Constipated goldfish's life saved with $465 surgery

This isn't the goldfish patient, just a dead ringer. (AP Photo/Peter Ponzio)

Strange adventures in pet ownership: A UK man noticed that his beloved goldfish was constipated, brought him to the vet, learned that it would cost roughly $465 for surgery, left the vet because it would be crazy to pay that kind of money for a goldfish, returned guiltily 10 minutes later to pay the money, and now has a healthy goldfish again, reports the Telegraph.

The two necessary quotes from the vet:

"The issue was the fish couldn't poo and it would have eventually become toxic and it would have died."
"The actual surgery is quite straightforward but administering the anesthetic is quite complicated." (It involved tubes and a miniature heart-rate monitor, and the the Daily Mail has photos.)

The vet in Norfolk removed two lumpy obstructions from the 3-inch fish during a 50-minute procedure and stitched it back up.

This is actually the second goldfish surgery to make headlines within a year, though the first fish was 10 years old and the more recent patient is just under 3 years old; the creature's life expectancy is about 10 years.

(That other goldfish actually had brain surgery.)

This article originally appeared on Newser: $465 Surgery Saves Constipated Goldfish