Constipated Goldfish : Pet Owner Saves Goldfish, Spends $500 On Operations

A man was so fond of his office goldfish that he paid $500 to relieve its constipation problem.

The man hoped it would be a simple procedure to get his fish back swimming again in his office tank, but got quite a shock.

The veterinarian at the Toll Barn Veterinary Centre in Norfolk, England told him the delicate surgery would cost a pretty penny.

He turned down the treatment, and left his fish to its fate, but had a change of heart a few minutes later and went back to give the go-ahead.

According to the Telegraph, Vet Faye Bethell, 29, was then tasked with carefully administering anesthetic before using tiny instruments to remove a lump close to the fish’s anus.

A second lump was removed from his dorsal fin before the pet was returned to water and handed back to his grateful owner.

The vet said the three inch fish made a full recovery after the 50-minute operation and it would have died if it was left untreated.

She said: “I have never done a procedure like that on a goldfish, although I have done it before on more valuable fish like a carp.”
The actual surgery is quite straightforward but administering the anesthetic is quite complicated.

Goldfish can live up to 10 years and the ailing pet was two years and 10 months at the time of its operation.

The man says there was nothing special about the fish. He just liked it a lot.

Agencies/Canadajournal