Family spends hundreds on lifesaving surgery for beloved pet fish

The owner of an acupuncture clinic has spent hundreds on lifesaving surgery after his beloved pet fish Bubbles developed a tumour.

A pet owner who noticed a mass growing on his beloved fish has paid hundreds of dollars to have vital surgery to save the beloved family pet’s life.

Bubbles, a koi fish who has been in the Dare family for somewhere between five and eight years, underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove the potentially deadly tumour.

The vet who conducted the operation, Dr Ingrid Danyiyk from the James Cook University Vet, in Townsville, told news.com.au they chose to operate on the fish because of the size of the tumour.

“If the tumours are small we don’t do surgery, if they’re large we choose to remove them,” Dr Danyiyk said.

She said the fish is anaesthetised in water before being operated on outside of the water, while anaesthetic water is run through the fish’s gills.

“When we’re finished the surgery we put the fish back in a tank,” she explained of the tricky surgery.

Dr Danyiyk said while the Dare family didn’t pay a hefty price for their $30 koi fish, some can be worth “thousands”.

She said the fish are known to have “personality” and can be taught to come to their owners for food.

Bubbles had surgery at JCU Vet to remove a tumour. Picture: Evan Morgan

Carter Dare with his pet fish Bubbles. Picture: Evan Morgan

Father Michael Dare, who owns ZenDen Acupuncture Clinic, said he noticed Bubbles developed the tumour on the back of its body six months ago. After first noticing the growth he said the mass continued to grow.

“We wanted to see the fish survive,” Mr Dare told The Townsville Bulletin.

According to the report, the surgery cost about $300.

Dr Danyiyk said the cost may seem expensive, but when you consider what goes into treating any animal in a veterinary clinic, it becomes more reasonable, explaining everything around medical treatment of an animal is expensive, including the consultation, equipment, nurses, the anaesthesia and keeping the lights on in her business.

“$300 is pretty inexpensive for what I’ve just described,” she told news.com.au.

Mr Dare said his son Carter, four, was fond of the fish, and after being told the price, he said it was worthwhile. Koi, the Japanese word for “carp”, are believed to bring good fortune or luck and they can live for up to 35 years.

Dr Danyiyk said pet fish surgeries occur a couple of times a year.

Bubbles the fish is kept at a pond at the family business, which had been in place for the last two decades. The Dare family bought Bubbles during the business’s most recent renovation.

Would you pay to save a fish? Have your say in the comments below.

Originally published as Family spends hundreds on lifesaving surgery for beloved pet fish