Vet Performs Life Saving Operation on a Goldfish

I didn't even know it was possible. A vet in Australia has performed a lifesaving operation on a goldfish!

The fish is named George and he had a brain tumor. His owners noticed he was having trouble breathing and there was a lump on his head. Instead of waiting for George to float to the top, they took him to the vet who diagnosed the tumor. It was the size of a GRAPE!

George needed a $200 operation. The owners quickly said yes and the surgery was soon underway.

So how do you operate on a fish? Lucky for us the Lort Smith Vet and Wildlife Clinic has a Facebook page where they explained the whole procedure.

"Dr Tristan Rich, head of the exotic and wildlife vet team, set up three buckets – one with a knock out dose of anesthetic, one with a maintenance level of anesthetic, and one with clean water as the recovery unit.

Once George was asleep, Dr Tristan ran a tube from the maintenance bucket which was being oxygenated, into George’s mouth, so that the water with the maintenance dose of anesthetic washed over his gills.

Photo by Nicole Dorling/Lort Smith Facebook

Dr Tristan worked quickly to remove the large tumor, he had to use a gelatin sponge to control the bleeding during surgery. The size of the wound meant it was difficult to seal, so Dr Tristan put in four sutures then sealed the rest of the wound with tissue glue.

Photo by Nicole Dorling/Lort Smith Facebook

Once that had set, George was placed in the recovery unit and given oxygen. He was given injections with long acting pain relief and antibiotics. Soon afterwards he took a couple of breaths on his own and started swimming around."

Lort Smith Facebook

Dr. Tristan deserves a place in the record books for sure. And so does George!