In AustraliaWoman spends 150 thousand Naira for her pet goldfish surgery

So it’s no surprise that this pet owner took drastic measures when she noticed her pet goldfish was choking.

Emma Marsh parted with A$500 ($377) when her pet goldfish Courage presented with the life threatening condition of “mouth-blocked-by-pebble”, the Courier Mail reported.

Spotting the black object through his translucent white scales, she raced to Brisbane Bird and Exotics Veterinary Service where staff immediately went to work.

Recently our patients have been keeping us particularly busy! “Just last week we had a client with a fishy problem!” Marsh rushed him to the Brisbane Bird and Exotics Veterinary Service, where some nimble-fingered veterinarians anesthetized Conquer and extracted the pebble with forceps.

“I treat fish like they’re any other pet”, she told the newspaper.

Next, they needed to numb the fish, which the vets did by dropping an anesthetic in its water.

There was no question that the procedure had to be done so that Conquer would not starve to death.

First Conqueror was diagnosed with a pebble lodged in its tiny throat – a huge rock, compared to the size of the fish.

McMillan removed the pebble, which was about 8 or 9 millimeters long.

‘He is 13g and only 5cm long, ‘ she said. The 13-gram (0.4 oz) fish mistook the stone for a hearty meal and was unable to spit it back out.

But Ms Marsh was left with a $100 (£75) bill for the emergency consultation plus $400 (£300) for the anaesthetic and an overnight stay in hospital.