Intestinal Blockage?

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I got an appointment for tomorrow, October 20th. Also, he pooped. The turd is white. I saved it for the vet. The swelling is still there. I'll let you know what the vet says. Thanks to all for your concern.

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White turd = urate, not feces.

If it were me I would boost the humidity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I got an appointment for tomorrow, October 20th. Also, he pooped. The turd is white. I saved it for the vet. The swelling is still there. I'll let you know what the vet says. Thanks to all for your concern.

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I'm so glad you got this appt'mt moved up. As previously mentioned, the "white turd" is just a urate- I truly hope your vet can help, & I wish you & your snake the best.

The blockage is primarily fluid and some animal tissue. The vet was able to remove a lot of it using a probe and massage. I'm to give him warm water baths three times a day in an effort to clean the rest out. It's not clear what caused the blockage to form. It may be a tumor. The vet will know more once we get his digestional tract cleared out.

I want you all to know that I really appreciate your support. It's a comfort to have someone to talk to. I'll update this post once I know more.

The white turd wasn't urate. That's what the vet thought initially but on closer inspection he found a skull and hair.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homebody

The blockage is primarily fluid and some animal tissue. The vet was able to remove a lot of it using a probe and massage. I'm to give him warm water baths three times a day in an effort to clean the rest out. It's not clear what caused the blockage to form. It may be a tumor. The vet will know more once we get his digestional tract cleared out.

I want you all to know that I really appreciate your support. It's a comfort to have someone to talk to. I'll update this post once I know more.

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I was guessing that may be the case and the reason I suggested raising your humidity.....not just because of the stuck shed. The reasoning was I once received three young Bloods and they had a similar issue. The swelling was not nearly as bad as yours but looked similar. I gave them nice long soaks and kept their humidity up. At the end of each bath I would do as you were instructed and massage the area. I got it sorted after a couple weeks and have not had the issue since. I think it was caused by dehydration......or at least worsened because of it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homebody

The blockage is primarily fluid and some animal tissue. The vet was able to remove a lot of it using a probe and massage. I'm to give him warm water baths three times a day in an effort to clean the rest out. It's not clear what caused the blockage to form. It may be a tumor. The vet will know more once we get his digestional tract cleared out.

I want you all to know that I really appreciate your support. It's a comfort to have someone to talk to. I'll update this post once I know more.

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I'm so glad you got him some help, I hope you & your vet are able to get him all the way healthy after this. :gj: Poor snake...they get some really tough problems sometimes. Do keep us posted.

His condition has deteriorated rapidly. Tuesday he was behaving normally. Today, he can barely lift his head.

I gave him the three baths the vet prescribed last night but I was unable to massage out any additional material from the blockage. I also gave him oral antibiotics that the vet prescribed. Finally, I tried to feed him hoping to stimulate a bowel movement but he refused to eat.

I took him for a follow up appointment this morning. The vet examined him and confirmed that he has a large tumor. He was able to remove a small amount of material from the blockage, but said that further treatment would be futile. He's so weak at this point the vet doesn't expect him to last the day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homebody

His condition has deteriorated rapidly. Tuesday he was behaving normally. Today, he can barely lift his head.

I gave him the three baths the vet prescribed last night but I was unable to massage out any additional material from the blockage. I also gave him oral antibiotics that the vet prescribed. Finally, I tried to feed him hoping to stimulate a bowel movement but he refused to eat.

I took him for a follow up appointment this morning. The vet examined him and confirmed that he has a large tumor. He was able to remove a small amount of material from the blockage, but said that further treatment would be futile. He's so weak at this point the vet doesn't expect him to last the day.

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I'm so sorry, I was afraid it was something like this (a tumor). If he was my snake, honestly, I would opt for euthanasia now so he's not suffering any more. I'm so very sorry.

And not to second-guess your vet, but in snakes, oral antibiotics are generally not effective because snakes are cold-blooded & digestion is not reliable- that is, they don't eat on a regular basis, & even less (usually not at all) when they're ill, and antibiotics must be given in a way that levels remain constant in the bloodstream to fight infection- thus, in snakes, antibiotics are generally injected. Either way, they wouldn't have helped a tumor though.

He died today while I was at work. Again, thanks to all of you for helping me through this. I really appreciate it. I hope I never have the opportunity to return the favor.