Swim Bladder?

Question
Hi Chris, We have about 20 goldfish in our backyard pond and we know each one of them (except for the newest few). The oldest is about 7 yrs old and we have varying ages as they had babies. Last fall I had to go stay with my father who was dying, so none of the regular maintenance was done, and the quality of the water got bad. Long story short, two of our fish got really sick. The first one we found about 2 weeks ago on the bottom of the pond, so we brought him in the house and put him in a 10 gallon aquarium we keep for emergencies. I started him on Maracyn and within 2 days he was feeling better. About 4 days ago, we found another fish, born last year, at the bottom of the pond. We brought him in and put him in the same tank, but he isn't getting better. He is bent, doesn't seem to be able to swim, he has some raised scales, and he has some fin rot. He is still eating. Is there any hope for this fish? I don't want to prolong his suffering, but we don't want to give up on him either. My husband found him when he was first born, he had gotten caught in the filter, so our grandson named him Lucky. He is our most special fish. Some people say once they are bent, they cannot survive. You know more about goldfish than anyone else I've found online so I would trust your judgement as to what to do.
Thanks, Vera Brooks
p.s. We cleaned the pond, so our other fish should be fine!

Answer
Hi Vera;

Poor Lucky. I really have to tell you that most fish don't recover from a bent spine. I'm amazed that he is still eating. He could still survive and just be "disabled" though. A fish that is suffering and in pain doesn't usually eat. Lack of appetite is often the first symptom of a problem. It's hard to say why he developed a bent spine but we usually start by treating for bacterial infection. Since he has raised scales It is probably internal. I would try a product called "Maracyn Two", or give him an antibiotic food. Keep his water very clean, changing 50% of it daily. You can also use aquarium salt and a product called MelaFix. they help heal damaged tissues and inhibit further infection. All these products are available at fish stores or the fish departments of discount and department stores.

I hope Lucky feels better very soon....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins