EMERGENCY* Bad skin disorder

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Originally Posted by bznj1

It is scale rot! The poor snake is not being takin care of properly! End of story.. Please more bad karma for me. for thinking this guy Should Never own another reptyle!! What a place!:rockon:

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You're probobly right. I feel terrible. The cage has a thermometer above the heating pad. I've had this same set up for years and it's never caused a problem.

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Originally Posted by crispy505

You're probobly right. I feel terrible. The cage has a thermometer above the heating pad. I've had this same set up for years and it's never caused a problem.

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What are your temps? Anything above 95 could possible cause burns... it may not have occured earlier on if the snake hasn't burrowed.

Oh, don't listen to bznj1, he's in troll-mode. It's good that you came here to get help. That's more than many can say.

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Originally Posted by Sausage

Oh, don't listen to bznj1, he's in troll-mode. It's good that you came here to get help. That's more than many can say.

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:rockon:

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Originally Posted by crispy505

You're probobly right. I feel terrible. The cage has a thermometer above the heating pad. I've had this same set up for years and it's never caused a problem.

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So you made a mistake, the good part is that you seem willing to do anything to get your snake healthy again and to fix any problems you had. Do not let anyone tell you you don't deserver to own a reptile.

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Originally Posted by crispy505

You're probobly right. I feel terrible. The cage has a thermometer above the heating pad. I've had this same set up for years and it's never caused a problem.

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And dont feel bad!! I mean crap you cant help but feel bad I know...but NO ONE is perfect...the best breeders out there have all messed up an done things I'm sure they wont admit to...you learn from your mistakes is all...lets all just hope this doesnt happen again and that he comes out of this ok!!!

Read the posts here in the husbandry on housing etc...get every thing right on and he will be one happy bp in no time..again best of luck!! Glad you came here and are looking for help rather then just letting him sit at home and suffer!

Here's a link that will locate a herp vet near you...
http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

I've never seen anything like it and I dont really have much to offer to the post that hasn't already been said.

The only thing I felt the need to say even though others have already said, is that I'm so sorry this happend to your snake, and I wish you the best of luck with the health of your snake so that he stays healthy and alive. I also hope you don't let the A$$-Hats on this site get to you.

Good luck with your snake and please keep us updated!

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Originally Posted by Sausage

Here's a link that will locate a herp vet near you...
http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

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Hey thanks a lot. It turns out the only one in the city is at the zoo. I'm really surprised. This is a big city.

Crispy, Where are you located????? Maybe there's a member that lives near you and can recommend a really good snake vet???? I've found that even tho' the ARAV site is the main place to check, sometimes it's not always up-to-date with a vet's name who can care for snakes.

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Originally Posted by Gooseman

True, in this case your going to need to treat the symptoms directly rather than the underlying cause. However, to treat said symptoms a qualified VET is needed to properly diagnose and treat. We really can only throw out suggestions based on what we know. I feel a place like bp.net is more suitable finding the underlying problem if it is husbandry related (which is most likely the xase), and how to privide primary care until said vet can be found.

EDIT: Just read over my post and it sounds like its calling your advise unhelpful sweety, I just want you to know that is not the case at all.

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No worries; it's all good, Ben. I'm sure since this is online, that's how my explanation was understood.

I wasn't trying to detract at all from the seriousness and the root cause probably being husbandry related--not at all! But the extent of the wound and exposure of live tissue would indicate that making the snake comfortable (as much as possible) and minimizing the chance of (increased?) infection is the primary concern, until Crispy can get the snake to a vet.

Yes, injury like this would indicate that some form of husbandry modification should be practiced, and I'm sure Crispy will delve into it and change things, but for right now, getting the snake to a vet, and keeping the wound clean and dry is more important.

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Originally Posted by sweety314

Crispy, Where are you located????? Maybe there's a member that lives near you and can recommend a really good snake vet???? I've found that even tho' the ARAV site is the main place to check, sometimes it's not always up-to-date with a vet's name who can care for snakes.

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I agree, I looked at my state and found 3 that I know of that are not on the site.

I agree, I looked at my state and found 3 that I know of that are not on the site.






Hopefully Crispy will come back soon enough to see these and try to find a BP.net member who lives nearby and can direct him to a vet.

We (the vet and I) don't know if the pseudo was secondary or the root cause, (Snoopy was a "sort-of rescue") but as soon as Snoopy started getting like that, I took her to the vet. His culturing of the scute's pocket of fluid is what gave an indication that it WASN'T belly rot. Unfortunately, despite the antibiotics and care, Snoopy died. I'd hate to see that happen to Crispy's pet!:(

Man that looks horrible, but also looks treatable. Just follow the advice of those here, stay calm, and get it to a vet asap, I understand its late and may be hard to do, just gotta keep a cool head as I am sure your snake has no idea wtf is going on either. I have no doubt that with treatment and the proper care he will make a full recovery. Good luck!

Side note: According to that list, I have a herb vet about half a mile from my house!

SnakeEyes, if you call, make sure the vet does SNAKES!! One member here called and asked if the vet would see herps, and the vet said "yes". Then when the member took the snake in, the member was turned away b/c "we don't treat snakes".


Be sure to ask about snakes, specifically. :)

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Originally Posted by SnakeEyes

Side note: According to that list, I have a herb vet about half a mile from my house!

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Glad to know those "herbs" are gonna be well cared for! :giggle:

If nothing else, most vets are open on sunday to walk dogs etc. I used to work at a vets office so I know that people do come barging in on sunday demanding we get the vet on the phone and in the office. I'd recommend you atleast go by a vet's office tomorrow (or really today) around lunch time and see what you can do. To be board certified in Veterinary Medicine a Vet must know more than just a thing or two about snakes, even if they arn't a specialized herptologist.

After that, the zoo.

yea sweety, I'm not looking forward to genetics. the only kind of generics i'm interested in is bp morphs, lol. I seem to have made it as difficult as possible to get into vet school for myself. #1 I'm a guy. 72% of vet students are female. #2 I'm in the Corps at A&M which is often considered more rigorous than west point. #3 i grew up within city limits in houston. #4 need 3.65 GPR while taking 16-17 hours a semester... etc etc. however I'm determined to get there. lol. Planning on specializing in Equine Sports Medicine.

Any news on the snake? I'm on the edge of my seat! :eek: ;)

Trying to find someone to look at him right now.

Crispy, you said there's a zoo in your city? That would be the best place to go b/ I'm sure they'd have their vets at work today anways!

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Originally Posted by Gooseman

OSU?!?! hissss.... (sorry, Aggie tradition).

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OUCH!! Crazy Aggies... :sabduel:

Haha First thing I thought when I saw OSU was "Wow! Someone else is here!" Took me a minuite to realize that she was in Oregon. :P

Anyways, how is the little guy doing? My best wish for him!! :yes:

*SNORT* :giggle: :giggle:


Sorry! :oops: :oops: Didn't even think of that connection when I first said it. I should have tho' having made friends in FFA back east....sheesh:rolleyes:

Yes, Crispy...any luck yet??? :worry: We're rooting for you!!!

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Originally Posted by crispy505

The cage is heated with a under cage heat pad. Last time I changed the bedding, I sprayed the cage with lysol then wiped it out before putting down the bedding. Could that has caused it? It doesn't make sense that the damage is only on the lower half of his body. It does seem likely this could be originally caused by a chemical burn. It seems too severe to be only an infection.

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Alright, I did a little research on Lysol and found the following information. According to the National Library of Medicine Lysol scores a 1 on a 0-4 Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) scale of danger, and in doing so labels Lysol a "slight" health hazard. Side effects of Lysol CAN be skin and/or eye irritation. Active ingredient is Ethanol/Alcohol 40 at 85% concentration.

Given this data I'd have to say if this is in fact chemical damage from your cleaning supplies then you'd had to have sprayed the tank down and then not wiped, which I don't believe is the case. So, given this I'd still believe this is bacterial.

Any advances on the Vet front?

And for the record... A&M rules... lol

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone who'd see him today. The zoo office is closed. I did talk to a reptile store owner (the only one), and he suggested a vet who does his reptiles. I spoke with the vet and he will see Sam in the morning. The vet didn't seem like he thought the snake's life was in danger. He said he would get me some medication when I brought him in. It was nice of him to speak with me on his day off. So, I couldn't find any other leads. It's not much but it's all I could find. I guess this will have to wait till the morning.

:sunny: Whoo Hoo!! Thats awesome bro. Definatley let us know what goes down tomorrow! Best of luck to you and Sam :)


Mike

Thats great to hear. I can see why the vet believes it's not a "life hangs in the balance of the moment" situation b/c the underlying flesh still looks healthy (if a bit raw). However I wouldn't deal with the situation with any less seriousness. Once again, good job talking to a vet. :sunny:

Keep us posted.

Np Derek, I was actually going to recommend that. lol.

Hey Crispy,


Did you manage to find a way to show the vet the pictures?

We got our finger crossed for Sam getting better as soon as possible. And good lateral thinking on the reptile store idea.:)

Let us know how you get on - sharing information about the recomended course of treatment in cases like this can help others in the future so regular updates are always appreciated.


Sweety314 & Gooseman,

I hope you dont mind but I seperated out your discussion to tidy the thread up a bit - it can now be found here if you wish to carry on with it.:)


dr del

So, to help prevent this next time, you should fix up your tank. Here's a list of stuff I made in another thread, I'm just gonna paste it in here.

First off: temps
You will need to control your UTH with a dimmer, which can be bought here .
Also you will need a digital thermometer, as the little dial ones are very inaccurate. Walmart sells one called AcuRite Indoor/Outdoor thermometer like this . You should place the actual unit on the cool side of the cage near the bottom and put the little probe on the warm side. You want the cool side to be 80-85 and the warm around 90-95, but no higher. Humidity generally should be around 50%, but can be bumped up to 70% during a shed. Too high of humidity can possibly cause scale-rot, which is hard on the snake and can leave horrific scars.

As for hides, you want two: one on the warm side, one on the cool. They need to be tight and touching the snake on all sides... the little logs aren't very good. I use these . They are more clay-colored and have smaller entrances than pictured, but are very well made.

I think that about covers it. :)

Sorry, I don't have a lot of time to type. The doc says the snake has what looks like an infected burn. He cleaned off the dead skin and gave him a shot. He will get three more shots total, one per day. He recommended I get a different heat source and bedding which I will do. He said the snake will be fine. I'm really glad this turned out well. Thanks everyone for helping me while I was freaking out.

Glad to hear your bp will be alright. :)

It's probaly an anti-biotic shot, but when you do have a little time could you post what sort of antibiotic he prescribed?
Thanks and I'm so glad to hear that Sam will be okay!
Wolfy

did the vet give you and kind of cream/ointment to put on the burn or any special cleaning instructions?

That is really good news...we are so happy the snake will be OK. Like others I would be interested in what antibiotic was prescribed. Keep us posted on his healing progress. :carrot: :carrot:

Congrats on the news, it makes me sigh with relief so God only knows your reaction. lol. Now that we believe it to be a burn, could you post some pics of your set-up so we can give you a little help so as to keep this from happening again?

I'm very happy to hear about your snakes progress.


I didn't want to jump into everything, as people seemed to be on top of the advice for the most part.

I wish you and your snake a great healing process, and am very glad to hear that he will be alright.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I had a BIG female that arrived with a scar on her belly that extended 2/3s of her length from either a burn or belly rot. It had healed up completely, and she was fine, so with time hopefully Sam will also heal up quickly.
Wolfy

I know this is late but...www.herpvetconnection.com For you and for anyone else trying to find reptile vets. I wish I could have posted it sooner. I am glad your snake will recover. It takes guts to come here and post pictures like that in hopes people will help and not ridicule. Keep us posted.

I am really glad to hear the vet is gona fix him up.This site has a great husbandry page have a peek and make a perfect setup. Good Luck you got friends on here willing to help no matter what!


~mike

Baytril Injection and Silvadene Cream 25gm. Other than that, he said to do something different with the heat and use a different bedding. I didn't talk to him so I only know what my gf told me.

Glad he's on the mend... I'd put him on some nice clean paper towels while he gets his healing done... Best of luck!!!!


And Hadesbp18... great link! I saved it to my fav's! :sunny:

newspaper is cheaper and easier than paper towls!
i had a problem like this but not as bad its best for everyone to keep some povi-iodine 10% around (mix with water in a tub with wadded up paper so the snake dont drink it.
you also might want to get some probotic because it may not want to eat for awhile after being treated with meds.
oh yea and for petes sake lysol isnt a cleaner or a disinfectant!

Thought I would mention the Sam is almost fully recovered. After a recent shedding, his skin is looking very healthy. I have installed a thermostat and humidity/temperature sensors so this won't happen again.

:clap: Good job!! Would love to see some updated pictures!

sure
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...nn/IMAGE06.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...nn/IMAGE05.jpg

There is a bit of bedding stuck to him because I just now put some cream on him.

Looks good. Congrats on getting him fixed up, beautiful snake you have there.

Wow that looks 300 million times better..
Good job

GREAT!!


~mike

Outstanding job Crispy.:D


Glad to hear he's getting better and look forward to even more pics - can't wait to se him totally healed up.:)



dr del

WOW! Great job!!! :)

Waaaay to go! Much, MUCH healthier!!!!! :gj: