HELP - cats got at ball python!

[chloekitt]

Im so scared right now, i came home to find the small latch on my snakes tank open and my cat pawing at a terrified curled up ball python. Hes all scratched up, I was in tears when i picked him up so I didnt get a good look at him right away but after a better inspection when I calmed down it looks like his scales are all scratchy everywhere though not really punctured but there is a good cut right under his head/throat about 1/2 an inch to an inch long that looks pretty deep.. i rinsed him with water and tried to gently flush out the wound as best as I could, and replaced the substrate in his tank with paper towels so its more clean... should i take him to a vet? Or be putting anything on the wound?? Im really scared about it getting infected or him not being able to eat. Please help with any advice!!

[Bogertophis]

Yes, please schedule a vet visit ASAP (!): https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

Reason: cats carry a ridiculous amount of bacteria on their claws**, & such infections can kill your snake...so don't give them time to have a "head-start". I think your snake needs both topical wound care and likely needs to be on antibiotics too. CALL NOW, please don't wait.

**This is why when cats fight each other -or you happen to get scratched by a cat- these wounds nearly always get infected.

[Bogertophis]

AFTER you call the vet, & IF they can't see you right away (today):

Wound care (if it's not too deep- realize he may need stitches at the vet's): after gentle cleaning with clean water, apply Vetericyn ointment made for reptile use. This is the preferred choice of topical antiseptic, but you can also use diluted Betadine (povidone-iodine is the generic name) or a tiny dab of Polysporin* or Neosporin* ointment.

*These are made for human use, & while they can help, they can also mess up many sheds to come if you use very much; that's because they're petroleum jelly-based, not water-based like Vetericyn ointment is, & petroleum jelly does bad things to snake's skin & future sheds. So use them sparingly & only if you have to.

Best option: Vetericyn is available in some local pet stores (I think Petco, & maybe others?) or available online (obviously not fast enough for immediate care).

Is he bleeding?

Future considerations- your snake enclosure MUST be made cat-proof (it's not!) & preferably lock the room where the snake is kept & keep the cat OUT.

[Bogertophis]

...when I calmed down it looks like his scales are all scratchy everywhere though not really punctured but there is a good cut right under his head/throat about 1/2 an inch to an inch long that looks pretty deep.. i rinsed him with water and tried to gently flush out the wound as best as I could, and replaced the substrate in his tank with paper towels so its more clean... should i take him to a vet? Or be putting anything on the wound?? Im really scared about it getting infected or him not being able to eat. Please help with any advice!!

Even the scales that are "not really punctured" to the naked eye might be very susceptible to infection now. Snakes have been known to get infections from microscopic scratches made to the skin between their scales EVEN by being kept (improperly) on sand, so I'd say there's a far better chance of those tiny scratches from a cat being significant (problematic) & in need of medical care.

Good that you tried to rinse the worst part, & for replacing his substrate with paper towels. But it's important that he be on antibiotics now, not just topical wound care, IMO.

[chloekitt]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the detailed information and advice. I am at the vet now and they are checking him out getting him treatment. I feel terrible ... will be watching him closely and making sure everything stays clean. Will also be keeping him in a separate room from now and upgrading to a safer tank immediately!

[Bogertophis]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the detailed information and advice. I am at the vet now and they are checking him out getting him treatment. I feel terrible ... will be watching him closely and making sure everything stays clean. Will also be keeping him in a separate room from now and upgrading to a safer tank immediately!

I was thinking & hoping your temporary "silence" meant that you rushed him to the vet. I hope he makes a good recovery, let us know what the vet does?

By the way, it's good that this happened when it did so you could get him help quickly- not over the weekend or late night, when vets are harder to reach.

[chloekitt]

So the vet gave me pain meds for a few days Meloxicam, told me to do rinses with chlorhexidine, and wants me to give an antibiotic. The antibiotic shes prescribing is childrens cherry flavored bactrum (sulfamethaoxazole) does this sound ok?
They seemed leery at first about treating a snake because they dont work with snakes often but was confident when she told me what to do, but it was the closest vet that would see him.

[Bogertophis]

How are you giving the Meloxicam? To the best of my knowledge*, it's normally given IM (injected into muscle)- but happily I've never had to give it to any of mine, so I can't really share first hand experience with giving it to a snake. (One of my dogs recently took it for a few days orally, but snakes are cold-blooded so meds given orally don't always work so well- I don't know about Meloxicam though.)

*https://www.veterinarypracticenews.c...s%2C%20it,2010).
excerpt: "As with birds, meloxicam is the most commonly used NSAID in reptiles, although they require much lower dosages due to their slower metabolism. Studies are limited, so a lot of the dosing is based on extrapolation. In chelonians and iguanas, it is recommended to administer meloxicam at 0.2 mg/kg IM every 24 to 48 hours, so the same can be recommended for snakes and other lizard species at this time (Divers et al. 2010)."

Just to clarify, this ^ ^ ^ came from my quick search & is not meant to question your vet's advice, just showing that other sources do give this to snakes+ & what they do- I'm trying to answer your question "does this sound ok?"
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I'm not at all familiar with giving snakes the oral sulfamethaoxazole either- I'd much rather give something orally to a snake than injections, and hopefully it's effective this way. I just did a quick research of it*, apparently there's also an injectable form too, but yes, apparently some do use this orally in snakes- again, not something I've had experience with one way or another. Most antibiotics in snakes that I've been aware of require injections, which are definitely not fun, either for us or for our snakes. Medical treatments for snakes are always changing as vets figure out safer meds to give, so just because I or others aren't familiar with it, doesn't make it wrong- I just want to clarify that too.

*https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-p...e-trimethoprim

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Rinses with chlorhexidine sounds safe enough. I'm keeping your snake in my good thoughts -it's a little concerning that the vet you saw doesn't see many snakes, but very few vets see enough snakes & other reptiles to do them full-time anyway. Many do birds & reptiles, & maybe other exotics too to stay busy.

So he didn't need any stitches, then? That's good- I was worried about how deep that neck gash might have been.

[Caitlin]

I am SO glad you got to a vet; cat scratches can and do kill snakes because of bacterial infection. The meloxicam and chlorhexidine sound fine - I assume the meloxicam is injectable and that the vet showed you how to do this?

I'm very twitchy about that oral children's antibiotic. It's a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is given to snakes, but not in that form. I don't like to undermine trust in your vet, but injectable antibiotics tend to be the best delivery system for snakes, and I frankly have never heard of giving a children's oral antibiotic to a snake (I worked as a vet tech, but it's been a long time).

In your shoes, I would ask your veterinarian to set up a telephone consult with a veterinarian associated with the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians. You can use the link Bogertophis provided to find one in your county or state.

[Caitlin]

Update. I got some feedback from folks who run reptile rescues and from an exotics practitioner:

Sulfamethaoxazole in the children's form gets used for other exotic mammals and birds, so the veterinarian likely saw that and assumed it would be fine for the snake. A better choice might be Fortaz (ceftazidime), but that is not carried by non-reptile vets so that's probably why it wasn't prescribed.

Everyone I checked with agreed that the bioavailability of oral drugs in snakes is questionable and that injectable antibiotics are preferred, but the oral is better than nothing if the snake owner feels they are not at all able to do injections.