cat and fish

Question
QUESTION: Hey, one of my cats fished out my betta and I found him on kitchen floor, still alive... I placed in small amount of his water and cleaned out the tank and used warmer water put him back in this tank he is swimming and going up to get air, but is bleeding at the dorsal fin? I am a vet but not on fish...:) I was wondering what else can be done the bleeding is not bad, it looks like he is trying to clot like a finger stick or less,I am assuming this is due to the warmer water temp causing vasodilation, he was not bleeding before the warm water.But, I was afraid to keep in cooler water due to shock. What about salt? how much? and just plain? any other suggestions? he is a tough little guy, but he is 2 and unsure about this time, the other time he had bowl turned over but not gotten too. I am surprised they did not eat him this time. How that got up there who knows ( CATS ) thank you Reena

ANSWER: Hi Reena;

Poor guy. Cats are pretty persistent, aren't they? Your little betta guy needs time to recover in clean warm water for sure. The bleeding should stop soon and he may lose the ends of his fins and tail if he was dry for a few minutes. If any tissue died it will fall away and new fins will re-grow. The water changes every day will get rid of the old dead tissue so it doesn't pollute his tank, as well as boost his immune system.

Keep his tank in a very warm spot so the water stays up in temperature at about 82f. If the temperature fluctuates it can cause additional stress and putting him in warm water from cooler water can cause shock. Let him slowly acclimate to a warmer temperature.

Change his water every day and you can add aquarium salt too. It's available at local fish stores. Don't use table salt though. It has anti-caking additives and sometimes iodine. It must be 'pure salt' with no other additives so look at the label to be sure. Kosher salt is usually okay but again, look at the label to be sure. Add 1/2 teaspoon for every gallon of tank water.

Another product you can use is MelaFix. It is a natural product that helps inhibit infection and has been proven to aid in the re-growth of new tissue. It is available at fish stores.

I hope he feels better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Chris,
 Hey, thanks for the info, he is still alive and the bleeding has stopped. He does have what I feel like is inflammation to the underlying tissues under his gills on one side the right. I ended up getting a filter system. I have done the salt and melafix too.
He tries to eat but seems a little neurological to me on this could this be???  He did manage to get one pellet in his mouth this morning. It is not pretty... His fins are pretty nasty looking how long to regrow? weeks? months? What do you think of survival at this point?
Again thanks for the info, I have never treated a fish before, but know more info now or at least where to get it.
         Reena

Answer
Hi Reena;

I'm so happy he's survived so far. Appetite at this point is a very good sign. Most bettas don't eat after such an event, especially while still obviously injured. He's a strong little fella! It gives him an excellent chance of recovery. Just remove what he doesn't eat so it doesn't foul the water. It may take months for his fins to regrow but you don't have to keep giving him the melafix and salt the whole time. Once you start to see new growth you can stop using them. The new growth can take a week or more to see and will usually be clear, kind of like cellophane on the edges where the damage occurred. It takes some time for the new finnage to gain color. They may not ever be as nice looking as they once were but they should regrow pretty well as long as he recovers.

Keep up the good work!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins