POWELL, Ohio – The operation was successful: Both the patient and the surgeon survived.
A veterinarian at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium removed the venom gland from the mouth of a 4 ½-foot rattlesnake in a surgery that required extra precautions because the stuff is highly toxic.
Dr. Randy Junge, the zoo’s chief veterinarian and vice president of Animal Health, cut out the gland last week in a 15-minute procedure on an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the deadliest snake in the U.S., zoo communications director Jennifer Wilson said.
The swollen gland had been limiting the reptile’s ability to eat, and medications weren’t working to treat it.
Junge wore extra gloves and face shields and the staff had anti-venom on hand during the surgery on the 19-year-old rattler. While the surgery itself took only 15 minutes, the meticulous safety precautions took about an hour, Wilson said.
After taping down the anesthetized snake’s retractable fangs, Junge made a small incision in the roof of the snake’s mouth and removed the gland along with some swollen tissue that appeared to be a tumor, which Wilson says was sent to a lab for analysis. It did not appear to be life-threatening, according to Dr. Junge.
A silicone implant made from caulk was inserted to help maintain the facial structure of the snake.
The recovering rattler is one of three at the Zoo.
Wilson says the eastern diamondback is the longest venomous snake in North America and the heaviest in the world. The one that underwent surgery weighs eight to 10 pounds.