Bob the goldfish is loved very much. When his family noticed that he had developed a lump on his fin, they immediately rushed him to the Toll Barn Veterinary Center in the northeast England town of North Walsham.

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And when they found out he had a tumor, they didn't just shed a tear and flush him down the toilet, like most people would. Instead, they dished out £200 (around $250) on a delicate surgery to save his life, even though Bob is 20 years old and the average age of a goldfish kept in the tank is only 10.

According to the local press, the procedure only took half an hour and Bob is now recovering and doing swimmingly.

"It's pretty complicated because everything is so small and they don't have a massive volume of blood so have to make sure they don't lose too much blood," Dr Faye Bethell, who specializes in operating in exotic animals, said.

She carried out the surgery by feeding anesthetic water into his mouth to put him to sleep and then operating on the lump with miniature surgical tools. He was reunited with his loving family the very same day.

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"[Bob's owners] were really, really pleased because the goldfish is older than their children and is considered part of the family," she said.

What pet isn't, right?

From: Good Housekeeping US