The Puffer Forum

it is the tubing that is on the venipuncture blood collection set - the tubing is the same size on gauges of butterfly sets - just cut the needle off and use the tubing.

If you are going to use something on the rectum - you could use a lubricated q-tip.

Ok lubricated q-tip great (the q-tip soft end or the blunt end),as I can see a large amount of brown waste.
I have the feeding tube and syringe.
How much castor oil ??? mixed with food or not??
Thank you so much for the help.

cotton tip end (lubricated) to the rectum.

I have never used castor oil...only cod liver oil. I would probably only use a couple of cc's - probably straight at this point.

Thank you again. Apparently according to the drug store the castor oil is about the same as the cod-liver oil.
Here is the plan within the next hour am putting him under with the clove oil I will be putting the tube down his throat to just past the gills with about 2 cc of straight castor oil while the boyfriend holds and put the q-tip about 1cc in the other end and turns. Wish me luck and if he doesn't wake up I know that I did all I could and he will not suffer anymore.

To help with the waking up - gently guide him through the water to force water over the gills to give more oxygen. Make sure to well aerate the clove oil bath as well as the wake up tank.

Best of luck.

Insert the lubricated q-tip a cm or slightly more - do not force. May repeat a couple of times especially if feces starts coming out......

Thank you for the exta tips and good luck wishes. Will do that.

We put puff under and he came out of it ok . Problem was when I put the feeding tube down his throat it clogged right up so I just ripped it off and stuck the syringe down his throat and administer like that. Hopefully some got into his system ??? q-tip up the rectum no problems no waste came out but hopefully loosened it up enough for him to expel by himself. I guess time will tell. Thanks for all your help will let you know how he is doing in a couple of days.

I hope everthing turns out good.

Well I lost Puff lastnight . I guess to little to late but I know in my heart that I did try everything I possible could. I keep a lot of fish but why is it that we get so attached to these beautiful guys. I guess it is the way that they bond and interact with you like no other fish can. I will aways keep puffers but this guy was my first, a big teddy bear and I miss his so much already. The greeting when I came into the room, the begging even when he wasn't hungry, those big brown eyes. Most people would say it is only a fish but I know you guys can understand, puffers aren't just fish they are our pets. He made me laugh many a time and now I cry for him but I know he is not in pain any longer. I want to thank you all for your help and the puffer forum for teaching me so many things. Do I see a new puffer on the horizon, you bet for the enjoyment is worth the pain.

I am so sorry to hear he didn't make it.

You tried your best, I guess it was too far advanced for the treatments to help. Yes, most of us know how easy it is to become attached to our puffers and how painful it is to lose one, but I have never lost a puffer after owning it for so long so it must be very hard for you. I hope you will be able to find a new puffer addition some time in the future. Take care!

Sorry for your loss... You got some good experience on treatment though.

So sorry.....
You definitely gave the puffer everything you could.
Can you or do you know someone that could do a necropsy to see what the problem was?

Thank you all for your kind words.

Can you or do you know someone that could do a necropsy to see what the problem was?

I myself don't think I could do it to my beloved puff. As far as someone else I phone almost every vet in the city and even the college that has an animal care technetion coarse looking for MS 222 (finquel) and no one carried it or even knew what I was talking about. I even had one vet phone me back quite interested in what I was doing, knew that you could put a fish under but had never heard of anyone doing it. Was quiet impressed that I was going to all that trouble, I told him to check out the puffer forum and gave puffer queen the credit. So as far as anyone knowing about fish or their autonomy I don't think I will have much luck around here.

I strongly suspect that he developed a internal bacterial infection as a result of his constipation (started treating towards the end with maracyn 2). There is no doubt in my mind that he was constipated as I could see the blockage that he attempted to expel for three weeks. What was puzzling to me was lots of white dust like waste that came out of him about a week before he passed. Once this settle it was like grains of salt all over the rocks??? It wasn't internal parasites or not like any I have seen anyways. He quickly went down hill after that.
Again thank you all for your kind words and help and yes puffer punk a few lessons learned.

I am so very sorry.