TWO-HEADED REPTILES ARE REALLY CONJOINED TWINS

Reptiles with two heads often appear in the news as unusual freaks, but in reality they are fairly common.  This defect happens when a fertilized egg begins to divide into two eggs, which normally would result in identical twins.  In these cases, the division of the egg is incomplete so only the front half of the body is duplicated, while the back half remains single.  Some conjoined twin reptiles have multiple birth defects and die shortly after birth, but many live full and normal lives.  All of these examples were seen at Vernon Hills Animal Hospital, and all were doing well.  In each case both heads eat.

DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG YOUR TORTOISE WILL GROW?

Many species of pet tortoise remain small and make good pets.  Some kinds, however, grow to huge sizes and as a result are very challenging to keep healthy in captivity, especially in Chicago where it is too cold for them to live outdoors all year long.  Thousands of baby Sulcata tortoises are produced and sold every year and many people buy them with no idea of what they are getting into.  Baby Sulcatas aren’t much bigger than a ping-pong ball and nothing in the world is cuter.  However, this species is the third largest tortoise in the world and often grows bigger than 100 pounds!  On the left is an adult with a tiny baby on its back.  On the right is a patient we saw recently that weighted 105 pounds.

YOUR ALLIGATOR ATE WHAT?

Alligators are challenging pets that are high maintenance in terms of labor and equipment and that grow to dangerous and unmanageable sizes.  In fact they are illegal in Illinois and often are confiscated.  This pet alligator lives in Wisconsin where they are still legal and still difficult to keep healthy.  The client presented it because the rubber suction cup from a filter in the tank was missing and he assumed the alligator ate it.

The suction cup was plainly visible in the lateral x-ray.  In the second view we outlined the suction cup in yellow.  Can you see it in the first x-ray?

General anesthesia was administered.  First a sedative was given, then an endotracheal tube was placed in the windpipe and anesthetic gas was administered through the pipe.  Attempts to remove the object with a forceps and general anesthesia failed, so surgery was performed.

The surgery was straight forward.  An incision was made in the ventral body wall and the stomach was located.  An incision in the stomach allowed the suction cup to be removed.  The gator recovered uneventfully and the owner took better precautions with objects in the tank to prevent recurrence.  

UNUSUAL MOUTH INFECTION IN AN UNUSUAL PATIENT

Most mouth infections in snakes (called “stomatitis” -- the term “mouthrot” is unprofessional, a poor description and should not be used) are caused by bacteria.  This snake is a wild-caught Rhinoceros Viper.  Venomous snakes are illegal in Illinois except for licensed educational facilities and zoos.  We decline to treat them unless the owner is such a licensed facility and has antivenin on hand.  This snake had an inflamed, swollen mouth that looked different from typical stomatitis.  We took a biopsy to diagnose the cause which was inflammation associated with larval nematode worms in the tissue.  We treated with appropriate dewormers and the snake recovered.  Note the red, swollen area in the front of the upper jaw (yellow arrows) and the swollen left fang sheath (blue arrows) compared to the normal right fang sheath (red arrow).  Note too the unusual ornamental scales on the nose that give the Rhinoceros Viper its name.

UNUSUALLY LARGE AND LONG PATIENT FOR CAESARIAN SECTION

This patient is a pet reticulated python that was bred and laid 57 eggs over a two week period.  Normally a snake lays all its eggs at once.  The owner could see swellings that indicated some eggs were still inside, and brought the snake in for evaluation and treatment.  We sedated her and took radiographs that revealed five remaining eggs.  It took an extra table to fit the python on both the radiograph table and the surgery table.  We used the same gas anesthesia we use on dogs and cats, and removed the eggs through two separate incisions.  The sutures stayed in for a month, but the snake recovered nicely and fed just 10 days after surgery, after having refused food for almost four months.

By the way, while she was sedated we measured her at 18 feet, 10 inches long and 163 pounds.

Left:  The reticulated python was too big and strong to manipulate for radiographs, so it was anesthetized with an injection, followed by an IV, followed by intubation and gas anesthesia.

Below Left:  A series of radiographs was taken beginning just in front of the vent and moving about 4.5 feet forward.  They showed five retained eggs, spaced out over several feet.  Two of the eggs are seen in this view.

Below Right:  The python was so big it didn’t fit on the radiograph table and a second table had to be brought in.

Left:  The retained eggs were far enough apart that two separate incisions were necessary to remove them.  Here the snake is upside down on the surgery table. We had to fold her back and forth to fit, even with the extra table.  We use pink sutures so they are easy to see when it is time to remove them.  She was tame but uncooperative, so removing the stitches without sedation was a little bit of a rodeo.  Right:  These are the eggs that were removed.  Note the yardstick below them and how large they are.  Remember that this snake laid 57 eggs prior to surgery, for a total of 62 eggs this big!