Vet trip...something's not right...

I have a vet trip planned for my Spot tomorrow at 9:15am.

I noticed him out of his hide climbing the wall when he fell over. He landed with half his belly up and tried to roll out of it so he was on his stomach completely. He couldn't twist his body the right way. So I helped him out and when I did I noticed there is a 2 inch indent in his spin. As if he he's been smushed in that 2 inch span. I ran my hand along his back and sides, no protrusions, no bumps, no nothing.

He ate a week and a half ago, had a B/M, and seems fine. Drinking water, thermoregulating, etc. The only thing that changed was I moved him from newspaper to aspen and from a small mouse to a 6 day old rat pink. He is able to squeeze himself under the lip of his hide and lift it. A friend of mine thinks he may have lifted it and it somehow fell on him.

While I have him at the vet, I'll have the vet take an x-ray. So we'll see what is going on from there. Keep us in your thoughts, lets hope it's nothing serious.

http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?f...06513927455347



check the link out... i think this is what your talking about

Wow, Joe, thanks! That's exactly what my snake looks like (the sunken in part, not the morph). I am printing that out right now and taking it to my vet. I would have never guessed that in a million years! Spot is rather active at night and does climb his cage. He's just about mastered spanning the lenght. He'd due for an upgrade next pay day.

We'll see what the vet has to say.

he needs a snakey chiropractor! imagine the popping!

im guessing you are keeping your snake in a glass tank... im not saying its bad but that is what happens when you give your BP a high enclosure... that is iy i have always kept them in tubs 7 inch high tubs...

im glad i could help you in your BP emergency...

PLease let us know what the vet says

One more thing to worry about for our snakes.

Weird.. never seen that before!

Well we're back.

The vet took an xray and found no tramua whatsoever. No broken or dislocated ribs. He said with his bones being so small there might be hairline fractures but he can't tell.

He went onto say that it might be MBD, metabolic bone disease. Which I know is common in iggys and turtle/torts if they don't have UV lighting. Since bps don't need UV lighting I didn't realize they could get MBD. So he suggested I get a UV light. I am not sure what to make of that one, I'll wait to see what you guys have to say.... So the vet gave him a calcium shot.

He also went looking thru his medical book and came across something called Spinal Osteopathy. Which the way he explained it was like this: That mice can carry a bacteria that causes the blood flow to stop going to the spine. The vet gave me 2 weeks worth of Baytril to fight this 'infection' he might have.

I am not sure what to make of this vet...the hosptial says they treat reptiles, but I guess he's not a specialist. I think I am going to look for a specialist and get a second opinion.

At least nothing is broken.


As for the vet sounds like a "I need to find something wrong...so lets just say it is this" to justify my charges.

I agree with you find another vet.

It seems very odd to me that there could be that level of deformity, and have the x-ray look perfectly normal. I agree that you should get a second opinion.

Strange.. yeah I've never heard of MBD in a snake before. I highly doubt that a UV light is required..

Here's a nice reptile vet directory if you haven't seen it already: http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm

Im no vet or anything close but if your saying your snake looks exactly like the one in the picture then you prolly have the same problem... if this vet doesnt normally see snakes then I'm probably going to assume hes never taken a snake Xray and doesnt know the difference between a normal looking Xray and a messed up one. If you cant find another vet I would go back there if they bayatril doesnt work and ask if he can prescribe you whatever the person in that article got... But im with the others... look for a herp vet. Good luck.

If the vet can take a radiograph, then he can easily look at bone density. It's not hard. If the snake had MBD, which is highly unlikely unless you deboned every single prey item it ate, then the skeleton would be less opaque on the radiograph. You would see grey tones in the bones instead of them being white and uniform.

Definitely find another vet and I wouldn't give that Baytril unless there's an actual reason to.

Hmmm...I am not sure what to do now...lol.

Here's a list of services Spot recieved:

Exam/Consult
Radiograph 1st Plate (There were two pictures he showed me, he said he'd take two and only charge me for one.)
Baytril Inj.
Calcium Gluconate Inj.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

I wouldn't give that Baytril unless there's an actual reason to.

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The Baytril is in a vile, how long will it last if I don't use it right now? Do i need to put it in the fridge?

If it's in an amber vile, just keep it in a dark cabinet and keep it room temp. It'll be fine.

What would bayatril be used for in this case?? I know when I got my first BP she got an RI and I had to give her shots of bayatril so Im wondering what it would possibly do for this lil guy?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

As for the vet sounds like a "I need to find something wrong...so lets just say it is this" to justify my charges.

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I agree...it sounds very much like this. I would definitely look for a vet who has significant hands-on experience treating snakes and get a second opinion.

dude you need to take your snake to a herp vet or an exotics vet....

regular are morons when it comes to BP's

It's Baytril(enrofloxacin). It is a good all-purpose injectable antibiotic that veterinarians use to treat infections.

The vet is trying to justify his inexperience by just giving antibiotics for a "just because" reason. If they didn't diagnose a specific infection, such as stomatitis, belly rot, respiratory infection, then all they are doing is covering their butt if something bad happens.

The snake definitely needs to see a QUALIFIED veterinarian who knows what they are doing and can diagnose an actual problem, not just guess. The snake may have a defect that is just now rearing its ugly head as the snake is growing, snake may have fallen and hurt himself, he could have muscle degeneration for some reason, no one really knows. It's just best to have a specialist look at the snake to determine what is actually going on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lovepig78

dude you need to take your snake to a herp vet or an exotics vet....

regular are morons when it comes to BP's

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My vet treats reptiles, or so they say, they apprently don't specialize in them. Go figure. I am not upset with them, they just aren't educated in the reptile ways. I am just happy there was no injury.

I'll keep everyone updated. A question though. Well two. The baytril isn't in a amber vile it's in a clear vile, will it be ok in a dark paper bag, at room temp? Also is it even possible for a snake to get MBD, if it's fed on mice/rats?

What city in Ohio do you live in (if u don't mind my asking)?

Wickliffe, Ohio

I looked around and found this page. I really hope one of them is close to you.

http://www.repticzone.com/articles/vets/Ohio.html