Questions-I think one of my BCIs is very sick

[confucius]

I had a thread about this before when it was sort of a minor issue. I had taken said boa to the vet twice, was put on 2 rounds of antibiotics. No changes, things only got worse.
This is an 8 foot BCI. 10 years old. There are bumps all over it's body. The biggest one is about the size of a golf ball. It seems to keep getting more prominent everyday. I started noticing more and more. There are maybe around 8 of them now. A few days ago he spent maybe 2 hours in his water bowl drinking. I thought that was a little odd, but...
Yesterday he was holding his mouth open. No other signs of an RI, and he isn't doing it today. None of my other snakes have an RI. He won't take any food. He hasn't for like 3 months now. Today he was very stiff. I took him out when I noticed some of the smaller bumps getting more prominent, and he usually would try and go slither away. Instead he stayed in the same position the whole time, only moving his head every now and then. He still flicks his tongue. His temps are fine. I have no idea what these bumps are. More just keep coming, and it's really starting to get frustrating. Mainly because I don't know what to do. The vet said they were abscesses, and that the first round of injections would take care of them. I'm really at a loss. I don't want him to suffer but I don't know what's going on. Has anyone else ever dealt with this?

[dr del]

Hi,

Has the vet done a biopsy at any point to get a sample that can be used to do a culture to find which anti-biotic works best?


dr del

[confucius]

Yes, he took a sample the first time. The first round of antibiotics was for 2 weeks, one every 2 days. I forget the name of it though. I know the second one was baytril.

[Evenstar]

I am glad the vet did a culture, but at this point, I would seriously be thinking about getting a second opinion. This doesn't sound like abscesses to me. Not to scare you, but this seems more indicative of cancer. Snakes capsulize infection and a significant infection often appears in a single abscess. For multiple lumps to crop up all over the body is indicative of a much broader system-wide problem.

But I'm no vet. And no one here can tell you exactly what's going on or how to treat it. If you aren't getting results with your current vet, I'd be looking for another. Best of luck and do keep us posted!

[confucius]

He's going back into the vet on wednesday. They want to do a full blood screen before they think about surgery or anything.
I'll post what I find out, but yeah, i'm pretty convinced these aren't abscesses to this point.

[GoFride]

I'm so sorry to hear that this is happening, and I hope that it all turns out well.

[Evenstar]

He's going back into the vet on wednesday. They want to do a full blood screen before they think about surgery or anything.
I'll post what I find out, but yeah, i'm pretty convinced these aren't abscesses to this point.

Sorry to hear that. Good for you for doing what's necessary.

I'm so sorry to hear that this is happening, and I hope that it all turns out well.

I do too. Please keep us posted - we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for you and your boa!

[meowmeowkazoo]

http://www.boa-constrictors.com/en/I..._Care/diseases

I read this recently:

Boa constrictor lumps under the skin

We want to address this problem, because it is not a rare occurrence that the boa keeper suddenly discovers a small or large knot under the skin of the animal. Naturally, the keeper does not feel too good about that. What could this be? Is it bad? Does it have to be operated? Will it disappear on its own? Upfront: If something like that occurs, a trip to a competent vet becomes a necessity. Based on experience and an examination of the regarding area, the vet can decide whether surgery is necessary or if there is time to observe any further development. It does not always have to be something really bad.

Sometimes, it is simply a scarring that formed after the bite by a prey animal. Also, nematodes and tapeworms of various stages, which are not a rare occurrence in wild-caught specimens, can form such bumps under the skin. This also causes no need for special concern, since the snake can well live with these.

Should these things bother you, a small operation with local anesthesia is sufficient to remove them. Abscesses, on the other hand, are more harmful. They occur with a relative frequency and are the result of bacteria that gain access underneath the skin through a wound (usually a bite wound).

The so-called “injection-abscess”, which can result from a lack of proper hygiene in the administration of injections, is not uncommon. In the case of an abscess, surgery is definitely recommended, since pathogens may be transported through the blood to other parts of the body otherwise. In that case, chances are good that your snake enclosure will soon be empty.

Just like all other living beings, boas can get cancer. If the vet surgically removed a tumor, a tissue sample of it is send to a suitable laboratory for histopathological examination.

That way, you find out whether this was a harmless swelling or a malignant tumor. A few years ago, a Boa c. constrictor from our collection had to have a growth of the size of a small hen egg removed. Most of the time, such malignant tumors grow back. If such is the case, the sick snake should not be operated on again, but instead be euthanized.

[OsirisRa32]

This sounds like tumor growths or something similar right off the bat. Get a 2nd opinion and get biopsies performed.

[confucius]

So I just got back from the vet. They drew some blood and they're going to run some tests. I should have the results by tomorrow morning.