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hey guys,i was just wondering if the fish disease dropsy can cause permanet damage.
i ask because about 3 weeks ago,my blue acara got a dose of dropsy.
but as i got it early and was quick with the correct meds,i was able to cure her!
however,since having this dreadfull disease,she has had trouble swimming,its like she cant stay down the bottom of the tank,she always hangs near the top,facing downward!
ive herd b4 that dropsy affects there swimm bladder,kidneys and they absorb water faster than there body can depleate it.
so im thinking maybe she suffered longterm damage this time!
she is nearlly 8 years old too.
so can this happen?

It can happen very easily. The bloating isn't a disease, it's a symptom of internal damage. In your case probably bacterial if you managed to treat it, so it's likely that the infection caused widespread internal organ damage.

yea dude im sry to say that she not doing to good at all but hey she might pull threw and shes had a great life u have done really well keeping her happy and healthy.....

yeah shes gettin old now.
ive since spoken to another person aswell,and he also said something has affected her permanently.
she is still eating and swimming,but i can see she is having trouble.
the poor girl
ive got a small container,i mite use this and give her a real quick bath in methylene blue,this way i dont have to thrash my bio filter in the tank.
ive often herd of fish keepers giving a sick fish a quick dunk in methylene blue.
have any of you guys done this?

For what purpose? Usually it is used for skin infections and parasites, and it doesn't sound like she's got either.

Is she still swollen?

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

my guy at my local fish shop,recomended the bath,and said it done wonders for him.
yeah she is still a bit swollen,plus it looks like shes taken a turn for the worse.
shes just not herself.
ive dreaded this day,if she dies my daughter will be shattered..
as ive said we have had this girl for nearlly 8 years!
so you think dont do the bath callatya!
ive also been adding some melifix and pimifix too.
the funny thing is,she was clear of it,she went back to normall size and started to come back to normall.
but now its come back again.
maybe i didnt treat it for long enuff

You can try, but if it is internal damage I don't think it'll help her much. It would help stop secondary infections which might give her time to get over whatever is still causing problems, but it is a long shot.

A lady on another forum had some luck taking her betta to get vet to have the fluid drained by syringe. I'm not sure if that would help in this case as her fish had a more chronic issue, but taking the pressure off things by removing the fluid might buy you some time if nothing else.

The yoyo thing where they get better and worse is common. They handle the processing for a while and then overload again. Is she well enough to handle more of the original medication?

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

mmm,i can give it a go,but im not sure how she will respond.
today she seems pretty bad,she hasnt blown up much,she is still the same size as yesterday,however it looks like she having more trouble not floating.
i think with her its a combination of things that led to the dropsy.
it all started when she lost her gt partner about 8 months ago,ever since then,she has suffered bad depression,and refuses to partner up,thus she stopped eating as much as she normally did,witch in turn weakened her ammune system.
all that topped off by old age,has all taken its toll on her!
my guy at my lfs said maybe its time to conider other options,eg-putting her out of her missery!
but i cant bring my self to do it,she has been with us for so long now.