How can you help a dying Betta splendens fish?
I don’t believe in euthanasia, for animals just as for humans. I do believe in dying with dignity which means not surrounded by other fish pecking his eyes out before he is even dead. So I would give the fish normal conditions in which it would be comfortable if healthy, low light, and solitude. Once it is really dead you can feed the body to other fish, flush it down the toilet, whatever. But the life, while it is there, is sacred, and should have dignity, even for a fish.
Whatever science could say about its neurones and synapses, he was your pet.
Is this the “Talking with imbeciles”, series, or what?
Not really. This is part of a new series where I bring over, updating and re-writing where needed, the best of my answers to questions on Quora. I made a few of these in earlier years in chronological order. For now, I am moving them in the order of the number of upvotes received. These being the ones I would most regret losing. That is what they threatened me with over there for not being a Neo-Marxist. Over the course of 2022, on even numbered dates in the months, I plan to bring home to http://www.huliganov.tv as many of the best of these as I can manage. Where relevant, also to http://www.quoracy.com . I’ll be improving them, updating them, adding images. I warmly invite discussion below in each case. Enjoy!”
Original Posting Date: 04/06/2018
Question as answered: How can you help a dying betta fish?
Views at the time added to HTV: 8,300
Upvotes at the time added to HTV: 19
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My Credential for this answer: “I’ve kept fish all my life”.