14 DAY TRIAL // Just days ago, specialists working at a veterinary clinic in the UK got to perform a rather bizarre surgical intervention. Long story short, they had the chance to operate on a constipated goldfish and save its life.
The intervention was carried out at the Toll Barn Veterinary Center. The surgery went smoothly and the goldfish has since made a full recovery. Thus, the creature is now back at home with its family.
The fish would have died if left untreated
The goldfish was brought to the Toll Barn Veterinary Center by its owner, who realized that his pet needed special care after he noticed that, for some reason, the tiny creature was having trouble eliminating the remains of its meals.
Having examined the goldfish, veterinarian Faye Bethell told the man, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, that his pet was constipated and that the only way to help it was to cut it open and eliminate the waste blocking his bowels.
At first, the man decided not to go ahead with the intervention. This is because he was told that saving his poor goldfish would cost him an impressive £300 (€385 / $460). However, he eventually decided that the fish was well worth the trouble.
The intervention was fairly tricky
Veterinarian Faye Bethell explains that, before operating on the goldfish, she and her colleagues had to sedate it. Once this part was over, they cut it open and removed two lumps, one close to its backside and one close to its dorsal fin.
In less than an hour after the procedure, the goldfish was awake and swimming happily around its tank. Its owner was given permission to take it back home with him, where the two will from now on hopefully enjoy a peaceful life.
The veterinarian who handled this case says that, since goldfish can live to reach the age of 10 and this one is not yet 3, chances are that the man will get to enjoy his pet's company for many years to come.
Interestingly enough, 29-year-old Faye Bethell says that this is not the first time she has until now operated on a pet fish. However, it appears that the teeny tiny constipated creature is the first goldfish whose life she has until now had the chance to save.
“I have never done a procedure like that on a goldfish, although I have done it before on more valuable fish like a carp. There was nothing special about the fish. He just liked it a lot,” the veterinarian told the press in an interview, as cited by Daily Mail.
