"Peripatetic iguana sounds the alarm at animal hospital"

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Posted by Desiree on March 09, 2001 at 16:20:42:

Peripatetic iguana sounds the alarm at animal hospital

March 06, 2001

By Dermot Cole

THE POLICE ARRIVED shortly after midnight last Friday, looking for the intruder.

A motion detector had sounded at the Mt. McKinley Animal Hospital, tipping off the authorities to trouble. Dr. Heather Nevill was also called to the scene to check on the welfare of her patients from the animal
kingdom.

The officers entered the building, flashlights in hand, to track the troublemaker.

One of the officers rounded a corner and saw the cause of the intruder alert sitting nonchalantly on a keyboard.

"She was sitting there with a look on her face like, 'What are you doing here?' " the veterinarian said.

It turned out to be the night of the iguana.

Plopped on the keyboard was a 5-lb. iguana named Elizabeth, a 6-year-old who was spending the night in the clinic before being spayed the next day.

Nevill was driving to the office during the midnight hour when she wondered whether Elizabeth had somehow managed to open the incubator where she was supposed to be spending the night.

"She's a pretty big iguana and the big iguanas can be pretty persistent trying to get out of things," Nevill said. "Turtles and snakes can't open the door of the incubator, but a determined iguana can."

The temperature in the incubator was a toasty 85 degrees, perfect for an iguana about to go through anesthesia. But perhaps, in this case, a little too confining. She used her claws to open the door and check out the room.

Nevill said that reptiles, which take their temperature from the air around them, tend to respond to anesthesia better if they are at their ideal body temperature beforehand. But room temperature of the animal clinic wasn't too bad for the animal.

After Elizabeth was returned to the incubator, Nevill used duct tape to seal the incubator and keep the iguana in her place.

The operation went off the next day without incident. Case closed.

http://search.newschoice.com/GPC_StoryDisplay.asp?story=d:\index\newsarchives\fbkmnr\clm\20010306\715340_cole.txt&searchtext=iguana

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: Peripatetic iguana sounds the alarm at animal hospital : March 06, 2001 : By Dermot Cole : THE POLICE ARRIVED shortly after midnight last Friday, looking for the intruder. : A motion detector had sounded at the Mt. McKinley Animal Hospital, tipping off the authorities to trouble. Dr. Heather Nevill was also called to the scene to check on the welfare of her patients from the animal : kingdom. : The officers entered the building, flashlights in hand, to track the troublemaker. : One of the officers rounded a corner and saw the cause of the intruder alert sitting nonchalantly on a keyboard. : "She was sitting there with a look on her face like, 'What are you doing here?' " the veterinarian said. : It turned out to be the night of the iguana. : Plopped on the keyboard was a 5-lb. iguana named Elizabeth, a 6-year-old who was spending the night in the clinic before being spayed the next day. : Nevill was driving to the office during the midnight hour when she wondered whether Elizabeth had somehow managed to open the incubator where she was supposed to be spending the night. : "She's a pretty big iguana and the big iguanas can be pretty persistent trying to get out of things," Nevill said. "Turtles and snakes can't open the door of the incubator, but a determined iguana can." : The temperature in the incubator was a toasty 85 degrees, perfect for an iguana about to go through anesthesia. But perhaps, in this case, a little too confining. She used her claws to open the door and check out the room. : Nevill said that reptiles, which take their temperature from the air around them, tend to respond to anesthesia better if they are at their ideal body temperature beforehand. But room temperature of the animal clinic wasn't too bad for the animal. : After Elizabeth was returned to the incubator, Nevill used duct tape to seal the incubator and keep the iguana in her place. : The operation went off the next day without incident. Case closed. : http://search.newschoice.com/GPC_StoryDisplay.asp?story=d:\index\newsarchives\fbkmnr\clm\20010306\715340_cole.txt&searchtext=iguana

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