Help swollen eye!

So I just checked on my BP and one of its eyes is really swollen. I had noticed one of his eyes had a dent in it and read that this is a sign of dehydration. I amped up the humidity in its cage. The dent went away, but now its eye is very swollen. Pics below.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m...s/IMG_8103.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m...s/IMG_8104.jpg

High humidity isn't going to cause that..
One of a few things. I'd have to say a vet visit is in order for sure.
1: Crazy stuck eye cap (This one I doubt)
2: injury cause blindness and swelling
3: infection of some sort

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

High humidity isn't going to cause that..
One of a few things. I'd have to say a vet visit is in order for sure.
1: Crazy stuck eye cap (This one I doubt)
2: injury cause blindness and swelling
3: infection of some sort

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Agreed, however it does, to me, look like he has got a stuck eye cap, but at the same time it does look like an infection. Just my :2cent:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jyson

Agreed, however it does, to me, look like he has got a stuck eye cap, but at the same time it does look like an infection. Just my :2cent:

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I agree. It definitely looks like there is swelling around the eye as well which would point to an infection of some kind

Well I just called the vet and the soonest they can see me is next Monday. I hate living in a small town with only like two vets. Any suggestions for what I should do in the mean time?

Call another vet..if it is an infection that close to the brain your asking for trouble waiting. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Call another vet..if it is an infection that close to the brain your asking for trouble waiting. :D

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Agreed, infections close to the brain (in all animals) can reach it quickly and can cause even more rapid decline in health once it does

The only thing I can do is bring it in tomorrow. Might as well get it sexed while I'm there as well. It wasn't like that at all yesterday so hopefully it won't get too bad in one night. Anything i should do while I wait?

Just check on the snake every once in a while to make sure that if its an infection its not spreading.

Like checking his other eye? Wouldn't really know what else to look for. Luckily for this little on it's my first and isn't just something to breed for me so I'll end up paying more on this vet visit than on this actual snake.

Look for eratic and weird behavior, flipping over and not being able to right himself, bassically just him acting crazy.

Alright, thanks so much.

Wow, that's scary! I would flip if I found a snake like that. I hope everything goes OK at the vet!

yikes that an infection. I had a nsake injure it eye and that too ktime to heal ( nothing a vet could do ) the snake healed up fine but it took like 4 sheds befoer the eye resumed a normal looks so don't be surprised if after the vet the snake starts shedding a couple times close together. I also check the entire tub/cage over incase the snake jabbed itself in the eye by chance.


I hope all goes well for the little guy.

There was a thread here a while back (can't find it! :() about a snake with a swollen eye that (if I remember this correctly) had a little bit of aspen bedding stuck inside it's mouth - caused fluid buildup. Don't know if that's the case here, but can somebody find that thread? Maybe it could help?

That was my bhp - it was a blocked lacrimal duct. It needs to be unblocked before it gets infected. It looked just like yours.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...light=lacrimal

Thanks, Skiploder! Now that's what I call timing! :gj:

After watching the vet unclog it - I'm convinced I could do it the next time.

Now I say that with a caveat, even after draining a blocked duct the snake still needs to be taken to the vet to make sure an infection has not set in.

In order to install the antibiotic drops after the blockage is removed, you have to pry open the snake's mouth - in other words, if you're gonna admin the meds you're half way to opening up the blockage.

Once the mouth is open, you can take a tongue depressor and look in the area between the gums and the back of where the eye is. Any blockage should be in that area and draining it was simply accomplished by removing it with a q-tip or similar implement.

When my bhp's blockage was removed a gush of clear fluid immediately shot out of his mouth and his eye instantly looked normal.

Keep in mind that sometimes blockage isn't the issue - instead the snake can have an infection in the duct. In either case, get him to the vet ASAP before a serious infection sets in or he suffers irreversible damage to his eye.

I would definitely print out Skiploader's post that was in the link and take that with you to the vet!

I will definitely bring that up. I actually read that post right before writing this up, but I figured I'd ask to get what info on it I could. I can tell it's really stressing it out. First hiss I got from it was when I went to get it out for those pictures.