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