Oscar half eaten but still alive.....some advice?

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Yes, suggesting that fish can think or feel in the same way that we do is anthropomorphic.

People may think it sounds cruel or insensitive, but I'm of the opinion that half of the fish is missing and it's not going to heal properly, so it should be euthanized. If it cannot even right itself because it's being blown around the tank by a filter, it's time to make a decision. Unplugging the filter is going to cause a buildup of ammonia and/or nitrite, so now on top of missing half its body, it's also going to start slowly being poisoned by its own waste. It's making a bad situation worse.

If a fish were this severely injured in the wild, it would quickly be eaten by stronger, healthier fish.
 
How was I contradicting myself? The entire post of mine was about how fish and humans are different and how they react can and mostly likely is different to humans. Obviously it would have felt pain and all that when it was actually bitten, but as I said it has looked to have healed. If our hands get lobbed off obviously we will feel pain, but does that mean all amputees suffer from then onwards? No. Not physically for most anyways. A lot of people suffer if they get amputated because they can't deal with living with something missing, but the actual physical pain is gone.

And that's what I'm trying to say here. In fact, my last sentence was in support of what I was saying. I'm not saying all fish are just happy to be alive, all I say is that it could be feeling happy to be alive. Could be, because we can't honestly tell, and that's what my entire post was about. As ryan said it's anthropomorphism. I never said that it was definitely happy or anything of the sort. I didn't project any sort of emotion into the fish because I KNOW that it could also be suffering. Proposing 'the possibility that it is happy' to be alive isn't anthropomorphism, it's just suggesting that it could in fact, well, be happy. Because again, we don't know exactly how it'd feel in this situation, and guesses are the only thing we can do.

Also, it's very true that in the wild it could be eaten by a healthier, stronger fish. Or, it could wander around like that for the rest of its life.

I could say more but this isn't a discussion on what's right and what's wrong in whose eyes. Rather, it's about this fish. And in the end, it's up to whether or not he kills it or not.

P.S. Just a note but if it was me, personally, I'd most likely euthanize it straight away or give it away, simply because I can't stand the sight of something with such a defect. No questions asked. Also because I don't know how to heal anything and prolly will do even more damage. But that is me, personally. I respect people who can actually do something about the situation and attempt to heal them, possibly even looking at them constantly.
 
I would guess that you turned the filter off so as to maximize the use of the medication, bad idea. The filter is what distributes the medication and is therefore needed. You need only remove the carbon from your filter (if you have any) but keep your filter turned on.
 
everlastace said:
I would guess that you turned the filter off so as to maximize the use of the medication, bad idea. The filter is what distributes the medication and is therefore needed. You need only remove the carbon from your filter (if you have any) but keep your filter turned on.
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This is good information. Although it was shut off to allow the fish to swim as the current was kind of pushing him around.

This fish swims just fine for what he is capable of and is eating too. To put him down would be ludicrous . All you tree huggers about putting a fish out of its misery should do some research. Fish do NOT think nor function like people and countless studies have shown that they don't feel physical pain the way humans do. Comparing the two is ridiculous. Nature has its way of surviving. This fish has been like this since Saturday. He eats, swims, and even goes to the bathroom. To deny the fish the chance to survive based on human emotions is inhumane.

I think you all forgot the base of this thread was will it survive, recover, and can I do anything to help promote healing. Not put the fish down. If the fish needed to be put down it could be flushed.


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Oscars have eyespots on their tails so that pirahnas and such don't attack their faces/mouths in the wild. Kinda useless adaptation if some human pulls you at and kills you.

I think it will live. There is a reason his tail was bitten and not his face. Give hime time.
 
itsKRUDD said:
If the fish needed to be put down it could be flushed.
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Flushing fish is NOT a way to "put down" anything. That is just a tortuous cop out, avoiding all responsibility to perform humane euthanasia...worse than killing them straight out.

NO one forgot the OP. All comments have been directly related to it, including the statement "I found him half eaten", and a photo supporting the accuracy of that description.
Give facts, ask question, get responses. Very simple.
Yours just happens to be the worst one so far.
 
GrantA94 said:
Oscars have eyespots on their tails so that pirahnas and such don't attack their faces/mouths in the wild. Kinda useless adaptation if some human pulls you at and kills you.

I think it will live. There is a reason his tail was bitten and not his face. Give hime time.
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With respect, "in the wild" this fish would already be dead.
If he survives with intensive care, that's completely unrelated to nature.

The owner can do whatever he wants. Most of us do learn a lot from extreme situations.
 
please show us some current pics of him up and moving?
 
petspoiler said:
With respect, "in the wild" this fish would already be dead.
If he survives with intensive care, that's completely unrelated to nature.

The owner can do whatever he wants. Most of us do learn a lot from extreme situations.
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With respect, I think that you are wrong.
 
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