Recently, veterinarians at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, in Boyce, Virginia, admitted a new patient — a central ratsnake with a mysterious egg-shaped lump protruding from his midsection.
Ratsnakes can easily digest eggs, even when swallowed whole. So why wasn’t this “egg” moving down the snake’s digestive tract? Veterinarians quickly realized what was going on — the snake had mistakenly eaten a fake egg.
According to Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, chicken owners often place fake eggs in their coops to show the hens where to lay. Ideally, these prop eggs should be glued together into big clusters of three or more. If they’re loose in the coop, it can lead to situations like this one, in which an unsuspecting snake accidentally ingests something dangerous.
Luckily, a Good Samaritan found the snake and brought him to the wildlife hospital. The center’s veterinary team stabilized the snake and performed a quick surgery to remove the fake egg — in this case, a golf ball.
These days, the snake is recovering at the center’s hospital, getting the care and attention he needs to heal.
“This snake is doing great!” Blue Ridge Wildlife Center hospital director Dr. Jen Riley told The Dodo.
Experts estimate the snake will be fully recovered and back in the wild in about a month or two.
Riley wishes more people understood that snakes aren’t as scary as they seem. In fact, they play a vital part in the ecosystem.
“I wish people knew that snakes are not dangerous and should not be feared,” Riley said. “They are important in managing pest species, like rodents, and can protect public health by lowering the incidence of various diseases. It is so easy to protect snakes by not using rodent poisons, glue traps, mesh netting and other common hazards.”
Soon enough, this fortunate snake will be slithering back into the wilderness, off to play his part in sustaining the natural world.
To help other animals like this snake, you can make a donation to Blue Ridge Wildlife Center.
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Little Girl Cries Happy Tears When She Sees Puppy Saved From Euthanasia List
She was so relieved 😭
A few months ago, a mom and daughter in Houston, Texas, came across a Facebook post about a puppy named Scratchy. From the pictures of Scratchy they saw, they could tell he was tiny and mangy — and totally adorable.
As they read about Scratchy, they learned that he’d been placed on the euthanasia list at his shelter because of his severe skin condition. The little girl was heartbroken and decided then and there that she was going to do everything she could to save Scratchy’s life.
The girl’s mom, Michelle, got to work right away trying to track Scratchy down. But she couldn’t figure out where he was.
For several agonizing days, the little girl kept asking her mom over and over what had happened to Scratchy. She was sick with worry and kept imagining the worst.
But then, a miracle happened — Michelle figured out that Scratchy had ended up at Three Little Pitties Rescue. He was safe and getting the treatments he needed.
Michelle immediately volunteered to foster Scratchy. She brought him home and got him comfortable, but didn’t tell her daughter she’d found him yet. She wanted to keep it a surprise.
That afternoon, Michelle’s daughter came home from school to find Scratchy waiting for her. She was in utter disbelief, collapsing to the floor in tears with her backpack still on.
“[She] cared so deeply all week about a little mangy dog,” Three Little Pitties Rescue wrote on Instagram. “And her sense of relief getting to hold him.”
As she let Scratchy out of his crate, he immediately started licking the tears off her face.
You can watch that emotional moment here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ78Zott8MK/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=810&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedodo.com&rp=%2Fdaily-dodo%2Flittle-girl-cries-happy-tears-when-she-sees-puppy-saved-from-euthanasia-list#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A19680.60000014305%2C%22ls%22%3A19540%2C%22le%22%3A19543.900000095367%7D
“Pure, deep, love at first sight,” Three Little Pitties Rescue wrote.
Michelle and her family have been fostering Scratchy for a few months now. They’ve been giving him all the TLC he deserves, and he’s thriving. He’s been enjoying playing tug-of-war, chasing balls around and cuddling up with everyone.
“This puppy is being treated like a king in his foster home while he heals up,” Three Little Pitties wrote. “He has kids to tend to his every need. And he is being celebrated for his life and who he is!”
Thanks to Three Little Pitties and Michelle, Scratchy got a second chance at life. And thanks to the little girl who was determined to save him, Scratchy learned what love feels like.
“This little guy was once out of time, but now he’s safe, and continuing to steal hearts every day,” Three Little Pitties wrote.
Scratchy is available for adoption through Three Little Pitties Rescue. If you’re interested, you can check out their adoption page here. If you’d like to donate to Three Little Pitties Rescue, you can do so here.
Related
Shelter Dogs Can’t Stop Hugging When Their Biggest Dream Finally Comes True
“I couldn’t resist falling in love …”
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