Please help I am scared.

[BallP]

I have had my bp snake for about 4 months now. Around a month ago he was badly burned from a MALFUNCTIONING thermostat. It was an open wound burn on about 35% of his body. I got treatment for him from a vet and after doing different treatments described on here, his next shed was successful. His skin/scales was coming back nicely and he only had a little bit of damages body left. I assumed his next shed would bring him fully healed. I came home from work today and did my daily pull him out to say hello, and I noticed a large red sac hanging from his body. I thought it was something poop related at first but upon close inspection it looked like something from inside of him. I immediately looked it up and it looks like a prolapse. I called local vet hospitals and they want to charge me 150 bucks just to see him... I can no where near afford that right now, and they told me that wouldn't include the treatment. All of the vet offices near me said that they can only do a diagnoses and that they would have to refer me for this specific occurrence. My snake hasn't eaten in around a month live or frozen, and I have been trying to feed him every 5 days since his last feed. His humidity is always at or above 55% with temps 70-80 degrees. I change his newspaper every 4-5 days and clean his tank thoroughly once per month. I am scared for his life and I will not be able to afford a 500 dollar bill. I really do not want his life to end this way. Is there anything I can do to save him? I am going to add pictures now.

[bcr229]

Oh man. He needs a vet with that bad of a prolapse. Until you can get him to one make a paste of sugar and water, and apply it to the prolapse to keep it moist.

Also his temps need to be 75-90*F, not 75-80*F.

[BallP]

I meant ambient temps. He has a hotspot with his heating pad that averages around 90.


Do you know if it is a prolapsed anus, or the other thing that starts with an h. This had to have happened today.

For now I have him in a large ice cream container layered with paper towels that are slightly damp, and have a layer of the sugar/paste mixture. It is the first thing I did when I searched on this site and saw that treatment.

[kitedemon]

That certainly looks like a bad prolapse. In needs to be kept CLEAN!!! and moist.

A vet is your best option.


If the vet is out of reach for what ever reason (cost, distance, closure...) this MAY work, i have never done this nor seen one in person, so I have no experience with such things. I can't say if it will work or cause harm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLn4CmlZK6U

The idea is solid.

[bcr229]

Do you know if it is a prolapsed anus, or the other thing that starts with an h. This had to have happened today.

I think you mean hemipene. And no, that's not a 'pene.

[kitedemon]

It is not a hemipene it appears to be lower intestine.


BallP Best of luck I wish I had more to offer.

[BallP]

It is not a hemipene it appears to be lower intestine.


BallP Best of luck I wish I had more to offer.

Will the fact that it is an intestine change anything?
I have an appointment with a general herp tomorrow. She won't be able to do any surgical procedures, but she can give me advice. ,
I just cannot afford a 500 dollar surgery due to a major financial hardship that happened literally days ago.

I will see if she can do what that man did in the video. I just want him to live. I was thinking about opening up a credit card, but I don't know.

Thank you guys for your help.

[h20hunter]

Ballp...I'm going to say it, may get some flack, but here goes.

You mentioned some hardship lately. I'm sorry you are having a hard go with whatever came up. We all feel for our pets and I'm not any different. I believe we need to do all that we can within our power to provide quality care whether it be a spider, snake, horse, fish, or whatever. However, at some point, you need to ask yourself the hard questions. Talk to the vet about a payment plan before taking out credit cards for large expenses. At a point, in an animals life, it comes time to make the call. I'm not saying its easy, nor am I saying its the right thing to do. That is up to you, NOT me or anyone else. I'm just saying, you need to also worry about yourself and how much sacrifice you can handle. Best of luck to you both and whichever decisions you make.

[BrianDallek]

Not gonna get any flac from me. If it were my snake and i already have the issue with the burn i would 100% end its life. Ive been through this with dogs, cats..... At some point the cost and pain for the animal outways rest. Kill it...have a good cry...and when your ready start over with a new ball python. Just my harsh 2 cents

[kitedemon]

No, sadly if it were a hemipene it would be much easier to deal with, they are fairly small and often sort out themselves.

Do not allow the prolapse to dry out!

This is critical!!! If it dries the chances drop quickly. Good on the appointment, it is the responsible thing to do. The choice of surgery is a tough one, sooner or later everyone is forced to make a hard decision, it isn't only can I pay for the cost of the procedure but partially what is the quality of life and fiscal burden. I know someone who put themselves in debt up to their eyeballs to save an animal. The animal lived and a few weeks later needed a special food that he could no longer afford. Going into debt although on the surface might seem to be right but at a certain point too much debt will also impact upon the animal too. you are the only one who can decide what is reasonable and what is not.

I hope it doesn't come to that and that a mechanical solution can be found. this is often the case, surgery is not always needed.