Two Pet Goldfish Undergo Complex Surgeries Totaling $750 – One Of Them Was Won In A Fair

A couple of goldfish have undergone complex surgeries. One was them was won at a fair while the other one was bought to keep this one company.

A true bond between a human being and a pet can never be measured or quantified in dollars. This was recently proved by a family when they asked doctors to perform complex and expensive surgeries on their two pet goldfish, who would have perished quickly otherwise. A team of veterinarians in Scotland, experts in specialized and unorthodox surgeries, performed a set of operations on pet goldfish that cost nearly $750.

Veterinarians from Inglis Veterinary Hospital in Fife, Scotland, removed the blind, cancerous eye of a goldfish named Star. The other goldfish had a cancerous lump that was extracted. The complex operations, which cost $747 U.S. (500 British pounds), involved an exotic consultant surgeon apart from a regular vet to keep the fish sedated and a nurse to constantly monitor their heart rates to ensure the goldfish remained alive, explained exotic-animals expert Brigitte Lord.

“This is a highly specialist field — using anesthetic on a goldfish carries a very high risk —and I’m delighted for the owner that everything went OK and the owners are happy. The financial value of a goldfish may be quite small, but I think the fact that someone should have paid that much for an operation reflects the true value of the bond between pets and humans.”

The goldfish’s primary owner and caretaker, Abby Gordon, 21, a student in Glasgow, won the fish, named Star, at a fairground stall 12 years ago.

“I did not pay for the goldfish, but had to shoot a Ping-Pong ball into a goldfish bowl to win it,” she said.

Goldfish have surprisingly long lifespans. With proper diet and optimum living conditions, goldfish can survive for several decades. According to Guinness World Records, the oldest goldfish lived to the ripe old age of 43. Most goldfish perish within a short span due to improper food and poor living conditions — in other words, sheer neglect.

Determined to offer a long and happy life to his pet goldfish, Abby’s mother, Jane Gordon, brought home Nemo. However, when the cancer struck, the Gordons didn’t flinch before asking vets to perform the rather expensive surgeries.

During the operation, the vets listened to the fish’s blood flow by pulsing it using Doppler ultrasound equipment. They kept the animal sedated by spraying it with a syringe containing oxygenated water and an anesthetic. After the procedure, the goldfish had its mouth opened and it was gently moved around for 8 minutes to mimic a swimming action to help the goldfish regain consciousness.

According to the team, both the goldfish are doing great and provided they are kept on a healthy diet, should live a long life in the company in each other’s company.

[Image Credit | Inglis Veterinary Hospital, SWNS]