Betta fish with exposed/broken jaw

Question
I have a Betta fish that was injured last week-I think it happened while I was trying to clean his tank. At first it looked like a 1/16th in. by 1/32nd in. flesh wound but then I could see his jaw bone and now it's sticking out. Although he is still able to eat I am concerned that the wound will get infected. 'Sunset' is my favorite fish and I would be very upset to lose him. I would like to know if anyone has heard of any kind of medication that can cover the wound to keep it from getting infected. I am also looking into attempting to stitch the wound closed since (with some persuasion)he will let me hold him and manipulate his jaw. Although his behavior while I am manipulating his jaw doesn't seem to indicate that he is hurting, the fact that he has an open wound is serious. Please, help! Thanks. Tara

Answer
Dear Tara,
Poor Sunset... That is a very serious injury he has there and I'm sorry to hear about it. The excellent news is he can still eat which means he won't have to suffer slowly from starvation (as most broken jaws result in)
So there is good hope for him.

I wanted to warn you strongly against trying to stich his wound closed. I understand your good intentions but attempting such a procedure without anethesia and possibly without experience (unless you are a fish vet) could result in the loss of poor Sunset. Also, operating on such a little fish would be extremely difficult if not impossible.

The best thing you could do for Sunset is make sure he cannot further injure his jaw on anything in his bowl/tank and that would probably even include gravel. It may be best to remove all decorations and gravel and at best leave a silk plant or two for him to rest or hide in.
~Make sure his water quality is near perfect. Clean water is by far the best 'medication' for fish wounds or illness. Depending upon the size of the tank, I'd do as large as water change as possible without stressing him (by the lower water level during the change) Of course insure his new replacement water is equal in temperature to that of your aquarium and insure it is dechlorinated properly everytime. Remember, dirty water provides an excellent breeding ground for infection-causing bacteria. So try to keep his tank as clean as possible
~Also make sure his water is warm (at least 78-82F) bettas thrive best at warm temperatures like these and can become sick if the water drops below even 75F. Warmer water will help keep his immune system up as well.
~There really isn't a medicine that would cover up fish wounds. But there is a water conditioner called "Stress Coat" which contains aloe vera to help protect fish wounds and replace lost slime coatings.
~Another thing you could try is Melafix medication. It is an all-natural anti-bacterial medicine that is safe for generally all fish. You can find it easily at most all petstores or even large chain stores. *You might want to look for "BETTAFIX" which contains the same anti-bacterial "Tea-tree oil" as Melafix but it is at a higher dulution than pure Melafix since there are reports of it causing problems with their "Air breathing" but if used correctly, it should be safe.
~Also give him the best diet you can. Make sure he doesn't have to chew hard foods like pellets and make each portion small. If you need more help on this let me know.

Sunset has a very bad injury. Although he is eating which is a good sign, he still may not make it. But don't give up hope on him and all you can do is try your best to insure his water is as clean as possible and to provide an anti-bacterial medication.

Feel free to let me know how Sunset is doing if you like!
Best wishes,
Karen~