A vet has dramatically saved a family's 17-year-old goldfish after he was struck down by a killer tumor.

Vet Emer O'Reilly performed a 'first of its kind' operation to remove the growth from the face of beloved fish Merlin.

Merlin's owners became worried about the veteran pet after he was unable to eat and a lump appeared near his left eye.

They took the tiny three-inch fish to Linnaeus-owned MyVet in Lucan in Dublin for treatment last month.

Merlin was given a general anaesthetic before vet Emer carefully cut out the tumor.

She said: "Merlin's concerned owner feared he would have to be put to sleep but we mentioned the option of trying to remove the growth, which we suspected was a tumor.

"The surgery itself was quite simple but this was our first case of administering a general anaesthetic on a fish, which was certainly challenging.

"The tricky part was getting Merlin to the correct plane of anaesthesia by moving him into different water baths with different levels of anaesthetic added to the water.

"This careful approach finally helped Merlin fall asleep as the anaesthetised water passed over his gills.

"I then set about debulking the tumor and removing as much of it as I could, while veterinary nurse Sarah White was constantly monitoring the anaesthetic depth.

"The other issue was that the tumor covered quite a large area of attachment to the skin, so we were not able to remove it entirely.

"This means it is likely to eventually grow back but his owners are delighted Merlin didn't have to be put to sleep and is now able to eat normally again.

"Immediately after his surgery, Merlin was placed in a recovery bath for about 30 minutes.

"He recovered well and was soon swimming around normally and his owner later reported that he was quickly back to be his normal self and eating again that same evening.

"Everyone at MyVet is delighted with the outcome.

"All of us on the team were amazed at how well Merlin is doing for his age and pleased the surgery finished so well."

The long-living fish is a treasured family pet who lives with owner Eileen Lynch in Castlebar and is loved by her children and grandchildren.

Granddaughter Siobhan Lynch said: "We were all concerned when the tumor on Merlin's head meant he wasn't able to see properly.

"He couldn't see his food or reach it at the bottom of the fish tank because the growth was always getting in the way.

"We feared it was cancer because of his old age and we were really worried about him as we have had him for so long.

"We weren't sure if it was possible to perform surgery on a goldfish, so we didn't know what the treatment options were and were relieved to find out that something

could be done to help.

"He has been our pet for so long it just wouldn't feel right to not do anything to try to help him.

"The vets were a huge help and very kind; they treated him very quickly and even travelled over to Lucan to perform the surgery.

"We are all so thankful for their help and care. Merlin is much happier now that he can see properly again.

"He's a real character. He comes up to the glass when he sees anyone coming into the room and it's almost as if he talks to you.

"His hobbies include listening to the radio and eating probably too much but he looks really happy swimming around in his tank once again."