A vet has dramatically saved a family’s 17-year-old goldfish after it was struck down by a killer tumour.
Veterinarian Emer O’Reilly performed a ‘first of its kind’ operation to remove the growth from the face of beloved fish Merlin.
Merlin’s owners became concerned for the veteran animal after he was unable to eat and a lump appeared near his left eye.
They took the tiny three-inch fish to Linnaeus-owned MyVet in Lucan in Dublin for treatment last month.
Merlin was given a general anesthetic before vet Emer carefully cut out the tumour.
She said: “Merlin’s worried owner feared he would have to be put to sleep, but we mentioned the option of trying to remove the growth, which we suspected was a tumour.
“The operation itself was quite simple, but this was our first case of giving general anesthesia to a fish, which was certainly challenging.
“The tricky part was getting Merlin on the right anesthesia schedule by moving him to different water baths with different levels of anesthesia added to the water.
“This careful approach finally helped Merlin to fall asleep as the anesthetized water passed over his gills.
“I then set about removing the tumor and removing as much of it as I could while veterinary nurse Sarah White was constantly monitoring the depth of anaesthesia.
“The other issue was that the tumor covered quite a large area of adhesion to the skin, so we weren’t able to remove it completely.
“This means he will likely grow back eventually, but his owners are delighted that Merlin didn’t have to sleep and is now able to eat normally again.
“Immediately after his surgery, Merlin was placed in a recovery bath for about 30 minutes.
“He recovered well and was soon swimming normally and his owner later reported that he was quickly back to his normal self and eating again the same evening.
“Everyone at MyVet is delighted with the result.
“All of us in the team were amazed at how well Merlin is doing for his age and delighted that the operation went so well.”
The long-lived fish is a treasured pet who lives with owner Eileen Lynch in Castlebar and is loved by her children and grandchildren.
Granddaughter Siobhan Lynch said: “We were all worried when Merlin’s head tumor meant he couldn’t see properly.
“He couldn’t see his food or reach it at the bottom of the fish tank because growth was always hindered.
“We were afraid it was cancer because of his old age and we were really worried about him after having him for so long.
“We weren’t sure if it was possible to operate on a goldfish, so we didn’t know what the treatment options were, and we were relieved to find that something
can be done to help.
“He’s been our pet for so long that it wouldn’t be right not to do anything to help him.
“The vets were a great help and very kind; they treated him very quickly and even traveled to Lucan to do the surgery.
“We are all very grateful for their help and care. Merlin is much happier now that he can see properly again.
“He is a real character. He approaches the glass when he sees someone enter the room and it’s almost as if he’s talking to you.
“His hobbies include listening to the radio and maybe eating too much, but he seems very happy swimming in his tank again.”
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