Need Urgent Help ASAP!!!

One of my ball pythons managed to squeezed his way out of his cage while I was sleeping. I woke up this morning to find him really cold but alive on the ground. I looked him over after quickly giving him a warm bath. Since he just barely managed to open the cage top and squeeze through, the tight fit caused him to have a two really bad wound from scraping against the cage and the cage top. There has been barely any blood, but you can see pink flesh. The closes reptile vet is no where close to me (almost in the next state over). What can I do to treat his wound? So far he is acting his normal self and is still pretty active around his cage. I cleaned it, put fresh newspaper and water in there. I just need advice on how to treat his wound and best way to prevent infection.

Link is a picture of the worse wound, the other one is near to the bottom of his tail. Please help, he means the world to my fiancee and I!
https://gyazo.com/3510b9085df938bc7a2b77e1b2dc146a

Oh gosh, I'm sorry that's happened. It sounds scary. Can you post pictures of the wound?

Depending on what the wound looks like, if it's a thin gash across, you can clean it and use little bits of incision surgical tape to pull the skin together to close the wound temporarily, while you try to find more solutions.

http://i46.tinypic.com/25a1yk2.jpg

I just happened to see this thread yesterday of an owner (obviously experienced in treating wounds, but this was completely DIY) who treated a huge gash on his BP at home successfully. You can see the progress and end result on the last page. First picture is of the original wound and a bit graphic. http://www.sareptiles.co.za/forum/vi...p?f=23&t=31154

You are not going to like what I have to say but he needs a vet. That has to be super painful and its pretty large for such a small body. There is nothing that is going to prevent an infection with a wound that large. You are handling him with means bacteria from will may have already infected the wound. Get him to vet.

That is well beyond home treatment.

Are there any zoos or similar near you - contacting them to get vet recommendations might work.

Oh gosh, I totally didn't realize that you'd posted a picture.

On top of calling zoos for recommendations, maybe wildlife sanctuaries (though I don't know the chances of that)? You can also try calling your local vets to directly ask who has experience with ball pythons.

there is a vet lost in the general herp section of the board. It may be helpful to you. It has recommendations on vets by states.

While waiting for a vet, you can clean the wound with betadine wound cleaner. The second page of that link has really good information on how to treat yourself if you really have to.

I live in the center of a state that has like nothing remote animal wise. No zoos and the only reptile vet is literally 3~ hour drive away and considering I have no gps or anything it really isn't remotely feasible to get there considering the stress/temp(very cold here 40~ F during the day).

I have tripe antibiotic ointment which includes bacitracin zinc, neomycin sulfate, and polymyxin-b sulfate. Is that safe to use?

Triple-A is ok as long as it does NOT have "pain relief". But you still need to cleanse the wound.

If you get the info on the things from that link, you may be able to ask your local pharmacist for them.

I'll try my best this is when I hate working. I'll call them up and hopefully pick them up when I get out. Just gave him a warm bath (while wearing sterile gloves) for about 1-2 mins as I'm sure it hurts but want to make sure nothing gets in before treating him.

Not to sound rude or anything but there is google maps and its not hard to follow directions. Sorry, not an excuse. That has to be painful and it's a little unfair for the poor creature. There is nothing any of us can do to help you. This is all your judgement at this point. I drive 2hrs to see a vet, even if it is something minor. You have a life in your hands and since it has been hours since the injury, the chances for infection is only getting worse.

Have you even called the vet over there. They could give you better information on how to treat it at home better then we can unless there is a vet somewhere on this forum.

If an animal in my care had this serious an injury and proper emergency care could not be provided, I would euthanize it. Sorry, but if you can’t get it to a vet, it’s either going to die slowly or die quickly. Which would you choose?

Check with a local vet. Most of them have a base knowledge and would know who to call if they needed help with treatment. It's a wound, they should be able to handle it.

He needs a vets care drive the 3 hrs
That wound is way past home treatment. It could end up being a issue for him for the rest of his life, which may not be all that long if he does not get the proper care for the wound .Not trying to sound heartless but it is a pet owners responsibility to take care of any issues that arise with their pet. you took on that responsibility when you bought him

After seeing that shocking wound, I can't believe that driving 3 hrs is holding you back. :taz:

Every day that you wait for proper care is shrinking the odds of a successful healing. :tears:

I wouldn't exactly say he means the world to you both if you don't want to even drive him to the vet.. Just print MapQuest or Google map directions and make sure the vehicle is warm.

part of being a snake owner or any pet owner for that matter, is preparing for the responsibility of caring for your pets getting sick or hurt. that means having the funds and plan for caring for them during the hard times. it's unfortunate you didn't plan for this and i hope u can correct it before it's too late. all my best.

You need to make the 3 hour drive to the vet. You took responsibility for his life, and that includes a vet visit.

In the meantime, have you turned his tank into a 'hospital setup'? That means removing all decor except a hide and water dish and replacing the bedding with paper towels. That will help keep debris out of the wound. You don't want something getting stuck in it and causing an infection beneath healed tissue later.
Also, bathing him in plain water is pointless. It's just going to stress him out, and without betadine or chlorhexidine (both of which can be found at any WalMart or pharmacy) in it, they aren't going to prevent infection. Until you can get to a vet, I'd recommend flushing the wound with a betadine solution at least once, maybe twice a day. After flushing with a betadine solution, you can put antibiotic ointment like Neosporin (painkiller free) on it and cover the wound. You'll want to keep it covered (you'll have to figure out what combo of surgical tape and gauze works best; and it HAS to be tape designed for wounds! You can't substitute any other sticky material) to keep it from drying out too much and help with the healing process.
Also, I wouldn't recommend wrapping any sort of bandage around his whole body. Use the picture that was posted earlier in this thread as a guide for bandaging. Wrapping anything around the entire body can be VERY dangerous as bandage material will often constrict and cut off circulation in response to swelling, breathing, or movement.

I've seen snakes with wounds of this severity make a comeback and heal completely without vet care, but it takes SERIOUS devotion to keeping those wounds clean, and even then you're gambling with whether or not it will get infected; the cases I'm talking about were badly injured wild rescues that rehab facilities wouldn't take due to being such common species and needing so much care... And also in the hands of people with years of experience caring for extremely sick or injured animals.
DON'T take this to mean I'm saying you don't need to see a vet. You absolutely do. It's your responsibility as his owner, and a three hour drive is nothing. Doing anything other than taking him to a vet is risking his life.

EDIT: Neosporin and similar antibiotic ointments can cause issues with scales due to being oily, so I definitely wouldn't apply that more than once a day. Just be aware of that when you're using it.

I called the vet place and they redirected me to a different closer snake vet in a different state that's a bit closer to me. I told her my situation and made a appointment with them for Monday. All she told me to do was give him a 10 minute warm bath once a day and not put anything on it at all. Also to up his temp(she didn't say how much so I've kept it at 92 at a hotspot). Side note to you side donkeys, I do love my snake, and I'd put all the care in the world for him. You say just use mapquest or Google maps, well sorry I suck at directions more than anything in the world. I get lost extremely easily, the only reason I can do this is because my mom said she'd come down and drive me there. So, next time someone asks for help, why not be a little more helpful and not just jump to criticism? You're the reason why most people don't even comment or even bother with forms in the first place. Thanks to all the people who actually cared about my snakes well being and gave me helpful info I'll keep this updated. My fiancee is the one who started this as she wanted to make a account but she never got a email to post so she just used my computer to post. I was working 10-7 when she posted it then had to work 11-8 today which is why the vet thing is on Monday since they're closed on sundays. I just started my job at Walmart 2~ weeks ago and need the money since I've only got 1 check since I get paid biweekly. Now all of that will be going into him since I feel like this is going to be expensive. (Just a regular vet charged me $400 for a cat checkup that I found abandoned in the road) I love snakes more than anything, even humans. So don't dare question my love for him. As shown by one of the helpful posters it can be done, and we'd of done everything to get it done. I've nursed a adolescent bearded dragon that got his head crushed and was blind from his owner putting him in a cage with a adult one. Assist fed him crickets, and now you can barely tell his head was crushed except for a little bump, and he can see fine now thanks to getting his swelling down.

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Originally Posted by Naraku

I called the vet place and they redirected me to a different closer snake vet in a different state that's a bit closer to me.

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glad to see he is getting to a vet

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Side note to you side donkeys, I do love my snake, and I'd put all the care in the world for him. You say just use mapquest or Google maps, well sorry I suck at directions more than anything in the world. I get lost extremely easily, the only reason I can do this is because my mom said she'd come down and drive me there. So, next time someone asks for help, why not be a little more helpful and not just jump to criticism? You're the reason why most people don't even comment or even bother with forms in the first place

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no reason to get mad at anyone. you or your partner post about a hurt snake on forms that are full of snake lovers and say you dont know if you can take him to a vet people will get upset about that and give you a hard time over it

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So, next time someone asks for help, why not be a little more helpful and not just jump to criticism

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almost everyone who posted gave you help he needed to go to a vet plain and simple and again I for one am glad he is going and hope he does well

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I just started my job at Walmart 2~ weeks ago and need the money since I've only got 1 check since I get paid biweekly. Now all of that will be going into him since I feel like this is going to be expensive. (Just a regular vet charged me $400 for a cat checkup that I found abandoned in the road)

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Now is where it gets harder to say anything but I feel this must be said again As a pet owner you are responsible for your pets care. Wile I am again glad that you helped a cat you found and a beardie this is not about them this is about a snake that needed a vets care. If you can not afford to care for a animal you should not have it. yes vets are expensive but this is part of the deal of being a pet owner

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As shown by one of the helpful posters it can be done

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just because something can be done does not mean is should be done

Just as you're saying how you "love snakes more than you love humans" and such, you should realize that you're posting on a forum FULL of snake lovers about a snake that came to harm in your care and you're saying you can't take it to a vet and THEN you're upset that people post saying "Get the snake to a vet"?

You have no monopoly on caring about a pet. We all care about our pets. We all care about snakes. That's why we're here. Period.

So don't get defensive when people want proper care for the animal. Don't act as if we are supposed to not care whether the animal gets vet care when it's torn open.

Personally, I have seen accounts of more seriously wounded pythons who healed eventually. They are tough little things when given the right care. But no where have I seen you say "I see that I need X and Y to treat this until I can see a vet... I'll be getting those things tomorrow" either. That makes the snake lover in me grit my teeth and repeat "It needs care".

Now you're going to get it to a vet, which is great. Yes, it'll probably be pricy.

Just remember the reason people on this site are replying is because the people on the site CARE ABOUT SNAKES. We all want to see your snake be healed up and healthy and happy.

First of all, about the vet... Have you Googled them and their practice and their history of dealing with reptiles? Because saying to give the snake a warm bath without applying any sort of antiseptic to an open wound is ridiculous, as is just saying "up the temperatures" without giving you any sort of range or asking what the current temps are.
Something about that sounds off to me. If the vet said those things, I would be kind of skeptical as to how much experience they really have treating reptiles.

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Secondly, as was already stated, you don't have a monopoly on caring about animals. This forum is filled with people who have sacrificed months of time and went without things they wanted or even needed in the name of helping animals. It's nice that you helped a cat and bearded dragon, but that doesn't excuse you not immediately getting vet care for a snake that is so badly wounded, and has nothing to do with this situation. When you were told you'd need to see a vet and get first aid supplies, you only ever said you couldn't go to a vet because maps are difficult for you. People are going to get upset over that.
As to the helpful advice you were talking about, I don't see where you've followed it? Did you go out and get any of the antiseptics, bandages, or other first aid supplies people said you needed to keep the wound clean until you got to a vet and just haven't mentioned doing it yet?

Also, when people start saying things like "I care more about snakes than people" that's a pretty clear indicator that you're starting to just make things up. If you truly do care more about snakes than people, that's a symptom of a serious mental disorder (I'm not being sarcastic, it really is). Plus, if you found one of your family members on your floor with a gaping flesh wound I certainly hope you wouldn't leave them in your house without even basic first aid for days before seeking medical attention.

She was a zoo vet, and all she said was up his bathes to 3 times a day, and she gave me some pain medicine for him that squirts into his mouth, with some cream for his wound. Honestly it only cost me $58 for the whole visit and $20 for the cream. She said they weren't that serious, and in time they'll heal and to just keep the temp at 100 f.

That's interesting. Is the wound still open like it was in that first picture? It looked like it needed to be held closed to heal properly (without a gigantic scar). I'm not sure how it works with snakes, but that's how we do it with humans. Some sort of bandage or sutures to pull the wound back closed and antibiotics (which I'm guessing is the cream and medicine you were given).

Would be nice if you could take a picture of the current state of the wound.

Do these creams and medications have labels with names on them? The vet didn't close the wound in any way and wants you to keep the entire tank temps at 100, the hot side, what? And to bathe him 3x a day. That really doesn't sound like good advice.

was there anything done to close the wound? i'm perplexed by this treatment. :confusd: if my skin were ripped off like in OP's snake pix, i would want it stitched up or patched up somehow.

anyway keep us updated. all the best.

It was too late to close the wound... anyone who has had stitches knows that. Waiting too long means no stitches and a nasty scar. Either way, I am super glad that he has seen a vet. The picture may have made it seem a lot worse then it is in person but it looked very bad.

What pain med did she give you?

Also, if the wound heals, it will leave a large scar but the scar will go away eventually with each shed. Hopefully you can get away with not feeding for a while so it won't constrict/bulge and reopen the wound.