scale rot :-( HELP ASAP, vet havent helped

[mackynz]

2) Gently "scrub" (lightly rub) the area with a veterinary sanitizing scrub like Nolvasan (chlorhex) or Betadine. Try to ease off dead tissue but don't peel it off and cause bleeding. This is done just after the warm bath.

3) After the bath and scrub, apply an antibiotic creme made specifically for burn victims, Silvadene, once a day.

Maybe it is correct, but "scrubbing" would hardly be a word I would want to hear when it comes to removing skin from a severe burn.

[Vasiliki]

Maybe it is correct, but "scrubbing" would hardly be a word I would want to hear when it comes to removing skin from a severe burn.

You should visit the burn ward at a hospital sometime....

Scrubbing might not be the correct term, but removal of dead skin is typically a step in the process of treating a burn. I'm not familiar with treatment of it in snakes, but I am familiar with treatment of 3rd degree burns in humans. It's not the burn that hurts. It's the healing afterwards.

There are so many different approaches to treating burns in snakes. I'll just stay out of it for now, but with the common note to keep the area from getting too dry as it heals. Just like long soaks aren't ideal, neither is drying the area out completely.

[mackynz]

You should visit the burn ward at a hospital sometime....

Scrubbing might not be the correct term, but removal of dead skin is typically a step in the process of treating a burn. I'm not familiar with treatment of it in snakes, but I am familiar with treatment of 3rd degree burns in humans. It's not the burn that hurts. It's the healing afterwards.

There are so many different approaches to treating burns in snakes. I'll just stay out of it for now, but with the common note to keep the area from getting too dry as it heals. Just like long soaks aren't ideal, neither is drying the area out completely.

Aw you mean you can't just dump maggots on it?

[Vasiliki]

Aw you mean you can't just dump maggots on it?

Might work better! If a little creepier, haha. Thankfully, they didn't strap maggots to my arm. Not going to lie, that would've given me the heebie geebies

[OmNomNom]

You should visit the burn ward at a hospital sometime....

Scrubbing might not be the correct term, but removal of dead skin is typically a step in the process of treating a burn. I'm not familiar with treatment of it in snakes, but I am familiar with treatment of 3rd degree burns in humans. It's not the burn that hurts. It's the healing afterwards.

This.

The term you want is "debridement", and is pretty much one of the most painful things you can do to a person. Because yes, "scrubbing" is essentially how it's done, and there's nothing gentle about it. It's also essential for the healing process after a burn. Any dead tissue/skin hanging around is a breeding ground for infection, and it's gotta come off.

....and the maggots used are sterile. Actually quite helpful little buggers, they only eat dead flesh and so leave healthy tissue behind (unlike debridement) and are significantly less painful (unlike debridement). Not sure how a snake would feel about that though....


To the poster who thought the OP was being irresponsible because such conditions don't happen "over-night", you are correct. It wouldn't have taken over-night. Probably only a few minutes on a shorted UTH is all it would take to cause a burn. Irresponsible would have been not noticing it/correcting it/taking the snake to the vet/questioning the vets advice/seeking new advice/vets and taking care of the injured animal. All things the OP has so far done.

[mackynz]

To the poster who thought the OP was being irresponsible because such conditions don't happen "over-night", you are correct. It wouldn't have taken over-night. Probably only a few minutes on a shorted UTH is all it would take to cause a burn. Irresponsible would have been not noticing it/correcting it/taking the snake to the vet/questioning the vets advice/seeking new advice/vets and taking care of the injured animal. All things the OP has so far done.

I can understand the argument that not having a regulated UTH is irresponsible.