Amazing video shows vets saving python partial to a slipper-y meal

A hungry carpet python bit off more than it could chew (literally) in Brisbane, Australia, after mistakenly eating some footwear.

Residents of the suburb of Haigslea were trying to find a misplaced slipper when they  discovered a massive snake in their home with a suspiciously swollen stomach. They quickly realised the slipper in question was actually inside the snake and called for professionals to remove the reptile from their home. The snake catchers then took the snake to the HerpVet clinic, which specialises in reptiles, to have the slipper removed – and getting it out was quite a process, as a video posted by the veterinary surgery shows.

A warning for the squeamish: It’s time to click away if you don’t want to see gruesome photographs and footage of the shoe being removed.

“You can’t make this stuff up folks,” the message began. “This wild, Coastal carpet python, was brought into the clinic by a local snake catcher after it was found in a home having ingested a slipper. This made for one of the most impressive radiographs I have seen.”

In one image, an x-ray shows the full slipper in the snake’s gut, while another shows the reptile waiting on the surgery table for its operation.

“Surgery was performed under general anaesthetic to remove the foreign object, with a procedure called a coeliotomy and gastrotomy,” the surgery explained in its Facebook post. “After removal of the slipper through the stomach was closed in two layers, the body wall muscle was closed and surgical staples were used for the skin.” The vets noted that an 18-centimetre incision was needed to get the slipper out in one piece.

A video was then uploaded that showed the shoe, complete with a rubber sole, being removed. “Care was taken to minimise the risk of spillage and contamination of the surgical field and new gloves and instruments were used for closure,” the vets added.

To help the reptile recover after its operation, it was placed on fluids, anti-inflammatories and painkillers. Staff have confirmed that the snake is well on the road to recovery. “He woke up well and is off to for rehabilitation in a couple of days,” they added.

People were quick to flood the Facebook page with their own commentary on the incident. One person jokingly asked: “How bad does a shoe have to smell for a snake to eat it?”

Another comment read: “Amazing! Just shows us what animals will eat. Whilst this wasn’t rubbish, can you imagine in the wild the sort of things that animals are eating? And they don’t have the ability to be rescued by such amazing people … congratulations to the vet and snake catcher for doing such a wonderful job”.

Have you ever had a problem with snakes? Have you ever experienced a snake eating any of your personal items?