Ganja got new digs

Oh man...

How did I miss all this, I'm SO VERY sorry to hear it.

You are in my thoughts for sure, so is the little one. These decisions are the worst. It doesn't even matter if you "know" what is the right thing to do, having to be the one to "say it" is absolutely rough. I've been there...

So sorry, SDA. It's absolutely heartbreaking to see them suffer and struggle. It is an unenviable position you are in, but trust your gut on what is best for her. Cyber hugs to you and Ganja.

Oh no, poor baby! Jedi hugs from the puppy-pile here.


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I keep thinking about you, SDA and about your baby.

How I wish there was something I could do. Sometimes despite everything we try, everything we spend..it just isn't meant to be.

But...hope dies last.

I still have hope.

One thing is for sure, you did ALL you could possibly do. And then some.

Life can be unfair, sometimes. :tears:

Thank you everyone. I have a responsibility to do everything I can to keep this one healthy. I'm going to be talking over with the vet if we have options or if this is degrading her life. Either way it's not the first time I have had to make this decision and won't be the last.

Small update. I know this sounds futile but I am going to try everything that doesn't harm her to see if we can solve this.

The Vet had put a long term stitch through the abdominal wall into the colon to try and develop scar tissue and hold back the tissue from prolapsing. We are going this Thursday to have him reposition a new stitch closer to what we believe is the point of weakness in the cloaca in hopes of better retaining in the tissue when she defecates (urates are not causing her prolapse we have found). This may or may not work but as the current stitch did retard a small amount of prolapsed tissue from coming out, there is a chance, even if slight, that the new stitch will be in the right portion of the cloaca and will help build up scar tissue while preventing too much tissue from falling out that she can't retract herself.

I am also going to go over prey size and possibly up to hopper mice for the calcium load. There is research that calcium deficiency prevents the muscles of the abdomen and cloaca from being able to retract. This research was done on birds, frogs, and chameleons but the theory is sound with snakes as well. While I would never supplement calcium to a snake due to the damage it can cause on the kidneys, larger prey have more developed bones which supplement calcium in their diets (snakes are not able to synthesize and absorb calcium powder like lizards can instead it is completely voided during defecation).

It has also been determined that prey size is not a determining factor in causing prolapses and that was a myth perpetuated by misinformed breeders and keepers who did not comprehend the underlying factors of snake prolapse and their inability to test snakes for disease and deficiency and simply assumed diet was the sole contributing factor (it is not).

While diet restrictions after a prolapse are key (she is not restricted until the next defecation cycle), prey size is irrelevant in prolapse cause.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SDA

Small update. I know this sounds futile but I am going to try everything that doesn't harm her to see if we can solve this.

The Vet had put a long term stitch through the abdominal wall into the colon to try and develop scar tissue and hold back the tissue from prolapsing. We are going this Thursday to have him reposition a new stitch closer to what we believe is the point of weakness in the cloaca in hopes of better retaining in the tissue when she defecates (urates are not causing her prolapse we have found). This may or may not work but as the current stitch did retard a small amount of prolapsed tissue from coming out, there is a chance, even if slight, that the new stitch will be in the right portion of the cloaca and will help build up scar tissue while preventing too much tissue from falling out that she can't retract herself.

I am also going to go over prey size and possibly up to hopper mice for the calcium load. There is research that calcium deficiency prevents the muscles of the abdomen and cloaca from being able to retract. This research was done on birds, frogs, and chameleons but the theory is sound with snakes as well. While I would never supplement calcium to a snake due to the damage it can cause on the kidneys, larger prey have more developed bones which supplement calcium in their diets (snakes are not able to synthesize and absorb calcium powder like lizards can instead it is completely voided during defecation).

It has also been determined that prey size is not a determining factor in causing prolapses and that was a myth perpetuated by misinformed breeders and keepers who did not comprehend the underlying factors of snake prolapse and their inability to test snakes for disease and deficiency and simply assumed diet was the sole contributing factor (it is not).

While diet restrictions after a prolapse are key (she is not restricted until the next defecation cycle), prey size is irrelevant in prolapse cause.

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Great info!

As long as you are comfortable with what you are doing for her, that's all that matters.

Sounds like this is a great next step though.

Good luck and keep us in the loop!

Thinking of you two!

Best of luck !!!

I'm crossing my fingers and toes..

Great writeup, sounds like the vet knows their stuff! Hope she heals up well


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Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SDA

Small update. I know this sounds futile but I am going to try everything that doesn't harm her to see if we can solve this.

The Vet had put a long term stitch through the abdominal wall into the colon to try and develop scar tissue and hold back the tissue from prolapsing. We are going this Thursday to have him reposition a new stitch closer to what we believe is the point of weakness in the cloaca in hopes of better retaining in the tissue when she defecates (urates are not causing her prolapse we have found). This may or may not work but as the current stitch did retard a small amount of prolapsed tissue from coming out, there is a chance, even if slight, that the new stitch will be in the right portion of the cloaca and will help build up scar tissue while preventing too much tissue from falling out that she can't retract herself.

I am also going to go over prey size and possibly up to hopper mice for the calcium load. There is research that calcium deficiency prevents the muscles of the abdomen and cloaca from being able to retract. This research was done on birds, frogs, and chameleons but the theory is sound with snakes as well. While I would never supplement calcium to a snake due to the damage it can cause on the kidneys, larger prey have more developed bones which supplement calcium in their diets (snakes are not able to synthesize and absorb calcium powder like lizards can instead it is completely voided during defecation).

It has also been determined that prey size is not a determining factor in causing prolapses and that was a myth perpetuated by misinformed breeders and keepers who did not comprehend the underlying factors of snake prolapse and their inability to test snakes for disease and deficiency and simply assumed diet was the sole contributing factor (it is not).

While diet restrictions after a prolapse are key (she is not restricted until the next defecation cycle), prey size is irrelevant in prolapse cause.

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Actually prey size associated with prolapse isnt a myth. It is known that the larger the prey, the more liquids the snake needs to expend to digest said prey. Now the problem is if the snake isnt getting hydrated enough, it will deplete its hydration it already has to digest the meal which can lead to a 'dry' poop which then cause the snake to prolapse because it has to push so hard to poop. It's the same as people. If you drink lots of dehydrating beverages like caffeine, it can create rock hard poops which you feel like you are going to blow a blood vessel trying to push it out lol.

I personally am not sure i buy the 'lack' of calcium as a cause for prolapse. Tons of baby snakes have been raised on pinkie mice and have done fine. I would stick to smaller food and inject the prey with a little water before feeding to add extra hydration if you arent seeing the snake drink.

And testing of a snake is as easy as taking a blood sample and doing a blood test. I had one done on Harley when she was younger as i wanted to make sure she was getting the right amount of calcium and protein as she would only eat bugs and hated greens as a baby. The blood test can see everything about their levels.

But anyways, whatever works for you and here's to hoping Ganja pulls through and gets better.