‘Risky’ Surgery to Remove Pet Goldfish’s Tumor a Success (Video)

A pet goldfish named George was so loved by his family in Australia, they dished out the dough needed save him from a tumor.

George, the goldfish with the white patch on his head, is now doing just fine, or “swimmingly” as the hospital said.

REPORTER, PAUL DOWSLEY: “Over the past year, George had developed a large growth on his head.”

DR. TRISTAN RICH: “The fish was having trouble eating, getting around, getting bullied by the other fish.”

GEORGE’S OWNER, PIP JOYCE: “Didn’t join in as much in their afternoon party games and stuff, you know?”

This particular operation was considered “high-risk,” The Washington Post reports.

And if you’re wondering, here’s how you perform such a surgery on a fish. The fish surgeon, Dr. Tristan Rich, set up three buckets, two of them had varying levels of anesthetic, and the third had clean water and water considered a “recovery unit,” according to the animal hospital’s Facebook page.

Once out, the fish had a tube inserted that ran from one of the buckets to his mouth so he would stay oxygenated while under the anesthetic.

The tumor — which was quite large, relatively speaking — was removed, and the life-saving doctor sealed the wound with four sutures and skin glue.

The delicate surgery took place just last week. George, by the way, has already lived a long life. He’s 10 years old. However, according to various reports, the lifespan of a goldfish can be anywhere from 20-30 years. So, George is actually still a young pup … er … fish.

The Herald Sun says George’s owners have about 39 goldfish, some already as old as 18. And it’s fair to say George is REALLY loved by his owners, who spent a couple hundred bucks on this surgery for their tiny family member.

This video includes images from Lort Smith Animal Hospital .