A pet goldfish named George is recovering "swimmingly well" after emergency surgery removed a life-threatening head tumour, according to an Australian animal hospital.
Exotic wildlife specialist and veterinarian Tristan Rich, who performed the 45-minute operation at the Lort Smith hospital in Melbourne, said 10-year-old George was first placed in a bucket of ice water that contained an anesthetic.
However, at the end of the operation, Dr Rich ran into a spot of bother. The sutures didn’t hold, so instead he used tissue glue - something that’s normally used in human operations. If they'd lost so much as a milligram of blood, it would have been game over for wee George.
Once the surgery was completed, George was prescribed antibiotics and painkillers, and placed in a recovery bucket of clean water. Soon enough, George started swimming and breathing on his own.
“For the owners, it’s not about having a fish, it’s about having this fish,” Dr Rich said. “If you have a pet, regardless of what it is, then you have a responsibility to look after it as best you can.”