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Re: Will my python ever recover?
 Originally Posted by leosantare
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Yesterday, 4/11 I noticed she pooped a little bit and that she was still trying to go. I also noticed her body was swollen by her vent and it felt like there was a rock in there. I soaked her in warm water and tried gently massaging the area to help her go but I didn't have any luck.
I reached out to my vet today and showed a picture of the swollen area. They told me to bring her in asap rather than next week. I bought her in today and they did an xray. They think it's either a messed up egg or poop. They also think this is a life threatening emergency. They thing the redness on her underside is due to sepsis and I think it's because she is going into another shed, her skin is loose around the neck again.
They want me to drop her off first thing tomorrow morning to perform an enema which requires full anesthesia.
They already started her on the following medications,
Ceftiofur
Enclosed
Metronidazole
Today's visit cost me $900! and tomorrow will cost me $1500!
Should I have the enema done tomorrow?
Can this really be caused by feeding her 2 large rats one time?
I thought I felt a small area by her vent about a month ago that felt hard. I'm thinking maybe this started a while ago and not it's gotten much worse.
Can this explain the poor activity level these past few months and with the weight loss?
I first reached out to this forum asking if it's okay to feed again if the snake hasn't defecate and was told it's okay. I never fed her sooner than every 10 days and only fed her the 2 rats the one time.
Yes, I'd absolutely listen to the vet on this. And yes, this might explain some of the subtle changes you've been noticing. You'd be pretty uncomfortable too if you couldn't pass waste. This is something you should routinely & very gently feel around for above your snake's vent (& higher up ventrally, for any odd lumps & bumps) particularly if you think something may be wrong. Not to make a big thing of it, but when you're handling- pay attention.
Urate stones are not that rare (you never notice them if they're small enough for the snake to expel normally) but sometimes a snake will form a urate "stone" that's just too large to expel without help. I don't think it has much to do with feeding 2 rats at the same meal, although that's inadvisable anyway for other reasons. (And rats have very thick fur that's hard to digest, which if combined with some dehydration, could promote constipation- though it's not common.)
Snakes are fed all the time before they defecate from the most recent meal- there's nothing unusual about that. (Are you really trying to blame the forum for your snake's problem?) Many years ago, I had an old rattlesnake (given to me very late in her life- she was a "zoo surplus" animal) that formed several "stones" (aka "cloacaliths") which she needed help to pass- she was just fine after that. You want to make extra sure to keep this snake well hydrated in the future, but hopefully this is just a one-time thing. Also, more activity on your snake's part helps to "keep things moving"- another reason to add enrichment to her home- plus, more activity promotes better muscle tone.
But as your vet said, it's not even yet known IF this is a urate stone? It might also be a slug egg that was retained- you'll find out soon enough. Snakes are living creatures like the rest of us- and some things just "happen". I sure HOPE the pink tinge on her underside isn't sepsis- no way to know "from here" either. All the best- please do let us know the outcome (no pun intended).
Last edited by Bogertophis; 04-12-2023 at 11:55 PM.
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” ~ Gandhi
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