When George fell sick with a life-threatening tumor, his owners weren't going to give up so easily. Pip Joyce and Lyn Orton spared no expense to take care of their believed pet, hiring one of Australia's finest veterinarians for the tumor-removal procedure.
The scenario isn't so unusual. More and more people have been increasing the amount of money they're willing to spend on their pets. Pet insurance is now commonplace.
Of course, there is one thing slightly different about George: he's a goldfish.
Surgery on a goldfish may sound excessive, but that's because we are used to seeing goldfish bred in environments without enough space or proper cleaning. Goldfish are given away in ziploc baggies full of water at carnivals and often die a few short weeks or months later. Even those purchased from pet stores are typically abused by children or otherwise mistreated, usually living a year or two at most.
However, goldfish that are well taken care of are actually somewhat long-lived, as is apparent in this case. George the goldfish was already 10 years old at the time of the surgery, and is expected to live another 10 to 15 years.
The surgery cost about $200 and took approximately 45 minutes to complete. Just how do you operate on a tiny fish? Dr. Tristan Rich, head of the exotic and wildlife team at Lort Smith hospital, is used to making creative operating tables for different animals with unique challenges.
Dr. Rich wrapped the fish in a towel on the operating table. He fed the fish a dose of anesthetic to knock it out, and then fed it a smaller dose of anesthetic throughout the surgery to keep it asleep. The vet administered this anesthetic through the fish's gills. Once the surgery was complete, Dr. Rich used four sutures to close the wound where the tumor had been.
Shortly after the wound was sutured, the fish woke up and began swimming around the recovery tank where he was placed. Representatives from the hospital said that the surgery had gone "swimmingly" well and the success received a lot of worldwide attention. Lort Smith, the veterinary hospital where the surgery was performed, posted to its Facebook page today, "The phones here have been ringing off the hook. We think George might need an agent soon!"
An Australian news channel took video footage of the fish George happily recovering.
