ANOTHER Goldfish With A Hurt Mouth

Question
Hi Karen.  To just let you know, Lucy didn't make it.  She died about a month after we spoke.  She just couldn't eat enough I suppose.  And NOW I have another injured fish!  The fish, I call Sid, that I thought had attacked her and hurt her mouth now has an injured mouth!  I bought the medicine you recommended for Lucy and I've been adding it to the aquarium as needed with each water change to see if it would help Sid.  Lucy had lost her lower lip.  Sid has lost his upper lip!  I noticed with the medicine that his mouth was healing and he was able to eat quite amazingly for the first few weeks.  But for the last few days...I watch him TRY to eat but he doesn't seem to be able to "draw it in" and eat like he did before.  My husband looked at him a few minutes ago and says his "gullet" (I would say his throat) appears to be almost completely closed up like maybe it's swollen?  He said it looks like there is only a very small opening there.  Will the Melafix help with this?  I've had goldfish for years off and on and have never had the problem with one or more of them attacking another fish!  Sorry...I hate asking another question that's hard or almost impossible for you to answer but....geeeezz....you feel helpless, you know?  Does this sound like his mouth/throat is swollen and should I continue or discontinue with the Melafix and the water changes?  Thanks Karen!

Answer
Dear Angela,
Poor Lucy. It could have been she couldn't eat properly or maybe the damage was too much for her to heal properly. Not to blame this right off hand but what kind of gravel do you have in your aquarium? Goldfish love to take gravel in their mouths and sift through it to find little particles of food. If there happened to be very rough, too large, or sharp pieces of gravel then it could be that, that is causing the mouth injuries. It's just a guess though. This is really a bizzare thing and something I've never heard of before. Poor Sid, you mentioned that his throat appears almost completely closed up? Most fish don't have a very large gullet or throat opening. But this is still a hard thing to say.

I'm so sorry for your bad luck. Unfortunately there is not much you can do for Sid besides making sure his water is clean and free of ammonia or nitrites and be sure to do those vital water changes. Melafix certainly wouldn't hurt either.

I know most all fish have the ability to rejunvenate fins, scales, and damaged areas like mouths. I once heard a story about a cichlid whom got into a big fight with another and his lips were torn nearly completely off. Fortunately, the cichlid healed completely.

*No need to feel bad about asking another question! That is exactly what I'm here for!

I really hope this helps.
As always, Best wishes to you and Sid
Karen