BRISBANE, Australia, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A woman in Australia paid hundreds of dollars to save her pet goldfish's life after it swallowed a pebble.

Brisbane Bird and Exotics Veterinary Services shared photos of the goldfish and detailed the $372 surgical procedure that involved applying an anesthetic agent to dislodge the pebble.


"I treat fish like they're any other pet," owner Emma Marsh, 21, told The Courier Mail.

Marsh said she noticed 'Conquer' the goldfish choking after swallowing the nearly half-inch-long pebble.

Veterinarian Emma McMillan said the size of the pebble could've made it life-threatening to Conquer had it not been removed.

"He was making excessive mouth movements trying to dislodge it...if we did nothing he would have starved to death," she said.

Once the pebble was removed, Conquer was put in a tank to recover for a day before being sent home.