it could be a tumor. >> dr. lavac will try to get more detailed information by doing an ultrasound. a special geis placed on the snake's abdomen to improve contact with the probe. >> right here, we're looking at thenside of the snake. this is the backbone here, and here is the mass in this area here. what we can tell is it's a cystic mass. that is, there are some pockets of fluid. and again, we can't tell whether it's a tumor or infection at this point. each test is trying to determine what i might expect to uncover, in essence, as far as what's wrong with the snake. so with the information that we have now, it looks like we're going to have to do surgery. see, we've hooked up the anesthetic machine. he's getting gas and oxygen through the tube here, and we have a doppler over the top of his heart so we can monitor his--whether he's doing well or not. ok. again, this is the mass that we're dealing with. i'm still trying to dissect around and figure out exactly what it is. right now, it looks like the mass is associated with the intestinal tract. so it extends through this hollow tub