Sylvia the Sliced Snake

Apr 24, 2018 | News

We work with the wonderful people at Reptile Rehabilitation QLD (https://www.facebook.com/ReptileRehabQld/), who take excellent care of the wild reptiles that come to us.  Earlier in the year, we were presented with a wild Carpet Python that had an extensive laceration on the left side.  The first picture shows the impressive size of the wound.  It was at least 30cm long and appeared to be a number of days old.
Once we anaesthetised this snake, we could see that the damage was pretty severe – some skin had been torn off the body wall, there was significant muscle damage and ribs could be seen in some areas.  We progressed to debridement (the cutting away of damaged and dead tissue), as well as copious lavage to flush out the accumulated dirt.  Cleanliness is crucial in any wound, to reduce the chances of post-operative infection.  After the dead tissue was cut away it looked a whole lot better, and it looked better again once we’d finished suturing!
Please remember to check for wildlife when using shovels, lawnmowers, whipper snippers and slashers.
This lovely girl went to the folks at Reptile Rehabilitation QLD, and came back just last week to have her sutures removed.
We’d call this a win.