Administering Meds :(

[darkbloodwyvern]

Your vet doesn't sound like a good BP vet. I would see someone else if you can. I had to give oral meds for sniffles and it sucked, but I did find that lip peeling made it much easier. Don't expect her to eat for the entirety of oral meds. She will be irked and handling her for medication will probably just make her regurgitate anyway. I think if you've only had her over a month, you may just want to soak her and not stress her out by taking her to the vet. She may be absolutely absorbing all the food she can when she eats. Personally, I would finish the rounds of meds (unless they seem to be making her worse) and find another Doctor. This one doesn't know the barest basics of BPs and that is a terrible sign. I've known many vets in my area and gotten local reviews and the animals that did best during medical issues went to Doctors that bothered to (insert sarcasm here please) wikipedia the species they were about to treat. I know it's a stressful job and they often have to see animals they may know very little about. Vet schools don't cover things like tarantulas and exotic bird species in many cases. HOWEVER, balls, boas and corns are pretty common snake pets and the doc really ought to know some minimal amount about them before they treat them. My vet never blinked at "poops every three weeks" about my kids and had a pretty good idea of how much weight a growing snake ought to be gaining. She would occasionally ask a question to confirm 'general behavior' because she knew I've owned them for years and was willing to admit she didn't know everything about them, but she also had a very good understanding of overall herp and overall BP anatomy and basic requirements! A vet doesn't need to know ever single thing about your animal to treat them, but they really do need to know SOMEthing!


I hope this doesn't sound rude or condescending, I just would hate for you and your new girl to go through all this stress for something that might resolve itself, OR be fixed by going to a Doc who knows reptiles!

Also, i forgot to say earlier, try not to be stressed. Your snake will be wigging out and upset, but the calmer you are even if you think you have no idea what you are doing, the better each dosing will go! All that snakes really need is for the medicine to not go down the breathing tube and to be gentle enough not to chip teeth. If you move carefully and decisively, it will be much easier for everyone! Good luck and try not to stress about it.

[kitedemon]

Did the vet give you digital copies of the Xrays? Blockages are rare and obvious on xrays. I have had a snake with a blockage but the vet used the 'rat lax' method as she was still feeding a small amount of mineral oil injected into the FT rat. Fecals should be done to determine parasites.

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My girl is mis-formed birth defect and is complicated to say the least she has had 1000 medical issues. This blockage (not the large white area but the smaller white dots left of the R) the ribs are distended and in person there was a definate lump and behind this a bloated gassy area to the vent felt like a balloon, nothing in there. The blockage was hard and firm and above it normal snake feeling. It is hard to describe but it is clear something is funky. It was not a case of I think this is odd, it was what the heck is that!

[kitedemon]

This is Lucy, she is fine now. Yes a big lump on her head she is missing her eye and has a concave skull (other side) she is a darling and the most passive animal I have ever seen she was born a twin and extra tiny but now 4.5 years later is a feeding tank (skipped 4 meals to date) and over 1400gm she will likely never be big as she was micro small but parasite free and growing well. Sorry I figured you saw the inside you should see her outside.

I too am skeptical of your vet.
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[Zuma22]

My thoughts exactly, darkblood. Thank you so much for your response. I'm going to go with my instinct and all of your suggestions and do what I feel is best for her. I'll keep up the meds as much as she will tolerate, humidity is up, and keeping her warm and comfy.

[Zuma22]

This is Lucy, she is fine now. Yes a big lump on her head she is missing her eye and has a concave skull (other side) she is a darling and the most passive animal I have ever seen she was born a twin and extra tiny but now 4.5 years later is a feeding tank (skipped 4 meals to date) and over 1400gm she will likely never be big as she was micro small but parasite free and growing well. Sorry I figured you saw the inside you should see her outside.

I too am skeptical of your vet.
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Thank you for the pictures...I do not have the digital copy of the X-ray, but honestly to me, it just looked like a bunch of crap just sitting there. What prompted me to bring her was kind of what you described though: above her vent she felt like a balloon filled with gas or urine and then there was the hard area. When I get back to my computer I can post a picture (a bad one, but useful) showing the area through the light where you can clearly see the fecal in there.

And Lucy is gorgeous, what a sweet face . I'm waiting for Ghana to strike at me and tell me she's had enough, but her sweetness so far knows no bounds. I'm completely in love with her.