Howard

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Originally Posted by kinley

...it helps the humidity stay nice and high :)

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You don't want the humidity high right now. You want it relatively dry and you want your ambient temps warmer than normal. The skin involvement that you can visibly see may be infected tissue, but it may also be sterile reaction to a systemic infection (usually antibody complex mediated), but even if it is not itself infected, it is prone to getting infected. Either way, moisture is your enemy right now. If your vet isn't willing to at least aspirate and culture some of the fluid and give you a prescription for silver sulfadiazine cream, and if you aren't able to get to the other vet, then PM me, and I can walk you through some things that you can do at home, cheaply, in lieu of euthanasia, if you want to try that.

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Originally Posted by BoiseBallz

then PM me, and I can walk you through some things that you can do at home, cheaply, in lieu of euthanasia, if you want to try that.

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I think they said the vet would be willing to do the euthanasia for free?

I think BoiseBallz has a good plan b. Plan A should be to call the herp specialist and explain Howards condition as well as your financial constraints. They are the professionals and could probably work out a payment plan for you that's doable. They probably have information about pet insurances that may be available to you. IMO, Its imperative to get the specialist involved in the decision making at this point. Just start with the phone call and see where it goes from there. :gj:

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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

I think they said the vet would be willing to do the euthanasia for free?

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in lieu of euthanasia...i.e. instead of euthanasia

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Originally Posted by BoiseBallz

in lieu of euthanasia...i.e. instead of euthanasia

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I know what 'in lieu of' means...

I took that to mean methods of putting the animal down at home in lieu of vet-assisted euthanasia rather than alternate treatment. (Though I don't recommend anyone put an animal down themselves, it's not an uncommon suggestion on some of the exotics forums I'm on, so that's where the confusion came from).

Sorry. No, I meant that if she gets to the point that she feels that she is out of options other than euthanasia, but she still would be willing to try some intervention, that I could walk her through a couple of things that she could do herself at home cheaply.

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Originally Posted by BoiseBallz

Sorry. No, I meant that if she gets to the point that she feels that she is out of options other than euthanasia, but she still would be willing to try some intervention, that I could walk her through a couple of things that she could do herself at home cheaply.

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That sounds like a really good idea. I've seen snakes recover from truly horrific injuries and infections with nothing but basic medical care anyone could provide at home. It seems like this snake still has some fight left in him since he's still active to some degree. I always find it really sad when you have to give up on an animal that clearly still has a lot of will to live.

just looked up some of the previous threads on howard

i hope the little guy pulls through

the previous owner could use a good throat punch or three :mad:

I would do nothing to that blister. It may break at some point and it may prove to be fatal, but it is also possible that the antibiotics are working. If so, then as long as this blister remains intact, Howard has time for his badly abused body to repair itself. If the blister breaks and he has a large exposed region he will almost certainly die. This is probably why your vet has not been more aggressive with treatments. I certainly understand the people who suggested extremely aggressive treatment, including flushing and aspiration, but at this point, considering how weak Howard likely is, those interventions could easily result in the blister bursting and leaving poor Howard's insides exposed to the world. Of course this would be fatal. I suspect that your vet is correct in surmising that Howard's best hope is leaving the blister intact for as long as possible. At this point my only quibble with his treatment is the fact that a culture has not been done, so the antibiotics may or may not be correctly targeted at the infection.

Considering Howard's overall poor condition, any weight gain at all is a good sign. At this point, Howard's body is probably spending most of its energy on defeating the infection ravaging him and repairing the damage that has been done. His plateau could actually just mean that energy from food is being redirected towards repair of the injuries he has sustained due to the infection. I have been following the Howard posts since you first started posting, and I have been following his treatment, and hoping for the best, even while I expected the worst. I agree that Howard looks worse, but suspect that since the infection does not appear to be spreading anymore, he may actually have a chance. Many people might second guess the course of care he has received, but so far he is still alive and that is something that might not be true if he was treated differently. More aggressive treatment could easily have killed him faster.

I would not euthanize him at this point. He is clearly fighting to survive, and may still do just that. The worst may well be behind him. Of course if he does get worse, or if the blister breaks and his muscles are exposed, then yes you will have to Euthanize. Please understand that as dire as Howard's Condition is, your attempt to care for him and nurse him back to health is both brave and laudable. You have gone above and beyond, and no matter what happens, the last few months have been better for Howard than they would have been if you had not intervened. Of course, everyone in the hobby has lost animals, and every one of us knows how devastated you will feel if you and Howard loose this battle. Please know that even if Howard's health finally does fail, you and your Vet have done your best and so has Howard. That is all any one could ever ask.

If Howard makes it, every one of us will feel a portion of your joy. If he falters, then everyone of us will feel a portion of your grief. I know this is a paltry solace, but it is all I can offer at this point.

David

I once had a gerbil who refused to die, and I loved her deeply. When she finally went, she was nearly 6 years old and had a tumor sticking out of her ear. She would scratch and scratch at it, and within a few days it would grow back to more or less the shape it was before. At her age, there wasn't really anything a vet could do. Surprisingly, it wasn't the tumor that killed her. Her liver failed.