VETS have operated on a tiny fish weighing just one gram in a UK first.
Little Molly was rushed in for surgery after her owners noticed a lump on her belly.
Vets have surgically removed a tumour from a fish weighing just one gram in a UK first
Staff diagnosed a tumour but were able to anaesthetise the fish and remove it during a 40-minute, £100 op.
Molly — named after her goldfish-like species which cost £2 — was returned to her tank later that day.
Sonya Miles, at Highcroft vets in Bristol, said: “A molly looks like a goldfish but is slightly different.
“A couple were given her by an elderly neighbour but after a few weeks they noticed the lump.
“She was the smallest animal we’ve seen — barely registering on our scales.
“Veterinary medicine has advanced over time so we were able to perform what is a pretty simple procedure. The fish is kept wet and anaesthetic is injected over the gills.
“After the op, the area is covered with a waterproof paste as stitching the skin isn’t a possibility.
“The fish was then woken in fresh oxygenated water. Thankfully we were able to remove the tumour before it started to upset her balance.
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“You have to have steady hands and good eyesight. It was definitely a team effort.”
Staff are more used to operating on iguanas and snakes. But Sonia said the practice has seen more fish lately.
She added: “It used to be one or two every few months but more and more people are realising we are happy to see them.”
REEL MONSTER
A BRIT reeled in a record 230lb catfish in the last hours of his holiday to Spain.
Dental worker Robert Webb, 63, of Hitchin, Herts, was about to call it a day when he hooked the monster.
Robert put the fish, thought to be the biggest mandarin catfish caught in Europe, back in the River Segre in Mequinenza.
He said: “It was marvellous.”
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