Critical care question (pesticide exposure)

Not my snake; posting on behalf of a friend.

Friend has a juvenile Ball Python that got mites from a rescue brought into their home. Unfortunately she treated it with NIX two days ago. Yesterday morning the snake appeared to be dead. She and her family were preparing to bury it today, when it moved slightly. They were able to get it to their reptile veterinarian, who says the snake has neurological damage. He gave them the option of either having it euthanized on the spot or opting to bring it in for evaluation every two weeks, with the understanding that if symptoms worsen and they decide euthanasia is best, the vet will take them in that day for the euthanasia.

The young snake is the beloved pet of one of their children and so far isn't showing super severe symptoms, so they are opting to hang on and see how he does.

I don't have a clear sense of the symptoms yet as this only just happened; she reports noticing a 'slight' wobble, but everything is so new that it's hard to say how this will go over the next hours and days.

My question is this: Is there anything else they (both the keepers and the veterinarian) can be doing at this point or is it just a matter of waiting to see what happens next?

:tears: Poor snake! Apart from trying to keep it hydrated (to help clear the offending chemicals from it's body) I can't think of much. I think they should be prepared to euthanize it, as it may never be able to eat, etc. But I can also remember some posts a few years ago (different forum) about snakes that were over-exposed to "PAM" treatment for mites too- some don't make it, others may improve some with time. So :confuzd: it's hard to say, especially without having a clear picture of just how mobile it is right now. I also don't know how long the others actually survived- there weren't follow-up posts that I know of.

I agree with Bogertophis I think you just hydrate and hope for the best.

I think they have to think about quality of life here, is this neuro issue bad enough that it's going to severely impact it's quality of life? Hard to tell without some observation. I think they should be prepared and prepare the child for worst case. Unfortunately, animals are typically a child's first introduction to the concept of life and death, so I'm sure that's hard.

Just based on your explanation of the situation, I'd say recovery may be unlikely. I'm no vet obviously, but if the vet offered to euthanize immediately, I would say their opinion on recovery is probably the same.

I know these folks fairly well and there is no question in my mind that they will do the right thing and they'll explain it all to their child if it gets to that. They definitely don't want this little snake to have poor quality of life. My understanding is that the veterinarian's stance right now is 'we don't know yet' and he feels there's enough of a chance that there could be a positive outcome to offer the option to wait and see.

I'm aware of a few cases of juvenile and adult snakes that were having seizures, loss of motor control, and open-mouth breathing after exposure to mite treatments, and they recovered completely. But a few cases like that don't mean there will be a good outcome here. I'll update once we know more.

As a juvenile I think this snake has a better shot at surviving than an adult will. That said, your friend is in the unenviable position now of battling mites without being able to use pesticides so as not to exacerbate the snake's neuro issues.

The snake may also need to be tube fed with a thin slurry of something like Carnivore Care a few times a week, which will also help ensure it stays hydrated and aid in its recovery.

Yes, it still has mites and that still has to be resolved. She's struggling over whether to further stress it with soaks in warm water with a couple of drops of dish detergent to drown the mites that are currently on it, or whether she wants to try hypoapsis mites (predatory mites).

The snake was at a good weight and was well-habituated to handling before this, so I feel like a gentle soak may not be as stressful as she fears. But we'll see. I'll be sure she talks with the vet about Carnivore Care if hydration and feeding become concerns.

Update: The little guy is still alive. Since they can't use chemicals for his mite problem, they are giving him warm water soaks with a couple of drops of Dawn to at least knock down the adult mites.

He's feisty, which I hope is a good sign. They said they were actually glad that he bit them twice when soaking him. I think he's just pissed that they started to bury him =P

So far they think they are noticing a slight wobble, but they aren't sure as they are so sensitized to the possibilities. Nothing is overtly horrible for him yet. Fingers crossed.

He sounds like he's got a fighting chance & I'm really glad they opted for the water soak with a bit of Dawn- it's actually pretty effective against "most" of the mites, plus it will help keep him hydrated. He's had enough "chemicals" for a while.

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Originally Posted by Caitlin

Update: The little guy is still alive. Since they can't use chemicals for his mite problem, they are giving him warm water soaks with a couple of drops of Dawn to at least knock down the adult mites.

He's feisty, which I hope is a good sign. They said they were actually glad that he bit them twice when soaking him. I think he's just pissed that they started to bury him =P

So far they think they are noticing a slight wobble, but they aren't sure as they are so sensitized to the possibilities. Nothing is overtly horrible for him yet. Fingers crossed.

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I'm glad I was wrong about recovery, or at least glad that it seems like I was wrong. I hope the wobble doesn't end up too bad, but you know we've all seen plenty of morphs with a wobble that live long healthy lives. Wishing them the best!

Update: He's still alive and still bitey. Yesterday he brought up a lot of mucus. Today he's breathing clearly and there are no signs of mucus around his nostrils or in his mouth. The slight wobble they noticed previously has not been visible today.

I don't want to jinx it, but I think the little guy may come out of this OK.