Veterinarian crafts 'fish braces' for goldfish with missing jaw bone

ALLENTOWN, Pa., March 22 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania veterinary clinic performed an unusual dental procedure on a goldfish that needed "fish braces" to replace his missing jaw bone.

The Lehigh Valley Veterinary Dermatology clinic in Allentown shared a photo on Facebook of a goldfish named Mr. Hot Wing with his new set of "fish braces."

"Mr. Hot Wing came in today for trouble breathing and inability to eat. He was born without a lower jaw bone and his mouth could not stay open. Brian Palmeiro did surgery to open his mouth and created this brace to help his mouth stay open," the post read.

Palmeiro said he crafted the fish braces from a plastic credit card after performing some research into methods for helping with Mr. Hot Wing's condition.

The entire procedure cost about $150, Palmeiro said.