Hi, Im sure some of you will remember last January I had to take my Mojave BP to the vet because when I got him as a pet he had previously suffered a prolapsed hemipene.

As the months went on - the lump near his cloaca continued to grow - not at an alarming rate but it did continue to worsen. I took him to a vet who determined that he had absesses in this lump and proceeded to operate to remove the absess tissue. After the procedure, he healed nicely and got back to being his old self.

Now approx. 10 months later - I see where the lump/absess is returning - I was warned by the vet that this may happen.

I talked to the vet today and he said it is one of two things going on - either the hemipene is pressing against the wall/tissue that has been weakened by first the prolapse and then the surgery - which is allowing this bulge near his cloaca to show up again. Or, the vet said that with absesses - they are sometimes in the bloodstream and can resurface.

The vet said what treatment regimen he currently suggests - he is not equipped to handle but is researching more advanced facilities for me. He suggested an ultrasound to see if there are any other absesses in his bloodstream and if so, then he would need a more involved surgical procedure to take care of this.

Another option - is to let it be and see if it continues to progress. He says the snake would not be in any discomfort at this time from the bulge.

I just don't know what to do - I am not independently wealthy and can't justify dropping thousands on my snake but at the same time - he is my pet and I want to do all I can for him.

My vet is going to make some calls to Michigan State Univ. to see if they have an exotics dept on staff and see what they recommend - he thought I may get the procedures cheaper going thru a university.

I just hate that everything in life comes down to the almighty buck. I would spend any amount to help him but I have my husband to contend with also - and I know I have to be reasonable also.

Sorry for the long post - but I thought you snake lovers here might be able to give me your thoughts or suggestions on how to proceed.

Thanks for reading this long post.