Mumbai, September 20: A bamboo pit viper that slithered into a suburban home in Dahisar was left with a broken spine after locals panicked and beat it with a stick. According to a report in The Times of India, the venomous snake was then rescued from Dahisar by a local snake rescuer and sent a veterinarian Dr Deepa Katyal. An initial X-ray failed to reveal much about the snake’s condition. The doctor then decided to have an MRI scan done on the snake to understand the extent of its injuries.

After the snake was injured, it was handed over to a local rescuer Vaibhav Patil who handed it over to the state forest department. Dr Katyal, who runs a veterinary clinic in Chembur, found that the reptile had injured its spine and it was slightly bent. 10-Foot Snake Found in Hospital in Odisha's Baripada, Watch Rescue Video.

The viper was then brought to Dr Ravi Thapar’s clinic for an MRI scan. Dr Thapar, who is a specialist in MRI and CT scans for humans, made an exception for the injured reptile. The scan showed that apart from the injury to the spine the viper suffered from a contusion and swelling in the tissue. Gujarat Snake Lovers' Club App Educates You About Snakes and Also Connects Rescuers.

Knowing that the snake could be in great pain, Dr Katyal administered a cold laser treatment to reduce the inflammation. As part of the treatment, infrared light is passed through the injury to regenerate the damaged nerves.

Dr Trisha D’Souza has also been treating the snake by giving it injectable painkillers. She reveals that the reptile is now being tube fed and has shown signs of improvement. After the laser treatment, the snake’s lower part of the body is now mobile.

It’s a one-of-a-kind case for Dr Thapar who specialises in human patients. It was an unusual experience for the doctor to scan a snake in an MRI scanner. He even brushed up on his knowledge on a snake’s anatomy before he treated the viper. He told TOI that he did his research on the topic.

But how exactly did the team manage to get the injured slithery creature to cooperate? Dr Thapar admits that it wasn’t too tough since almost one-third of its body had been paralysed. There was little to no resistance from the snake’s side and they strap it down with elastic bands to hold it in place.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2018 03:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).