Well tomorrow we are taking ganja in for a cloacapexy. She has prolapsed again and it has got to the point where it needs surgery. Obviously my vet has never done surgery on a green tree python but he does have a ton of first hand experience on reptiles, snakes, birds, and mammals.
I have confidence he can complete the surgery but there is always a chance on snakes that anesthesia can be fatal so this is a risky surgery especially on a smaller reptile. I will update tomorrow if she pulls through or does not make it. Either way we are coming to an end of this very educational experience.
A cloacapexy is a surgical technique of permanently stitching the cloaca to the abdominal wall / rib cage. It is the standard procedure for chronic prolapse in birds, amphibians, and reptiles. The procedure has a high success rate but with Ganja being so small and having so long of a chronic condition this is nowhere near 100% but it is far worth the cost and risk for an otherwise healthy snake. The majority of the cost is going toward anesthesia and post surgical care. The actual operating time is less than 30 minutes but the recovery time is 2 hours or more.
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