I came across this article in the Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery (Vol 14, No 4 2004) and thought I would share.
Forgive the length, but I thought some might find it interesting.
Sections of the article are copied/paraphrased below with some info not included (such as drug manufacturers, etc.) I added some things in parantheses for those that might not be familiar with some terms.
Surgical Removal of an Artificial Chicken Egg from the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Black Rat Snake, Elaphe obsoleta
(Souza MJ, Hall KE, Wilson JD, Lewbart GA)
In October 2002, a 211 gram wild, black rat snake was presented to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences by a local resident. The individual had noticed that one of the artificial chicken "eggs" from her chicken coop was missing. She then observed the snake on her property with an obvious mid-body swelling and watched as the snake became progressively emaciated for approximately three months. At this point the individual caught the snake and presented it to the NCMNS who then presented it to North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
The black rat snake presented with a firm, egg-shaped mid-body mass approximately 5 cm in length. The mass was immobile and located in the middle third of the animal. The snake was emaciated and dehydrated. Upon initial examination, the snake was administered fluids for four days prior to surgery to rehydrate the animal.
Survey radiographs were obtained and a hollow "egg" was observed. The foreign body appeared to be in the gastrointestinal tract. The snake was intubated and immobilized with Isoflurane (an inhalant anesthetic administered with oxygen via the tube). The animal was placed in right lateral recumbency (i.e. on its right side) and prepped for surgery. Heart rate was monitored with a Doppler probe over the heart. The snake was given 4 - 5 breaths per minute during surgery to supplement breathing and provide adequate ventilation. Butorphanol was given for pain management.
A 5 cm paramedian (off center to midline) skin incision was made at the junction of the ventral (belly) and lateral (side) scales starting 3 cm cranial to the foreign body and extending 2 cm over the mass. The coelomic cavity was entered and the intestinal tract appeared to be healthy and intact. An incision was made into the intestine and the foreign body removed. The foreign body was a plastic, hollow egg weighing 8.6 grams and measuring 40 mm by 54 mm at its widest and longest points, respectively. The intestinal lumen (inner lining of the intestine) appeared healthy with no necrotic (dead) areas. The intestine was closed and the bowel insufflated with sterile saline to check for leaks. The surgical field was flushed with saline and the body wall and skin closed. Ventilation was continued until the snake recovered. Recovery was prolonged (1.5 hr) but smooth. Possible reasons for the prolonged recovery include inadequate body temperature control, greater than expected effect of the pain medicine used, residual anesthetic in the breathing circuit. Ceftazidime (a cephalosporin antibiotic) was administered after surgery for one dose.
The animal was fasted for six days post surgery. On day seven, the animal was tube-fed six mL (cc's) Eukanuba Max-Cal (an energy dense recovery diet) and followed with 2 mL warm water. On day 11 and thereafter, the snake was fed solid food (thawed rodents), continued to improve, and began passing normal feces and urates. The animal was placed with a wildlife rehabilitator for the winter. The snake weighed 223 grams when placed with the rehabilitator, and weighed 430 grams by the following spring. The snake was released to the wild in the spring of 2003.
Summary
The snake swallowed one artificial chicken "egg" from a chicken nest. Snakes use visual as well as olfactory cues when selecting food and both were offered in this situation. The large size of the "egg" caused an impaction; the snake could neither regurgitate nor defecate the foreign body. An enterotomy was performed to remove the impaction. The snake recovered well from the surgery and was released to the wild in the spring.
Forgive the length, but I thought some might find it interesting.
Sections of the article are copied/paraphrased below with some info not included (such as drug manufacturers, etc.) I added some things in parantheses for those that might not be familiar with some terms.Surgical Removal of an Artificial Chicken Egg from the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Black Rat Snake, Elaphe obsoleta
(Souza MJ, Hall KE, Wilson JD, Lewbart GA)
In October 2002, a 211 gram wild, black rat snake was presented to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences by a local resident. The individual had noticed that one of the artificial chicken "eggs" from her chicken coop was missing. She then observed the snake on her property with an obvious mid-body swelling and watched as the snake became progressively emaciated for approximately three months. At this point the individual caught the snake and presented it to the NCMNS who then presented it to North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
The black rat snake presented with a firm, egg-shaped mid-body mass approximately 5 cm in length. The mass was immobile and located in the middle third of the animal. The snake was emaciated and dehydrated. Upon initial examination, the snake was administered fluids for four days prior to surgery to rehydrate the animal.
Survey radiographs were obtained and a hollow "egg" was observed. The foreign body appeared to be in the gastrointestinal tract. The snake was intubated and immobilized with Isoflurane (an inhalant anesthetic administered with oxygen via the tube). The animal was placed in right lateral recumbency (i.e. on its right side) and prepped for surgery. Heart rate was monitored with a Doppler probe over the heart. The snake was given 4 - 5 breaths per minute during surgery to supplement breathing and provide adequate ventilation. Butorphanol was given for pain management.
A 5 cm paramedian (off center to midline) skin incision was made at the junction of the ventral (belly) and lateral (side) scales starting 3 cm cranial to the foreign body and extending 2 cm over the mass. The coelomic cavity was entered and the intestinal tract appeared to be healthy and intact. An incision was made into the intestine and the foreign body removed. The foreign body was a plastic, hollow egg weighing 8.6 grams and measuring 40 mm by 54 mm at its widest and longest points, respectively. The intestinal lumen (inner lining of the intestine) appeared healthy with no necrotic (dead) areas. The intestine was closed and the bowel insufflated with sterile saline to check for leaks. The surgical field was flushed with saline and the body wall and skin closed. Ventilation was continued until the snake recovered. Recovery was prolonged (1.5 hr) but smooth. Possible reasons for the prolonged recovery include inadequate body temperature control, greater than expected effect of the pain medicine used, residual anesthetic in the breathing circuit. Ceftazidime (a cephalosporin antibiotic) was administered after surgery for one dose.
The animal was fasted for six days post surgery. On day seven, the animal was tube-fed six mL (cc's) Eukanuba Max-Cal (an energy dense recovery diet) and followed with 2 mL warm water. On day 11 and thereafter, the snake was fed solid food (thawed rodents), continued to improve, and began passing normal feces and urates. The animal was placed with a wildlife rehabilitator for the winter. The snake weighed 223 grams when placed with the rehabilitator, and weighed 430 grams by the following spring. The snake was released to the wild in the spring of 2003.
Summary
The snake swallowed one artificial chicken "egg" from a chicken nest. Snakes use visual as well as olfactory cues when selecting food and both were offered in this situation. The large size of the "egg" caused an impaction; the snake could neither regurgitate nor defecate the foreign body. An enterotomy was performed to remove the impaction. The snake recovered well from the surgery and was released to the wild in the spring.
