So I went to the vet today...

[SamO]

I have a Lesser Pastel (really nice looking) named Bananas (because his alien heads look like banana slices) who has regurged strangely. The first regurge was (from memory) 20 Nov 2014. We waited and fed again and all seemed fine, then another strange regurge in December. The regurges were strange because they did not smell and were covered in a thin layer of mucus. I have only had one actual regurge from one of my females, and it smelled to high Heaven. These were clearly different (like they never made it to the stomach)

So we waited again and then fed smaller prey. All good, he ate fine. This continued (him eating fine) until 25 July 2015 and he regurged a 39 gram rat. He can take 70 gram rats, no problem (or he should be able to). Ok, something is up! So I did a little homework on local vets and due to an completely inaccurate care sheet for snakes I excluded one of the two remaining from my search and made an appointment.

The vet was surprised (I took my log book with weights and feed records) at my husbandry and knowledge. So excluding impaction and illness the next step was x-rays. Which I hope to get copies of so I can post them. Unfortunately the x-rays showed a mass, most of the way down the esophagus but before the stomach. The mass comes from the side of the body and pushed on the esophagus.

The vet wants to have the x-rays reviewed by some peers. Then do a micro needle biopsy of the tissue. She used a term, an acronym, NAG, to describe the three (most likely) things it could be. Anybody know this term and can break it down for me? I tried a search but didn't get good results. Basically, cancer, infection, or malformed tissue, is my understanding.

I'm betting we have an infection and I think its growing. Thus the need for smaller and smaller prey (not clearly stated above).

Hopefully I haven't just seen that I'm going loose this male. I also hope I can post the x-rays, the mass is clearly visible and shows the need to have a good vet.

[BoiseBallz]

NAG = Neoplasia (tumor, beingn or malignant); Abscess (pus pocket); Granuloma (non-purulent, tumor-like inflammatory response). It's just a mnemonic, and it isn't the complete extent of the differential.

[SamO]

So being a new snake owner who has spent almost two years reading about snakes on this forum I have seen many times people say, "Don't own a snake if you can't care for it properly, which includes taking it to the vet...". I agree with that sentiment. Having just had my first vet experience I was surprised at the cost. Not the cost of the x-rays, those are expensive but beyond anything I could do. The next step is the expensive one, biopsy and ultrasound of the mass.

So, what motivated me to post this is a Dave Ramsey thought. It's not a bad idea to put aside some money in an Emergency Fund to cover the possible vet bill. From my experience I'd put away $1000 dollars in just-in-case money. Now my Lesser Pastel isn't worth that much as an animal, but as a life I "own" and care for, he is. Even though his care will cost more than a new rack I want. The point is, put $10 to $100 dollars aside every paycheck until you have your Pet Emergency Fund built up to the amount you want (I suggest at least $1000) and it makes the decision to care for a sick animal that much easier.

On another topic, here are some of the x-rays of Bananas.







Now here is where my vet really shines. The peer-review of the x-rays did not like the vet's original x-rays, so she retook them this morning at no cost to me. The biopsy is about double the cost of the x-rays, which we'll consider after the peer-review of this new set of x-rays. The peer-review (on the first pass) suggested a barium run and more x-rays, to me that seems too much. Anyone have experience with that?

[KitaCat]

Poor Bananas... I hope he pulls through. It sounds like you have a good vet, so that should help substantially.

Do you have any photos of him?

[SamO]

A few - I need to get some newer ones. These are from when I got him.

[Aercadia]

What a cutie! So sorry to hear about the trouble he is going through. You are a good snake-mom. I hope the final result ends up being something relatively benign and fixable without taking out a reverse mortgage. Pets are expensive!! x_x But love for our family members is difficult to put a pricetag on.

[AKA Dave]

Good on you for taking action, and you're right about the vet fund. You should call it "Baby Step 1.5". Best of luck getting Bananas back on track.

Dave

[Gwyn]

The peer-review (on the first pass) suggested a barium run and more x-rays, to me that seems too much. Anyone have experience with that?

Barium is usually only used if it's too difficult to see something clearly on an x-ray. That last x-ray looks clear as day. But that's just me.

[BoiseBallz]

There is little use for barium in this instance, in my opinion. The mass appears to be pleural based. The long length of pleural thickening cephalad to the main mass as well as the angular margin cephalad to the main mass in combination with the lack of associated rib abnormalities (e.g. erosion, fracture, abnormal spacing between the ribs, etc), and statistics, favor fluid in the pleural space, likely loculated, and I would consider empyema (pus between the lung and chest wall) most likely. Blood (hemothorax) is also possible but a bit less likely. Solid masses aren't impossible but also less likely.

Barium could play a role down the line in that esophageal perforation is a potential cause for empyema, and barium can show this, but I would only do a barium study to look for esophageal perforation if you not only first proved empyema, but also if the empyema recurred despite drainage and good antibiotic coverage.

[skatefastdieyoung]

Hope he pulls through :] I just had my first vet experience today and it was really nice. They treated me and my new big snake like family. I love the hospitality veterinary clinics and herpetological societies treat everybody with. Good luck with bananas