Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 3,091

1 members and 3,090 guests
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,031
Threads: 248,489
Posts: 2,568,446
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, isismomma
Page 5 of 8 FirstFirst 12345678 LastLast
Results 41 to 50 of 74
  1. #41
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-15-2019
    Posts
    128
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 156 Times in 81 Posts
    Images: 1
    Got the results from the fecal back and she does still have some pinworms. Given that she also still has a little bit of blood with her stool my vet recommended we deworm again even though she did have an abnormal reaction the first time, and to try and prevent that we are lowering the dose this time.
    I haven't gone in for an exam for her respiratory issues yet, but one thing I've been thinking about is if nido is a possibility here? I know it's much more common in pythons, but colubrids can have it too, and based on some things I've heard about it, it can sit and be asymptomatic for years and then pop up as an RI when the snake is exposed to enough stressors. I just feel like that matches what I've seen with my snake where the respiratory issues only popped up after the stress of dealing with the deworming medication. No other husbandry factors had changed to incite a bacterial infection and kingsnakes aren't usually prone to those anyway. I'm not sure though, and it might just be my anxiety trying to find a scary answer before I have any real ones, so I thought I'd ask the forum.
    0.1 Speckled Kingsnake

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to aurum For This Useful Post:

    Albert Clark (02-02-2022),Bogertophis (06-11-2021)

  3. #42
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,183
    Thanks
    28,085
    Thanked 19,740 Times in 11,797 Posts

    Re: Small amount of blood after defecating

    Sorry to hear you're still dealing with this (pinworms) but it's not too surprising, considering the symptoms she still has.

    I don't personally know enough about nido to answer that- I've happily never dealt with it, but you might ask the vet too. It's a great question that needs asking. Then again, it's easy for any of us to be anxious when our pets aren't well & when the treatment doesn't immediately resolve the issue.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 06-11-2021 at 01:10 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    aurum (06-11-2021)

  5. #43
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-15-2019
    Posts
    128
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 156 Times in 81 Posts
    Images: 1
    I gave her the last dose of Panacur a few days ago and it seems to have helped somewhat? Sometimes I do still see a tiny amount of blood and sometimes I don't. I think I'll watch her stool for another couple feedings and then talk to my vet again if nothing improves. They recommended possibly doing a fecal culture or ultrasound if the Panacur treatment didn't work, so I might end up going ahead with that.
    As for her respiratory issues I'm not really sure what to do about them. I was originally going to take her in for a culture to see if it was anything bacteria related, but the sounds I'm hearing are more like an occasional whistle than the wheezing and popping I normally hear about, and every time I check her mouth for excess saliva it looks normal to me. I guess I just don't know if there will be anything to find, and I don't want to put her through another vet visit if I don't have to.
    0.1 Speckled Kingsnake

  6. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to aurum For This Useful Post:

    Albert Clark (02-02-2022),Bogertophis (07-14-2021)

  7. #44
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,183
    Thanks
    28,085
    Thanked 19,740 Times in 11,797 Posts

    Re: Small amount of blood after defecating

    Quote Originally Posted by aurum View Post
    I gave her the last dose of Panacur a few days ago and it seems to have helped somewhat? Sometimes I do still see a tiny amount of blood and sometimes I don't. I think I'll watch her stool for another couple feedings and then talk to my vet again if nothing improves. They recommended possibly doing a fecal culture or ultrasound if the Panacur treatment didn't work, so I might end up going ahead with that.
    As for her respiratory issues I'm not really sure what to do about them. I was originally going to take her in for a culture to see if it was anything bacteria related, but the sounds I'm hearing are more like an occasional whistle than the wheezing and popping I normally hear about, and every time I check her mouth for excess saliva it looks normal to me. I guess I just don't know if there will be anything to find, and I don't want to put her through another vet visit if I don't have to.
    A slight whistle might just be normal for her- just like some people may have a deviated septum or other imperfection, it's possible your snake does too. And maybe it's just enough to trap water or debris that make the sounds?

    Sorry that you're still seeing a tiny bit of blood when she defecates- that's a really stubborn issue, unusually-so. I agree that your vet can best help you if it continues. I was hoping it would have been all cleared up by now.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 07-14-2021 at 05:59 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    Albert Clark (02-02-2022),aurum (07-14-2021)

  9. #45
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-15-2019
    Posts
    128
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 156 Times in 81 Posts
    Images: 1
    After updating my vet they recommended another exam to try and figure out what else might be going on since the panacur wasn't working for her. They were very booked up, so the soonest I was able to take her there was yesterday.
    She did well on her physical exam and instead of any further testing we decided to first try a new medication. My vet's theory is that the pinworms showing up in her fecal may actually be rodent pinworms from her food and are not what's affecting her, so the idea is that the new medication might be able to target something bacterial or parasitic that is not being reported on the standard fecal and could be the actual cause of her symptoms. The med is metronidazole/flagyl, and if this treatment doesn't work either our next step is a more in-depth fecal (I think he called it a fecal smear) that should hopefully reveal more about what's going on in her GI tract.
    0.1 Speckled Kingsnake

  10. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to aurum For This Useful Post:

    Albert Clark (02-02-2022),Bogertophis (09-25-2021)

  11. #46
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,183
    Thanks
    28,085
    Thanked 19,740 Times in 11,797 Posts

    Re: Small amount of blood after defecating

    Quote Originally Posted by aurum View Post
    After updating my vet they recommended another exam to try and figure out what else might be going on since the panacur wasn't working for her. They were very booked up, so the soonest I was able to take her there was yesterday.
    She did well on her physical exam and instead of any further testing we decided to first try a new medication. My vet's theory is that the pinworms showing up in her fecal may actually be rodent pinworms from her food and are not what's affecting her, so the idea is that the new medication might be able to target something bacterial or parasitic that is not being reported on the standard fecal and could be the actual cause of her symptoms. The med is metronidazole/flagyl, and if this treatment doesn't work either our next step is a more in-depth fecal (I think he called it a fecal smear) that should hopefully reveal more about what's going on in her GI tract.
    Good choice- I've used Flagyl in the past, it's pretty safe & effective- I sure hope this takes care of her lingering issue.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    aurum (09-27-2021)

  13. #47
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-15-2019
    Posts
    128
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 156 Times in 81 Posts
    Images: 1

    Re: Small amount of blood after defecating

    Huge breakthrough today!
    To summarize the past few weeks: we did the flagyl treatment, and it went better than the panacur in that she had no weird reaction to it, but it still didn’t solve the problem of blood specks. We then did a fecal float, but that didn’t show any parasites that would need treatment, so my vet recommended we come in for blood work and/or crypto testing which is what we went in for today.
    During her exam though they actually found what looks like the true cause of her issue. One of the scent glands in her cloaca (the ones that produce musk) is enlarged and inflamed, and any sort of abrasion makes it bleed slightly.
    So it seems like her GI tract is just fine and the specks of blood are coming from when her stool passes over that scent gland.
    We are still checking bloodwork and now cytology to see if the mass is cancerous, and it’s likely this will end with getting her scent glands surgically removed, but it’s still such a relief to finally know what’s going on.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    0.1 Speckled Kingsnake

  14. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to aurum For This Useful Post:

    Albert Clark (02-02-2022),Bogertophis (11-20-2021)

  15. #48
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,183
    Thanks
    28,085
    Thanked 19,740 Times in 11,797 Posts
    Wow, that really took some doing to finally figure this out. Makes total sense- it was so frustrating to keep putting her thru medications & their side effects. It's a very rare issue, & even if the tissue found isn't currently cancerous, it might still be best to remove it to prevent that possibility, or further abrasion that could cause a lot more bleeding suddenly (like if she swallowed a bit of something she couldn't digest, the bleeding might be severe from trying to pass it). You're a great owner for sticking with this to get to the bottom of the mystery, & to your vet also.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  16. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    Albert Clark (02-02-2022),aurum (11-23-2021)

  17. #49
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-15-2019
    Posts
    128
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 156 Times in 81 Posts
    Images: 1

    Re: Small amount of blood after defecating

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Wow, that really took some doing to finally figure this out. Makes total sense- it was so frustrating to keep putting her thru medications & their side effects. It's a very rare issue, & even if the tissue found isn't currently cancerous, it might still be best to remove it to prevent that possibility, or further abrasion that could cause a lot more bleeding suddenly (like if she swallowed a bit of something she couldn't digest, the bleeding might be severe from trying to pass it). You're a great owner for sticking with this to get to the bottom of the mystery, & to your vet also.
    Thank you! And yes, it took a lot of trial and error and vet bills, but it's all worth it now. I'm honestly just glad it's something fixable--my vet has even performed this specific surgery before, so I'm pretty hopeful that everything will turn out alright. Another thing to be happy about this is that my vet cleared her to go back to her normal setup with loose substrate and decor, so she can get back to burrowing and climbing after all these months
    0.1 Speckled Kingsnake

  18. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to aurum For This Useful Post:

    Albert Clark (02-02-2022),Bogertophis (11-23-2021)

  19. #50
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,183
    Thanks
    28,085
    Thanked 19,740 Times in 11,797 Posts

    Re: Small amount of blood after defecating

    Quote Originally Posted by aurum View Post
    Thank you! And yes, it took a lot of trial and error and vet bills, but it's all worth it now. I'm honestly just glad it's something fixable--my vet has even performed this specific surgery before, so I'm pretty hopeful that everything will turn out alright. Another thing to be happy about this is that my vet cleared her to go back to her normal setup with loose substrate and decor, so she can get back to burrowing and climbing after all these months
    That's wonderful news- especially that your vet has done this surgery before too. I would think that after the surgery though, she'll be on paper towels for a little while again? When are you having it done?
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

Page 5 of 8 FirstFirst 12345678 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1