scale rot :-( HELP ASAP, vet havent helped

[angllady2]

Good grief, that poor baby!

I do not know the situation entirely. But I will hit on a few points. It is entirely possible his heat mat went haywire, they do not last indefinitely and if it is 10 years old, it could need replacing.

You say the heat pad felt barely warm to you, but since your body temp is around 98, if it's warm to you, it's hot enough to burn him.

Burns need different treatment than scale rot. You wouldn't treat a severe burn on yourself with the same medicine you'd treat athlete's foot with.

I'm hesitant to recommend you continue the soaks, I am NOT a vet, but it seems to me keeping it dry is a better idea.

I still think you should see a different vet. The one you went to said it could be fungus, bacteria, or something else, but did no cultures or tests to find out what it might be ? I'd want a vet to tell me exactly what that is, what caused it, and how to treat it.

If that is a burn, which I suspect it is, it can easily get that bad that fast. Ever had a really bad burn, or seen pictures of one ? They go from looking not so serious to looking like death in a few days as the skin blisters and peels away. Keep your appointment with the new vet, and please let us know how he's doing.

Also, whether or not you do replace the heat mat, if you do not already have one, invest in a thermostat to control it. Some mats claim they only reach a certain temperature, but they are not always accurate, and can easily burn a snake.

Gale