Snake owners know that ping pong balls are poison to their pets - they look way too much like eggs, one of a snake’s favorite foods, but once they go down the gullet they’re virtually impossible for the animal to spit out or break down. A vet in Orlando knows this all too well, as he saved a snake’s life recently from just such a predicament.
A Rockledge resident called Wild Florida Rescue after finding a 2-foot-long rat snake acting oddly. The person noticed that the snake was unable to move properly and had a sizable swelling in its midsection. Dr. Angela Bockelman was on duty at the animal hospital and opted to take an X-ray to see what was going on.
Inside the snake was, yes, a ping-pong ball. The enterprising vet sedated the beast and performed a rapid surgery, and within 20 minutes the critter was free of its mistaken meal. It’s expected to make a full recovery, and hopefully will be a little more cautious about the food it swallows in the future once it’s released to the wild.
Read more at the Orlando Sentinel.
Get your balls in the game! Donate to the Sean Kimerling Foundation to win the battle against testicular cancer.