The goldfish’s recovery after surgery is “smooth”

Veterinarian Emer said Merlin’s owner was afraid he would be “euthanized, but we mentioned the possibility of trying to remove the growth.”

MyVet Goldfish lies on the table on an orange lid. He is not in the water, but in his mouth he has a tube filled with water. The goldfish is bright orange. The veterinarian's gloved hands can be seen working with the fish. — Veterinarian Emer said Merlin’s owner was afraid he would be “euthanized, but we mentioned the possibility of trying to remove the growth.”

A vet in the Irish Republic saved the life of a “starving” goldfish after performing a rare operation to remove a suspicious tumor from his face.

Merlin, 17, developed a growth under his left eye that became “so large that it prevented him from eating.”

Merlin’s recovery is now progressing “smoothly” after vet Emer O’Reilly performed surgery in Lucan in County Dublin.

She said the surgery was a complex “fish out of water” procedure.

‘Difficult’

Emer had not performed this type of “pain-relieving treatment” on fish before.

MyVet The veterinarian is dressed in a blue uniform and holds a small black dog in his arms. The veterinarian's hair is blond and pulled back into a ponytail. The dog is wrapped in a blanket. — Emer had not performed this type of “pain-relieving treatment” on fish before.

Emer told BBC News NI Merlin’s owners were “delighted and surprised that we were able to try” to remove the growth.

“Merlin had the growths on his face for months… and the question was whether to put him to sleep or get rid of as many of them as possible.”

How does a vet perform surgery on a goldfish?

Emer said removing the suspected tumor was not the most difficult part of the procedure.

Emer called working with such a tiny animal “challenging,” especially because she had not performed this type of “anesthesia treatment” on fish before.

Merlin was placed “in different water baths with different amounts of anesthetic added,” Emer said.

After he fell asleep, a syringe with a tip was inserted into his mouth to allow him to breathe while Emer “began to shrink the swelling.”

“Back to my normal self”

Emer said this was “our first time using general anesthesia on a fish.”

MyVet Goldfish lying upside down in the water. Blue and white tubes drip liquid into the water. — Emer said this was “our first time using general anesthesia on a fish.”

The size of the growth meant Emer was unable to “remove it completely.”

This means owners will have to keep an eye on him in case he grows back, but are “glad Merlin didn’t have to be put down and can now eat normally again.”

Following surgery, Merlin was placed in a recovery bath and is now acting “normal” and “eating happily.”

Emer described Merlin as “a young fish for his age.”

“He looks very happy”

Siobhan Lynch, whose grandmother owns Merlin, said he is “much happier now that he can see normally again.”

Lynch Family Goldfish peeks out of their aquarium. At the bottom of the tank he has blue and green stones. He is bright orange and has black eyes. Some of its fins are orange and some are transparent. — Siobhan Lynch, whose grandmother owns Merlin, said he is “much happier now that he can see normally again.”

Eileen Lynch from Castlebar is Merlin’s owner.

Her granddaughter Siobhan Lynch said: “We were all concerned when a tumor on Merlin’s head meant he couldn’t see properly.

“He couldn’t see his food or reach it at the bottom of the tank because growth always got in the way.”

“We were afraid it was cancer because of his advanced age and were very worried about him since we had him for so long,” she said.

Siobhan said her family “didn’t know” surgery was possible for the fish, so they were “relieved to know something could be done to help”.

She also said her family were “very grateful” to the vets who traveled to Lucan to carry out the operation.

“Merlin is much happier now because he can see normally again.

“He’s a real character. He comes up to the glass when he sees someone enter the room and it feels like he’s talking to you,” she said.

“His hobbies include listening to the radio and maybe eating too much, but he looks very happy to be swimming in his tank again.”