Thoughts on Ralph Davis' newest controversial youtube video?

[muddoc]

Muddoc, while I am truly sorry the vet didn't agree to do the surgery, do you understand there is a reason WHY he refused to give you a suture kit? Because you are not QUALIFIED nor TRAINED to do surgery. If it were that easy, sterile sutures kits would be available in the local pet store or CVS!

If you had a dog that you felt needed surgery and the vet declined due to the fact the surgery may not work or the dog could suffer more, would you take the dog home and do it yourself?

Even if snakes do not feel pain in the sense that we do, I am willing to bet the feel something. There was a gentleman here who posted of a snake being chewed by a mouse left in the cage. Just about EVERYONE stated this guy should have taken the snake to the vet and some were pretty nasty in how they said it. How is THIS any different? Just because the guy breeds them? He is STILL not a vet!

Again, just because this proceedure done the way he did it worked doesn't make it right. Even if it worked out well 9 of 10 times, the one time that a snake gets an infection due to lack of sterility and proper techniques by someone following his video is one time to many. And thus, irresponsible to show it.

Muddoc, you say this happened to you this past Sat. I truly truly wish you and your snake all the best! However, if you find that tomorrow this snake has a very bad life threating infection, would you STILL agree that what he did was right in HOW he did it ( I am NOT arguing that the snake should not have been saved, just saved by a qualified vet)?

Please keep us updated on your snakes progress and please post pics as well of your sutures on him/her.

Actually the reason the Vet would not sell me a Suture Kit, was because there is always a chance that I am housing a fugative that is injured, and I am trying to aide him in his evasion from the law. That is the actual reason. It has nothing to do with the fact that I am or am not trained in using a Suture Kit, which at this point I am still unsure how you know if I am or not. Lastly, while Suture Kits are not available at CVS, they are readily available at most "Feed" stores and are not regulated.

p.s. I have since obtained 2 suture kits, in the event that I need to use one again with no chance of getting help.

In regards to your last question, I have attached a link to the story of my similar situation. It did not happen this Saturday, I just said on a Saturday. This actually happened to me over 3 years ago. I will preface by saying that I was not wearing gloves in my photos either, and I will not defend myself against it. I was clean and sterilized everythig as best as I could. The snake did not get an infection, and I am glad I could intervene when I had the chence.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ighlight=Grace

I am not saying that I don't understand your argument, nor am I saying I disagree. However, this industry was almost completely underground not that long ago, and the sharing of knowledge is what helped many of the older herpers to keep their animals healthy, alive and thriving in capitivity.

I agree. And with the farm stories, while you weren't a vet, you had the experience. I think Brokn's concern is more that the INEXPERIENCED herper would attempt this, not having the knowledge necessary to handle the situation. I don't want to put words in his mouth, but that was how I understood his posts.

Once again, I am not trying to be argumentative, but how do you think the EXPERIENCED herper got experience. Somewhere along the line, the best surgeon in the world performed surgery for the first time. One only gains experience in one way: by doing. I am not condoning the practice of advanced husbrandry to someone that is not comfortable with what they are doing, but if you think you can be successful at something new, I say give it a shot, as it will always be an experiece builder.