--- title: Goldfish Undergoes Surgery for Removal of Deadly Tumor description: A $200, 45-minute experimental surgery saves a goldfish's life. canonical: https://time.com/3378888/goldfish-surgery/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-15T19:50:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:13:12.268Z og:title: Goldfish Undergoes Surgery for Removal of Deadly Tumor og:description: A vet performed saved a goldfish's life with an experimental surgery. og:url: https://time.com/3378888/goldfish-surgery/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd506a245b9404925/6986a36835ba6faa79c03cee/goldfish-surgery1.jpg?branch=production&width=720&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 720 og:image:height: 405 og:image:alt: goldfish-surgery1.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Goldfish Undergoes Surgery for Removal of Deadly Tumor twitter:description: A vet performed saved a goldfish's life with an experimental surgery. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd506a245b9404925/6986a36835ba6faa79c03cee/goldfish-surgery1.jpg?branch=production&width=720&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Goldfish Undergoes Surgery for Removal of Deadly Tumor > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=41496cf0-1681-440a-b106-b470bcf01a25&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=41496cf0-1681-440a-b106-b470bcf01a25&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=41496cf0-1681-440a-b106-b470bcf01a25&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Sep 15, 2014 7:50 PM UTC  Nicole Dorling  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Sep 15, 2014 7:50 PM UTC When George’s owners noticed that he’d become very sick, they rushed their beloved pet to the vet for a check-up. That’s when George was diagnosed with a life-threatening tumor, and was recommended by the vet to undergo a unique surgery. Except George is goldfish. And not just any goldfish: one that’s already 10-years old. While most owners would’ve said their goodbyes and flushed George down the toilet, his owners shelled out $200 for a vet at the Lort Smith Animal Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, to perform the rare surgery, according to the [New York _Post_.](http://nypost.com/2014/09/15/vet-performs-life-saving-surgery-on-goldfish/) Very little of the hospital’s surgical practice is fish-specific, Dr. Tristan Rich, an exotic wildlife specialist who performed George’s surgery, told [_Daily Mail_.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2755966/George-goldfish-receives-life-saving-surgery-remove-tumour.html) George was first placed in a bucket of water that contained an anesthetic, according to [the hospital’s Facebook.](https://www.facebook.com/lortsmithhospital/posts/10152296306636759) While excising the tumor, which had grown into his skull, Dr. Rich fed a tube containing water, oxygen and anesthetic into George’s gills, so that the goldfish would remain unconscious and alive. At the end of the operation, Dr. Rich ran into a bit of trouble. The sutures didn’t hold, so instead he used tissue glue—something that’s normally used in human operations. Finally, Dr. Rich gave George antibiotics and painkillers, and placed him in a recovery bucket of clean water. Soon after the 45 minute operation, George started swimming and breathing on his own. “For the owners, it’s not about having a fish, it’s about having this fish,” Dr. Rich [told _Daily Mail_.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2755966/George-goldfish-receives-life-saving-surgery-remove-tumour.html) “If you have a pet, regardless of what it is, then you have a responsibility to look after it as best you can.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3378888/goldfish-surgery/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3378888/goldfish-surgery/"},"headline":"Goldfish Undergoes Surgery for Removal of Deadly Tumor","datePublished":"2014-09-15T19:50:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:13:12.268Z","description":"The rare surgery saved his life","url":"https://time.com/3378888/goldfish-surgery/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals","Bizarre"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd506a245b9404925/6986a36835ba6faa79c03cee/goldfish-surgery1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd506a245b9404925/6986a36835ba6faa79c03cee/goldfish-surgery1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"goldfish-surgery1.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Nicole Dorling","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3378888/goldfish-surgery/","name":"Goldfish Undergoes Surgery for Removal of Deadly Tumor"}}]}] ```