There's Always a First

One of my jobs is working at an emergency veterinary facility that sees exotics along with the normal household pets. Every once in a while something comes in that you never thought you'd touch.



This is a photo of one of my patients. He's a 45lb Boa Constrictor. Notice I am not the one holding him.



Then there's the Condor (not him in the picture, didn't have time to snap one of my own) that came in for not eating. Big bird weighing in at 20lbs and very strong. Thank goodness his handler was willing to hold him for the procedures, since she was the one who got bit a couple of times. I got the fun job of listening to his heart rate with a stethoscope while he was under anesthesia for radiographs. That doesn't sound like a bad job, but most people don't realize how incredibly smelly these birds of prey are.

Speaking of birds of prey, look what was perched on our roof top this morning.