An elderly goldfish whose life was at risk due to a tumour is now getting along swimmingly after having it removed by vets.
Bob had been struggling in his tank for a number of weeks after developing a lump on his fin.
At 20 years old – most goldfish do not live passed 15 – his chances of survival seemed slim.
However, Bob’s owner’s opted to pay £200 for vets to operate on the three-inch fish which they consider part of the family.
Dr Faye Bethell, who carried out the procedure, said: “The option was to remove the lump or put him to sleep and now he is doing brilliantly.
“They were really, really pleased because the goldfish is older than their children and is considered part of the family.
“We’ve done several (operations on goldfish) but this one was the oldest fish we’ve operated on. We keep them wet throughout using their own tank water so they don’t dry out.”
The delicate operation took Dr Bethell from Toll Barn Vets, Norfolk, just half an hour and Bob returned home on the same day.
This was carried out on a special operating table and involved feeding anaesthetic water into Bob’s mouth through a tube.
Vets used a miniature heart-rate monitor to check he was asleep before cutting out the lump using tiny forceps and scissors.
Dr Bethell said: “It’s pretty complicated because everything is so small and they don’t have a massive volume of blood so have to make sure they don’t lose too much.
“We’ve done several but this one was the oldest fish we’ve operated on. We keep them wet throughout using their own tank water so they don’t dry out.
“He is back home and enjoying swimming properly.”
Toll Barn Vets saved another at risk fish in 2015 after its owners noticed the pet was constipated.
This op cost £300 but ensured the then two-year-old pet could get back to full health.
Last year a from Buckinghamshire took their beloved goldfish Nemo on a 200-mile round trip from Bristol to have a tumour removed.
At one stage in the operation his heart stopped but he was revived and made a full recovery.
