Intestinal Blockage?

My adult male (1500 g) ball python has had a large swelling near his cloaca for the past 4-6 weeks. He's passing urine and urates without difficulty. He's passing some fecal material. He's still eating. At what point do I need to take him to the vet?

"Yesterday"! What if that was you?

And it doesn't sound to me like an "intestinal blockage" since he's still defecating*, but it could be a tumor or a cyst, or other serious issue.
(*at least, not typical constipation nor a complete blockage)

In any case, I wouldn't ignore it as it's only likely to get worse. If your sink was stopped up, but a little water would still go down, would you wait to call a plumber until nothing went down the drain? Usually there's a better prognosis if you don't wait around.

He needs to go to a vet NOW. If you don't already have one you can find one here: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661.

Unfortunately, I can't get an appointment until November 8th. I think the issue stems from my switching him to medium rats. He was handling small rats fine but my local supplier ran out, so I decided to try medium. He's back on small rats now. Here's a link to some pics (https://photos.app.goo.gl/vmevdSf5Za3UJiew9). I couldn't figure out how to upload them. Thanks to you all.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

Unfortunately, I can't get an appointment until November 8th. I think the issue stems from my switching him to medium rats. He was handling small rats fine but my local supplier ran out, so I decided to try medium. He's back on small rats now. Here's a link to some pics (https://photos.app.goo.gl/vmevdSf5Za3UJiew9). I couldn't figure out how to upload them. Thanks to you all.

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His body is seriously underweight- so that appears to be a tumor, most likely. :( He needs vet care very badly. :( That's NOT a minor "swelling" & he's no doubt in a lot of discomfort -pain. Why so long for an appointment? Did you tell the vet's office WHY you need help for your pet NOW?

I made the appointment online. I also sent pictures. I'll follow up with him to see if I can get an earlier appointment. Thanks.

I wonder if your vet looked at the pictures- I would ask if they were received. Does this vet have a lot of experience with snakes? I hope so, this is not a minor issue.

I doubt he's seen the pictures. I'll follow up with him on Monday when his office opens. Thanks again.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it, without vet care I highly doubt your snake will survive until November 8th. You either need an earlier appointment or a different vet. You could see if a university by you has a way to treat it, I've heard only good things about exotic care at universities.

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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

I'm so sorry for your untimely loss. :tears: Most of us know how it feels, unfortunately.

I have lost a good amount of animals over the years. It is never easy.

I'm sorry for your loss, unfortunately it sometimes happens in the hobby and I hope it doesn't deter you from continuing to keep snakes.

I'm a little ashamed to admit I've already been on Morph Market. It'll take me awhile to choose a new snake and still longer for me save up the money to get him, but I'll be back.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I'm a little ashamed to admit I've already been on Morph Market. It'll take me awhile to choose a new snake and still longer for me save up the money to get him, but I'll be back.

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What would be a "shame" is if you gave up the enjoyment of keeping a pet snake because of the bad luck you had this time around. Was this your first snake? Anyway, it wasn't your fault, & even if you had gone to the vet sooner, it likely would not have changed the outcome. Most of the time things like this don't happen with a new snake, & I hope you have many years to enjoy the next one.

Yes. It's my first snake, not my last.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I'm a little ashamed to admit I've already been on Morph Market. It'll take me awhile to choose a new snake and still longer for me save up the money to get him, but I'll be back.

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I'm glad you're still looking and planning to stay in the hobby. Keep us updated when you get a new snake, hopefully your next experience is a good one.