Mojave Rescue: dehydrated and URI

[NNJExotics]

Hey everyone,
I stumbled by an ad on craigslist on Sunday for a free adult male mojave. I spoke to the person who had it and they said it was given to them by a friend who went to school just a few weeks ago. He stated that it would not eat and kept throwing up liquid. He knew the snake was in rough shape and posted the ad for free in hopes of the snake falling into hands of someone that could get it the care it needed. I felt bad but at the same time didnt want to put my own collection at risk. I decided if i indeed took the snake, i would keep it at my parents place for treatment and quarantine. I drove down to central jersey to check out the snake. It was cold, severly dehydrated and had a case of URI. The snake was kept in a 20 gallon tank with a heat lamp. I chose to take in the snake to get it the medical attention it needed. Placed him in a 15qt tub with a paper towel, hide and heat pad. Although im a vet tech at a local hospital in my area, the doctors i work with don't specialize in exotics so i have an alternate vet i use. Turns out my usual vet changed his schedule and no longer works afternoons. Did a quick search and found a reputable vet by the name of Dr. Paul Sedlacek at Animal Clinic of Morris Plains. Just came back from my visit this evening and first of all i have to say that my experience at Animal Clinic of Morris Plains is by far the best i had! And not to mention, his prices are reasonable for an Exotic specialist. As for the mojave male, he indeed has a case of URI and is dehydrated. He weighed in at 500 grams. Instructed to administer fluids under the skin(sub-q) every 6 hours for the next few days then every other day. Also instructed to do warm soaks for 15-20 minutes daily. And finally a shot of baytril sub-q every 3 days. He has perked up since recieving his fluid therapy and i believe is on the road to recovery. This would be my first time handling a case of URI and i have confidence this dude will be better in no time. I feel bad for this little guy as im sure all he wants to do is feel a 100% and take a nice meal. I have total confidence in my vet as i familiarized myself on the expectations of today's visit prior to going and my vet hit each thing i had in mind about this guy on the dot. It's great to see that there are still exotic vets in practice that have a heart!

Vet info for those in Jersey:

Animal Clinic of Morris Plains
Dr.Paul Sedlacek,DVM
3009 Route 10 East
Morris Plains, NJ 07950
(973)366-3223

[NNJExotics]

Some pictures after his soak.

[kasmiraross]

hes lovely i really hope hes ok me and my partner rescued our bp he was dehydrated to i dint want to do the injections so he stayed at the vets for 7 days to build his fluid up .hes fine now good luck

[Chris Drake]

He is a very nice looking mojave. Glad to hear you were able to get him some vet help. A few shots of baytril and I bet he bounces back nicely. Congrats on a nice pickup. Thanks for sharing.

Chris

[DellaF]

So nice of you to give him a home and make sure he gets the care he needs.

[ballpythonluvr]

I love stories like this because it warms my heart when a person goes out of their way to help an animal in need! Thank you for what you have done, it says a lot about your character.

[NNJExotics]

Thanks for checking out the post and the well wishes! The vet said he should recover with this treatment but if by the end of the course of treatment he doesn't, then next step would be bloodwork/x-rays but he didn't feel they were absolutely necessary to do yesterday. Keep you guys posted!

[NNJExotics]

Hey guys!
So it's been nearly 1 month since picking up this male mojave and addressing his issues. Took him to the vet as stated and started him on the baytril injections along with fluid therapy and warm soaks. He has done a 100% turn around in health and is doing excellent! He has had 2 full sheds(his color is amazing),also put on some weight, and finally took his first meal today!!

[Shirkan]

Wow thats so awesome!!! Give your self a pat on the back for saving his life!!!!
Glad to hear this!

[monk90222]

That is such a good thing you did! That is a beautiful snake also. You are a good person, seriously.