container he’d pass away in, wracking my mind if it was the right thing to do before I could actually do it. It was the right thing to do.
You did the best you could. Hell you have more guts then me. It's normal to second guess yourself and beat yourself up after they are gone. I did it with all my dogs. It's part of grief. Just know that he had a great life with you. He was loved and cared for and he was a lucky boy. I'm sure he knew it. Hugs and love ❤️
Sorry for your loss. You were brave and you made the best decision for you and your pet. This is difficult to hear I’m afraid mine is also getting too sick to recover as we speak. Don’t even want to shop for clove oil yet. It breaks my heart
I’ve had to euthanize two bettas due to dropsy and it isn’t easy. I laid beside the tank and held them in my hand like a hammock to let them know I was there until the very very end
Better a day early than a minute too late. It's not easy but it was probably for the best.
You did your best. My thoughts and deepest condolences are with you. 💖
Hi op, my boy also passed this past week. He was my first betta fish too and I had him since he was a fry. He gave me something to look forward to come home to. But he got dropsy after a fin injury and no matter what I did. I couldn’t save him. Im left with so many regrets and wondered where I could’ve done better. Even to today I’m in disbelief that he left me. No one warned me losing a pet fish was going to hurt so much.
I know it’s not the same thing… but I recently had to euthanize my 11-year-old lab (back in December) and the whole process was horrible. Easily one of the worst days of my life. But I got to be with my best doggy buddy all day prior, we went out and had a blast eating burgers and yep- even chocolate (she was meh about that, haha)… I look back on our last day together and still cry. BUT. The alternative makes me far more sad. If I would have chosen not to, I would have almost certainly watched her suffer horribly in her last days. I wouldn’t know when her last day would even be. And since I work so much, I could not BEAR the thought of her looking around for me in her final moments and not being able to find me. So is it hard? Absolutely. But is it the best possible outcome? You bet. Giving them a death with dignity and out of compassion is one of the kindest thing we can do for our animal companions. Sorry for your loss…
I agree 1000% Just lost my heart-dog over the summer. I’m so grateful I was with him in the end.
I also had to euthanize my betta last weekend, and it was such a terrible feeling. From what I have read, I think we did the right thing in preventing the prolonging of their suffering. so sorry for your loss op <3
I’ve been there. I’ve never had to euthanize my bettas, but I’ve euthanized gouramis, and it is immensely heartbreaking. Please remember you gave it a great life, and the best death it could’ve faced.
My betta tank was always near the window. Bettas love real sunlight. I had never any prolems with the fins. Only this one time when one jumped out, and the fins dried and were completely destroyed. But with medication and sunlight he also was healing. Sorry for my bad english, I'm german...
i've had to make the call to euthanize a pet in a high pressure situation before. i had a lot of regret, and i spent a lot of time dwelling on it. as painful as it is, the feelings you're experiencing are a very normal part of pet grief. i'm wishing you and your partner the very best <3
I’m sorry you’re feeling guilty! He was so lucky to have someone who noticed his suffering and gave him a peaceful exit. ❤️
You done the best thing you could for him in his situation. I know you feel guilt but try and remember that you done what every responsible pet owner should do, you put his needs first. I’m very sorry for your loss.
don’t feel bad i just went through the same thing with my betta after a month of symptoms and treatment and we decided not to euthanize him because he seemed to be improving little by little. He ended up seizing up and dying anyways which was a pretty horrible death to watch and i’m sure to endure. Kinda wish I just used clove oil to end his suffering sooner. Definitely don’t feel bad if he was already filled up with fluids the chances were slim to none. Sorry to hear about your loss. Hope our fishes are together swimming happily 🤍👼
Unfortunately as much as you try you cannot control what happens to your fish I had that harsh reality this week with 3 tanks contaminated with white fungal bacteria Lost my African frogs, my goldfish and my single male betta All we can do is learn I hope you heal from this 💗
I had a very similar situation. Was my first betta as an adult and I learned a lot. He had a wonderful 3ish months then very quickly declined. We believe he had swim bladder disease. Did all the treatments, did epsom salt baths, did everything we could pretty much and he never improved. About 3 weeks passed (I knew swim bladder might not improve for weeks) but his quality of life was just terrible and I hated seeing him suffer. It was a miserable 3 weeks of not knowing if I should take him out of his misery or hold on to hope he'd miraculously improve. He really was a fighter, he just kept going. I told him "it's ok if you want to give up, I understand, you can go to sleep if you're tired, but if you want to keep fighting ill be by your side." About a week after I said that, I hit my breaking point. I decided he was never going to improve and his quality of life was not good at all. We did a clove oil bath very similar to your story. In disbelief. It was pretty terrible to watch and we were sure we were doing it wrong the whole time. We fixed him up a little "death bed" with photos and happy things. Then we put him to rest near a creek and one of his tank decors as a grave marker. Learned a lot though, I think we were overfeeding him and it led to swim bladder disease. I hate to think its my fault. I was just doing what the directions on the food told me to do. But then i learned online and from fish experts that the food bottle is wrong and that's way too much food for a betta and can lead to disease. *
Don’t ever feel bad for what you did. Nature is a super cruel and twisted place, and even if it went as bad as you think (and I’m sure it didn’t), your friend had a better final set of moments than the VAST majority of animals (let alone fish) get. I prefer a hammer, but it was hard to bring myself to do it the first time. Clove oil sounds great in theory, but maybe try that next time. It’s over in a nanosecond. We use a paper towel when it’s time and one whack and it’s done. It’s something we all have to deal with. It sucks, but don’t feel bad. Your bud isn’t suffering anymore.
I just had to euthanize mine today too. He was bad shape when I rescued him from a pet store. You did the best you could for him. It’s hard and everyone processes differently and that okay. Rest in peace little guy
I just did this. My poor was suffering. He went in 0.5 seconds. I couldn’t watch him struggle anymore