Osteoarthrosis

[RhacGurl]

Hi ssnakess,
I have recently adopted a RTB in may of this year. She presented signs that she may have had IBD. She had trouble moving, would not grip and would not eat. For a few months I worried and tried to decide what to do because she never star gazed. Several people told me to "freeze" her and protect my other snakes. (she was/still is in quarantine)

Finally I decided I couldn't just cull her and brought her in to Dr. Mertz at Odd Pet Vet at the New England Wildlife Center. He diagnosed her with Osteoarthrosis. Basically this means her spine is fusing. I have been working with a holistic vet and doing research on this condition. I was wondering if anyone out there could point me in any direction with this. We would like to figure out if we can treat it similarly to osteoarthritis. She has trouble eating because her neck is kinked severely and I worry without treatment she will not live much longer. She has had two small meals in the last six months. I presume it is painful for her to wrap and swallow but she is hungry.

Today I took Xrays and there is not a lot of visible growth on the spine. It makes me believe she is arthritic. Since she was an adoption animal I do not have an extensive history. I was told she was in hurricane Katrina and she is roughly four years old. I am not sure how true that this is. For all I know she could have lived in a shoebox under a kids bed in New England for her whole life. Since Osteoarthrosis can end up being fatal (because they can not eat) and I work for a veterinarian I have a unique opportunity to try and treat her without spending a ton of money. I dream of a long happy life for this girl and she is a fighter.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, not just by me, but by her as well!

[Kera]

My friend has a baby dumerils, and it sounds like she has the same exact thing. He went to a reptile expo, his mom told him "don't bring home a snake" but instead he bought a snake, the runt and cute one of the litter. Of course, that was a bad move as she hasn't eaten the whole time he's had her and she's been staying at my boyfriends house. Good luck with your girl<3

[desipooh.12]

Wow I didn't know that can happen to snakes,
I mean its susceptible to them as to us..
Hope she pulls thru..
What about force feeding?

[Starbuck]

Are you doing anything for pain management in the snake? If its so painful that she cant even eat i think that starts bringing up a lot of ethical questions about quality of life. :/
What is the treatment plan you guys have come to?

[formica]

sounds to me like there is only one option which will stop her suffering - as you work for a vet, you should use the least painful method available, rather than methods that people use when they do not have access to the right medicines.

[ErikBush97]

Hey, Buddy. I really really hope there's an easy solution for this and your snake is okay!!! Please keep us updated. I really hope you don't loose her :(

[RhacGurl]

My friend has a baby dumerils, and it sounds like she has the same exact thing. He went to a reptile expo, his mom told him "don't bring home a snake" but instead he bought a snake, the runt and cute one of the litter. Of course, that was a bad move as she hasn't eaten the whole time he's had her and she's been staying at my boyfriends house. Good luck with your girl<3

Dumeril's Boas are TOUGH to get feeding if you are not familiar! Please refer him to this web forum and show him threads related to feeding them. They need time to settle in and some unique set of circumstances to feed. What is wrong with my snake is more than likely totally different! She has a genetic condition that is fusing her bones together and that causes problems when she swallows.

Is your boyfriend familiar with this species? My baby's took a while to get interested in feeding after I took them home. Now they are voracious eaters!

[RhacGurl]

Wow I didn't know that can happen to snakes,
I mean its susceptible to them as to us..
Hope she pulls thru..
What about force feeding?

Maybe using a pump because it has to be liquefied.. but if it comes to that point I will probably put her down.
If I force her and it is solid that will not work. The issue is her spine at the base of her skull. The bones are fused together and kinked.

This is not a condition that will disappear but there is hope that she can be maintained through treatment.

[RhacGurl]

Are you doing anything for pain management in the snake? If its so painful that she cant even eat i think that starts bringing up a lot of ethical questions about quality of life. :/
What is the treatment plan you guys have come to?

She can eat, though if she wraps in a certain manner she will drop the food item. We hope through treatment we will be able to loosen up her spine and relieve the pain.

Our plan so far is adding the homeopathic arthritis treatment Zeel to her water, laser therapy, and acupuncture (yes you can do acupuncture on reptiles).

[RhacGurl]

sounds to me like there is only one option which will stop her suffering - as you work for a vet, you should use the least painful method available, rather than methods that people use when they do not have access to the right medicines.

I'm really not sure what you are suggesting here

[Starbuck]

I'm not familiar with zeel, but have you discussed or researched any modern anti inflammatories or pain relievers to use in conjunction with your holistic plan? I am aware you can use accupuncture in reptiles, but I am wondering a) what resources your very is using to determine the correct sites (how does he know where the sites on a snake are in order for treatment to be effective? ) and b) what our how are you scoring the effectiveness of the treatment? How are you going to quantify her pain, And the effectiveness of treatment?

Im intrigued, not attacking. I am currently in vet school and would like to learn more about this and its effectiveness in order to answer my future clients questions etc

[ErikBush97]

Here's this in case you didn't know :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhYtSpb7giI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Zoo Nanny]

Have you thought of contacting other exotic vets or Tufts exotic clinic to see what they are using for pain management. I've seen accupuncture and accupressure used on animals(mammals) with good results, hopefully you will find it works well for your snake.

[RhacGurl]

I'm not familiar with zeel, but have you discussed or researched any modern anti inflammatories or pain relievers to use in conjunction with your holistic plan? I am aware you can use accupuncture in reptiles, but I am wondering a) what resources your very is using to determine the correct sites (how does he know where the sites on a snake are in order for treatment to be effective? ) and b) what our how are you scoring the effectiveness of the treatment? How are you going to quantify her pain, And the effectiveness of treatment?

Im intrigued, not attacking. I am currently in vet school and would like to learn more about this and its effectiveness in order to answer my future clients questions etc

According to my Herp vet the condition does not cause pain to the animal when resting. He actually had told me that the condition does not cause pain at all. But she presents as painful when her head is touched and the way she spits out her food.

As far as the acupuncture goes, I am not trained in any way to answer this question. That would be better directed to the vet I am working with. Her treatment is currently being researched by Dr. Janet Ross. She has experience working with other herps. She's worked with an american alligator and iguanas. I understand a snake is very different. She plans on gathering charts and does use instinct to feel for points. I am hoping she responds to laser therapy as well. Here is an excellent article I found on laser therapy use in herps. Confessions of a Therapy Laser Neophyte (http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-education-series/confessions-of-a-therapy-laser-neophyte.aspx)

No worries. I am looking for information on the condition itself as it is extremely rare. I am learning more about it from research in humans and horses than in herps unfortunately. I am concerned that my herp vet may have diagnosed her and there could be other aspects to her condition I do not understand.

I have not gotten to the point where pain management has been addressed. We are in the very initial stages of treatment. That is why I am looking for advice or anyone else who is familiar with osteoarthrosis.

I would like to mention that osteoarthrosis is not osteoarthRITIS or osteoPOROSIS.

[Starbuck]

nothing showed up in your link.

[RhacGurl]

Have you thought of contacting other exotic vets or Tufts exotic clinic to see what they are using for pain management. I've seen accupuncture and accupressure used on animals(mammals) with good results, hopefully you will find it works well for your snake.

I am working with an exotic vet. He told me there is no pain associated with osteoarthrosis. It is not osteoporosis nor is it osteoarthritis according to him. I do not agree with him that she is not in pain which is why I have taken steps to treat her alternatively and why I am seeking help here for information about this condition.

I am not opposed to conventional pain management, I have not gotten to that point in her treatment yet. Although there is a great section in the Merick manual that recommends various drugs to use with herps. Her condition is not dire yet. It has the potential to wreak havoc on her in the near future.

Thank you everyone for your questions. I really hope I can find more information about the condition itself.

[RhacGurl]

nothing showed up in your link.

<a href="http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-education-series/confessions-of-a-therapy-laser-neophyte.aspx"></a>