GEORGE THE GOLDFISH was a “much-loved” pet, but was suffering from a tumour on his head.
So he was taken to hospital in Melbourne, where vet Tristan Rich decided to operate.
First he got George to swim in a bucket of water laced with anaesthetic.
When this had sedated him, George was laid out on the operating table with a tube from a second bucket of water containing a maintenance dose of anaesthetic – to make sure he stayed unconscious.
Rich was then able to operate and remove the tumour. “The size of it meant that he had to use a gelatine sponge to control the bleeding during surgery,” according to the hospital.
After an operation reportedly lasting 45 minutes, George was given injections for pain relief and antibiotics. He was then taken off the table and put in a bucket of oxygenated water with no anaesthetic.
Soon afterwards he took a couple of breaths on his own and started swimming around, the hospital said.
Rich told the Sydney Morning Herald that 10-year-old George could now expect to live up to 30 years if he remains healthy.
The hospital said the surgery “went swimmingly”.
