Sid - Stoke
The Vets Now clinic in Stoke was recently called upon to provide some emergency treatment to a rather slippery character.
Sid, a five foot long False Water Cobra had been in his varium as usual when his inquisitive nature got the better of him and he poked his head inside the cover of the light fitting which then became stuck on his head.
Owner, Rania Mosedale of Hanley in Stoke on Trent, rushed the animal to the Vets Now clinic in Stoke, where senior veterinary surgeon, Karl Jennings sedated the animal and was able to remove the white collar from the light bulb from his head easily.
Rania, who has three other snakes - a Boa Constrictor, a Corn snake, another False Water Cobra and four cats explained; "It was a bit of a mystery as to how he got the light fitting stuck on his head. I would normally take Sid to the local reptile shop if I was worried or in need of advice but since the accident happened at night when the shop was closed, I took him straight to the Vets Now clinic in Stoke."
She added; "I was a bit worried that the vet might not be very experienced with snakes and I know that snakes aren't everybody's cup of tea, particularly in this case as Sid is a venomous Cobra and he was also quite distressed, so I was surprised at how confidently he was handled by the vet who was able to treat him quickly and painlessly. We were back home in less than two hours and Sid was moving around again, fully recovered from his brush with the light fitting!"
Vets Now clinics are completely dedicated to providing an Out Of Hours service and therefore do not work during the day. This ensures the team is fresh and ready to provide immediate emergency treatment to pets, at night or at the weekend.
Karl Jennings, Senior Veterinary Surgeon who treated Sid said; "It is a fact of life that some pets will take ill or have an accident outside normal veterinary practice hours. Vets Now teams specialise in emergency and critical care medicine and the clinic is fully equipped with the latest emergency technology to ensure we can provide a dedicated emergency service. In this case, we were pleased that we were able to provide a speedy solution to Sid's problem and return him to his owners quickly and untraumatised".