Goldfish Gets A Custom-Made Wheelchair And It’s Too Sweet For Words

Are you ready to “awww” so loud it breaks the sound barrier?

Well, do I have the story for you. A animal-loving hero made a custom wheelchair for… a goldfish.

Animal rights advocate and YouTuber Taylor Dean recently shared the amazing story with her followers. The goldfish in question evidently came into an aquarium where Dean’s friend Derek works. The fish suffers from swim bladder disease (also called “swim bladder disorder” or simply “flipover”), a common condition that can strike goldfish.

The purpose of a fish’s swim bladder is to keep it buoyant. When the bladder is impaired, a fish might struggle to swim. Some goldfish with swim bladder disease float to the top of their tank, others swim upside down or otherwise struggle to control their swimming.

Most goldfish who get swim bladder disease, which can be caused by a variety of factors including as poor water quality or variance in water temperature, can experience relief with diet changes and improved water quality.

However, in this particular goldfish’s case, all venues for treatment had been exhausted. Nothing was helping this fish to get moving again. Thinking outside the box, Derek got to work. He fashioned the goldfish a makeshift wheelchair out of aquarium airline tubing, valves and Styrofoam.

And let’s just say, the internet is LOVING this sweet story:

https://twitter.com/Diomiraa_/status/840774638904979456

Since coming up with the design, Derek has continued to tweak it. And the wheelchair has only gotten better and better. Here is the most recent improvement:

And here is the fish getting suited up for his day:

The most touching part of this story is that it has inspired unity during a time when this country desperately needs it. It is encouraging people to see beyond a animal’s “flaws” and offer them love and support, instead of giving away the animal or running from the problem.

https://twitter.com/shysteer/status/842129918892863488

Aw. What a sweet story and what a happy ending for such a deserving fish.

https://twitter.com/flav_can/status/840371242549010434

h/t: Mashable