Pet Goldfish Undergoes Surgery To Fix Its Broken Jaw Using Paperclips

A goldfish underwent emergency surgery to fix its damaged jaw, having eaten a Cory Catfish. Owner, Shona Hingston of Northumberland, returned home only to find Stephen the goldfish in pain and with the catfish’s tail sticking out of his mouth. 

Stephen, the Goldfish underwent surgery to fix its damaged jaw, having eaten a Cory Catfish

Like every pet owner, Ms. Hingston, a peripatetic veterinary surgeon, instantly embarked on a procedure that will save Stephen’s life. The emergency procedure witnessed the cutting of Stephen’s throat to remove the Cory Catfish. Thankfully, the pet incredibly survived. 

Owner Shona Hingston returned home to find Stephen in pain and with the catfish’s tail sticking out of his mouth. The next day, Ms. Hingston rushed Stephen into surgery at Vets4Pets Cramlington, where she was due to work as a locum vet, and it got anesthetized before having his throat stitched. The 42-Year-Old equally made a fixator out of plastic paperclips to hold together Stephen’s broken jaw while it healed. Fortunately, the paperclip hack worked, Stephen’s jaw did mend, and now back in his tank.

Ms. Hingston, a peripatetic veterinary surgeon, cut Stephen’s throat to remove the Cory Catfish

At Vets4Pets Cramlington, Hingston made a fixator out of plastic paperclips to hold together Stephen’s broken jaw while it healed

‘I came home to find Stephen with a tail sticking out his mouth. Nothing I did could move the fish, that I assumed was dead, so I cut his throat. I know that sounds awful, but he was in real distress and got the fish out. It was badly managed but alive, so I kept him in a nursery tank with his friends to see if he would recover, and he did.’

Fortunately, the paperclip hack worked, Stephen’s jaw did mend, and now back in his tank.

‘Stephen, however, now had a hole in his throat and had broken his jaw trying to swallow the fish. I anesthetized him the next day, sutured his throat, and put an external fixator made of plastic covered paperclips because metal damages them on his jaw.’ Ms. Hingston, according to Daily Mail, explained. 

All the tissue in Stephen’s mouth were seriously damaged because catfish are sharp, but Ms. Hingston didn’t lose hope

She added: ‘Unfortunately, inside his mouth, all the tissue was seriously damaged because catfish are sharp, so I didn’t hold out a lot of hope. I put Stephen in a quarantine tank and syringe fed him until I could remove the fixator, and I was satisfied he could feed himself. He’s now back in his tank and thriving. Goldfish will eat anything; they are extremely greedy.’ 

Goldfish, according to Ms. Hingston, are intelligent to recognize faces and can even be taught tricks

Ms. Hingston admits that Goldfish aren’t kids’ pets; hence they need loads of looking after. She advised that they need space and claim they are intelligent to recognize and remember faces and can even be taught tricks. Nonetheless, Ms. Hingston has had Stephen, the goldfish, for eight years. 

Source: Dailymail