Administering Meds :(

[Zuma22]

Took one of my babies to the vet today and long story short, after xrays and enemas galore, she was prescribed some meds for the next two weeks. I just gave her today's dose and I'm wondering if you guys have learned any tricks for making it a little less stressful for them? She's only 90 grams and shy to begin with, so she's had a rough day and shoving all this crap down her throat to top it off was not particularly fun for her. I took so much work to get her eating and she's so skinny, I hope she'll continue to eat with no issue. She's going wobble crazy with all the stress Anyway, enough sobbing ...please let me know what you can suggest.

So far, I've just been coaxing her mouth open with the tip of the syringe and aiming to the side down her throat...she is so tiny, it's even hard to see her trachea clearly.

Thank you Fingers crossed for some serious pooping soon!!

[satomi325]

You don't have to open her mouth all the way. Just tilt her head slightly. Then peel up her upper lip and squirt along her lower gum line. It's less intrusive.

Since reptiles have such slow metabolism, oral meds aren't that effective. Ask the vet for injectables. Injecting directly into the muscle is more effective and faster reacting.



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[I-KandyReptiles]

You don't have to open her mouth all the way. Just tilt her head slightly. Then peel up her upper lip and squirt along her lower gum line. It's less intrusive.

Since reptiles have such slow metabolism, oral meds aren't that effective. Ask the vet for injectables. Injecting directly into the muscle is more effective and faster reacting.



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x2

Injecting the meds will be a lot easier and less stressful (IMO).

[RoseyReps]

I'm curious as to what the vet prescribed and what the diagnoses was/why you were worried about her/taking her to the vet? No biggie, I was just interested in why // what

[Zuma22]

I've had her for a little over a month now (got her from Petco super emaciated and terrified of everything...couldn't leave the store without her). Got her eating several times, but hasn't pooped at all. In the past week, the area above her vent has become hard and I was worried she was backed up/impacted. Several warm soaks were unsuccessful. Vet took xrays, gave her 2 enemas, and panacur for potential parasites. The meds I'm giving her now are Flagyl and Lactulose.

Unfortunately, injectables are not an option at the moment. The vet is just leaving for the next week, so this will have to do until then , although I agree it seems counterproductive to prescribe oral meds for an animal with incredibly low metabolism. I'm doing what I can on an incredibly tight budget . I will try just lifting her upper lip tomorrow.

Thank you

[satomi325]

Honestly, I think your snake is fine. If she hasn't pooped, she will on her own time. Sausage butt is an indicator that she will poo soon.

My snakes poop once a month or less. They feed once a week. If your little snake didn't have any food in her when you got her, then she would have nothing to defecate until you fed her. And her new meals are probably still processing or almost ready to come out.

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[Zuma22]

Honestly, I think your snake is fine. If she hasn't pooped, she will on her own time. Sausage butt is an indicator that she will poo soon.

My snakes poop once a month or less. They feed once a week. If your little snake didn't have any food in her when you got her, then she would have nothing to defecate until you fed her. And her new meals are probably still processing or almost ready to come out.

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My normal seems to only poo when he sheds every 5-6 weeks or so, so I realize that a month without pooping is not out of the ordinary (although the vet was appalled when I said this and was adamant that if they aren't pooping weekly with each meal, then something is wrong...) but given that she felt so hard for a while and never had a sausage butt, I was worried. I posted another thread asking advice on what to do and I got the advice to take her to the vet, so I did.

My question for you, then, is at what point do you think not pooping becomes an issue? At what point do you worry your snake is constipated and do something about it? That is information I have found difficult to attain, so I would value your opinion.

EDIT: right now, my concern is her stress level, the vet wants to see her again tomorrow, and will probably want to do another enema if she hasn't pooped by then. I'm not sure the stress of all of this on such a little snake is worth it and I don't want her to go off feed again. I just don't think it's fair to her to subject her to this. If anything I'll ask for injectable meds tomorrow since the vet is seeing me right before she leaves, I think that and then just waiting might be the best thing.

Sorry for long response, but I'm just trying to do what's best for her with so much conflicting information out there.

[RoseyReps]

(although the vet was appalled when I said this and was adamant that if they aren't pooping weekly with each meal, then something is wrong...)

That, is a major red flag to me from your vet. Not saying there isn't something wrong with the little worm, but an exotics vet should have a clue about bowel movements. Especially little ones who are using up most of their meals to grow...

I'm sorry I don't have any information for you

Just out of curiosity, how long has this hardness been there? Did you hatch her and has she had it since then? The reason I ask is this (I'm not sure how long a snake can survive with it, so it may be irrelevant )

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hon-hatchlings

I'm not suggesting you do what Robyn did, as that can be very very dangerous. But it might be worth mentioning if your little one is rather young. (as I said, this might be something that kills offspring quickly, as I am unfamiliar with it personally, I cannot say for sure. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can chime in)

[Zuma22]

RoseyReps, she is about 6 months old, I got her from Petco in bad condition and she was 76g when i got her. She's up to 90g, but obviously, she hasn't pooed that out, so I don't have an empty weight.

Believe me, this did raise a red flag to me as well. Vet said they absolutely should have a bowel movement within 3-5 days of eating. I have worked with snakes of all sizes for years now and know that is rarely the case. She also flipped when she learned that I do not have a UV lamp on her. I was handed the generic snake care sheet packed with misinformation and sent on my way with several comments from multiple staff about what I knowledgeable and husbandry-savvy snake owner I am.........

But in terms of the blockage in the thread you sent me, the coloring on my girl is such that I can see through her when held to the light and there is definitely poo in there, so I don't think this is the issue, but glad to know of this issue when I breed in the coming years.

[Greekinese]

I'm a new bp owner (today actually) and everything I've read is that they don't need UV, so it's interesting the vet was surprised about the lack of UV lighting.

The bp's that people keep in racks with no lighting seem just fine.
They're nocturnal animals who are underground in the wild, so lack of UV shouldn't be an issue.

You know that & everyone on here does too, it's strange the vet flipped out...