‘Going to See If We Can Help the Animal and Not Get Eaten in the Process’ : Sid Could End Up a Marvel of Medicine

Sid Vicious, an 8-foot boa constrictor best known at Mission Viejo High School for devouring rats whole, will teach students and medical experts a new lesson today, when he undergoes an experimental laser treatment for cancer of the mouth.

For veterinarians, the procedure will be a landmark in the care of cold-blooded creatures and could provide data applicable to humans.

“We don’t know what will happen, but we’re willing to give it a try,” said Michael Berns, director of UC Irvine’s Beckman Laser Institute, where the procedure will be performed. “We’re just going to see if we can help the animal and not get eaten in the process.”

For students, who discovered the malignant tumor on the classroom pet’s lower jaw 6 weeks ago, “it’s interesting and gross,” said Rich Meyer, a 16-year-old biology student.

Sid, a mild-mannered South American boa who doesn’t live up to his notorious punk-rock-star namesake, was injected Wednesday with a light-sensitive dye. He will be anesthetized today for the treatment, in which a laser will be used to “excite” the dye, causing it to release compounds that are toxic to the surrounding cancer cells. The treatment is valuable because it allows the selective destruction of tumors without damaging healthy tissue.

Although the laser procedure has been approved for humans, the dye to be used today--phthallocynanine--is still experimental, Berns said. In treatment of dogs, cats and other mammals at the Beckman Institute, it has worked more effectively than other light-sensitive dyes.

But the dye has never been tried on a reptile. Plans to treat a 500-pound desert tortoise were dropped recently because no one could figure out how to transport the turtle, according to Berns.

“This is our first non-legged patient,” he noted.

Sid slithered his way into the experimental treatment with the help of Dr. Steve Weldy, a veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals. Weldy, a 1975 Mission Viejo High graduate who treats classroom animals there for free, is also a consulting veterinarian for UC Irvine’s biological sciences department. He will assist in the procedure, to be performed by Dr. Mary Kay Klein, a veterinary oncologist.

Because the process is experimental, there will be no charge for Sid’s surgery.

Weldy sees the potential scientific value of learning to help humans by first treating animals. But as former president of Mission Viejo High School’s Herpetology Club, he also views the cool creature with a touch of warmth.

“This is a chance to save this snake that deserves to live,” Weldy said. “And emotionally, it means a lot to the school and all the students there.”

Sid seemed quite underwhelmed. He was moved Tuesday from the glass cage that he shares with his 6-foot mate in Emmett Carlson’s biology classroom to an aquarium in Weldy’s office. There his unlikely neighbors were Charlie, an uninterested white cat, and Addie, a very interested terrier.

“Snakes are pretty mellow,” explained Carlson, who let Sid curl around his shoulders as he spoke. “The only time they move is when they’re hungry.”

Students in Carlson’s classes have followed each step of Sid’s treatment, from a biopsy that diagnosed the malignant carcinoma to later surgery to remove the tumor. They also learned that all the cancer could not be removed and that, without further treatment, the tumor would return and eventually kill their reptilian pet.

It’s not just biology--it has been a lesson in life. If the procedure is successful, Sid, now about 8 years old, could live to the age of 15 or more.

“I think he will pull through,” said student Chris Currie, 15. “We handle the snakes--they feel really weird. But you get to care about them.”