Pet owner spends £300 to save constipated goldfish

A dedicated pet owner spent £300 to save the life of his constipated goldfish.

The man took the goldfish, which he keeps in a tank in his office, to vets after noticing that he was struggling to remove waste.

But he was left stunned when staff at Toll Barn Veterinary Centre in Norfolk told him the intricate operation would cost £300.

He initially turned down the treatment, but changed his mind 10 minutes later and gave vets the go-ahead.

Vet Faye Bethell, 29, was tasked with administering anesthetic before using tiny instruments to remove a lump close to the fish's anus and his dorsal fin.

The three-inch fish survived the 50-minute procedure and was handed back to his grateful owner.

"I have never done a procedure like that on a goldfish, although I have done it before on more valuable fish like a carp," Ms Bethell said.

"There was nothing special about the fish. He just liked it a lot. People love their pets - but that was an expensive little goldfish."

Goldfish can live up to 10 years and the pet was two years and 10 months old at the time of its operation.