WHO: Penn veterinarians, and Sir-Mix-A-Lot, a yellow anaconda from the Brandywine Zoo

WHAT: Rare treatment of a reptile with radiation therapy

WHERE: Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

39th and Spruce Streets

Philadelphia, PA

WHEN: Thursday, July 12, at 9:00 a.m.

WHY: Veterinarians at the University of Pennsylvania will perform one of the first-ever radiation therapy treatments on an adult anaconda suffering with a life-threatening cancerous lesion.

Dr. Karen Rosenthal, director of special species services and Dr. Lili Duda, radiation oncologist, will treat Sir-Mix-A-Lot with the hospital's first linear accelerator, a new option at Penn.

Unlike most mammals, reptiles suffer few side effects from radiation therapy due to their physiology.  The treatment is a necessary next step in the effort to save the life of Sir-Mix-A-Lot and an important new step in the options available to treat animal disease.