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Bullied Fish Gets Fake Eye Put In To Live A Happier Life

By Heather Tooley
Published on: 10:09 PST, Jun 27, 2016

A bullied fish got a fake eye put in by a skilled veterinarian to fix his problem and live a happier life.

Buzzfeed reports that a pet fish in Missouri was being bullied in his tank by other fish, and it’s believed it was because he was missing one eyeball.

Kiwi is a lime-green Saltwater fish that lost his eye after his vet, Megan Baebler of Kersting Veterinary Hospital, had to remove it due to a cataract. He was then left with an open eye flap.

When Kiwi’s owner, Julie Morgan, took him home and placed him in a tank with other fish, they started attacking him, Fox 2 Now reports. Morgan said the fish was bullied after they found which of his eyes wasn’t working. They’d ambush him from behind and bite his tail. She said chunks of his tail was taken out. After that, Dr. Baebler had an idea to help Kiwi.

The vet created a fake eye for the fish.

“I actually hand-painted the eye myself,” Baebler said. “I used a mixture of some nail polish and some eye shadow pigments, actually, to give it some iridescence.”

Kiwi underwent surgery to have the prosthetic eye implanted, and the surgery was successful after a full 30 minutes. He was under anesthesia during the procedure. The fish reportedly recovered well and is ready to rejoin the other fish in his tank.

While it seemed like a lot of time and effort put into a pet fish, Morgan says Kiwi deserved to live in comfort.

“A lot of other people would say, ‘Yes, put him down. Go ahead, it’s just a fish,'” she said. “Well, my opinion is nothing is just a something. And if I could give him quality of life, why not?”

This is the second surgery of its kind performed by Dr. Baebler, but the first on a fish. Her clinic specializes in the treatment of exotic pets.

There have been news other fish getting elaborate procedures done. While it’s hardly common to hear of anyone spending a fortune on treating fish, some treasure their aquatic pets.

There was an instance in Australia that made headlines when the owners of a goldfish paid $200 to have a deadly tumor removed from it. The New York Post reported in September 2014 that owners of George the goldfish knew something was wrong with him when he struggled to breathe and swim around in his tank. Upon further observation, the owners realized George had a lump on his head and saw that, like Kiwi, other fish were bullying him.

George was taken to Lort Smith Animal Hospital in Melbourne where he was diagnosed by Dr. Tristan Rich, head of exotics and wildlife medicine at the hospital, with a fatal tumor. George had a chance if the vet performed a very meticulous surgery to remove the tumor. Luckily for him, he had owners who didn’t mind splashing that kind of money to save his life.

Dr. Rich explained that no matter what kind of animal people own, they have an obligation to give them the best life possible.

“For the owners, it’s not about having a fish, it’s about having this fish,” 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.”

Injured or physically challenged animals are targeted by other animals because it’s their nature to attack the weak. When pet owners notice this, it’s important they make humane choices for animals that depend on them. While a fish getting a fake eye, or a goldfish having a tumor removed are extreme examples, it’s vital people lessen any trauma or undue pain animals face under their care.

[Photo by Getty Images]

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