A Congleton vet recently welcomed one of their more unusual patients

Congleton Veterinary Centre (CVC) have been showing that their expertise doesn't end with cats and dogs.

Belt the corn snake was in last week for the removal of a large mass on the side of his body.

Clinical director Struan Henderson said: "The owner is very dedicated, and wanted to do the best for his pet, who he's had for almost 13 years.

"The mass first presented about a year ago, and was getting bigger on a monthly basis.

"Despite this, Belt was happy and performing natural behaviours, including eating normally, and shedding his skin regularly.

"But how long this would continue was questionable."

The mass on the side of Belt's body (Credit: CVC)

A needle sample was taken earlier in the year, but the cell yield was low and therefore not likely to be diagnostic.

As such, the CVC team opted not to send off for pathologist examination, due to the costs and the likelihood of minimal benefits.

Instead, they monitored until such time as the mass grew bigger, which unfortunately it did. 

On Tuesday, December 9, Belt visited CVC to have the mass removed.

This required the use of anaesthetic, which is often more complex when dealing with reptiles due to their unique anatomy and temperature regulation differences.

Struan carrying out the procedure (Credit: CVC)

Struan said: "All of these factors had to be considered and carefully managed, with Belt's safety being our top priority throughout. 

"Apnoea (the process of not breathing when anaesthetised) is common with reptiles, and this obviously had to be addressed.

"So, a mechanical ventilator was used, kindly borrowed from our friends at CheshirePet in Holmes Chapel, and this allowed us to maintain his breathing during his operation.

"The alternative would have been for a nurse to manually bag him throughout, but since the total time from induction to recovery took well over two hours, this would have been a challenge!

"Rachel Stec, his nurse for the procedure, was very pleased about that, as it meant she could concentrate on monitoring his heart rate and keeping him warm."

Nurse Rachel Stec and Belt the corn snake (Credit: CVC)

Struan added: "The mass wasn't the nicest looking thing, which could indicate something nasty.

"But for now we shall remain optimistic and keep our fingers crossed, whilst we wait for the results from the lab (histology being conducted at PALS in Tarporley).

"The site was closed in an everting skin layer, and sutures will be removed in about six weeks time, compared to the 10 day skin healing usually seen in mammals."

Belt is due back this week for his post-op check.

"We are hoping he's well on the road to recovery," Struan said.

"Well done, Belt, and thank you to his owner for entrusting the team at CVC with his care."

Belt is due in for his post-op check this week (Credit: CVC)

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