$465 Surgery Saves Constipated Goldfish

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.)