Hyokenseisou
05-26-14, 12:11 AM
So a few months ago, I got my prized albino boy back from a friend who was using him for breeding. It was his first time breeding, so I think that got him excited. Since then, he had been banging his nose up against the locks in his enclosure, trying to sniff out my females (no, he cannot see them, blocking his view won't help, it's the actual locks inside the cage doing damage) and I guess that knocked some fangs which later got infected.
Seeing the little bump not go down and now a little bit of the classic 'cheese' start to appear, I started to worry a bit. Took him to another friend that treats minor mouth rot all the time on his boas, found all the loose fangs and extracted those.
After extracting the fangs, he looked a little better, but then started to look a little worse, probably because he now had an open wound in his mouth for bacteria to have a party. Called up my local specialist vet and am going that route instead of the 'home remedy' way.
Well, back from the vet today, and $250 and 6 different medication stuffs later, I now am starting my first case of (relatively minor) mouth rot and thought I'd document the journey for those who have yet to come across it, just so you get an idea of what you might have to deal with. I knew it was only a matter of time I'd have to deal with a case of this at some point. And frankly, I think 4/5 years without a vet visit/any issues is pretty decent (and for something minor-ish too, I just rather be safe than sorry). This is definately not a terrible case of mouth rot, and am quite confident that he'll heal up with ease.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/q83/s720x720/1907653_469757559824718_1273133744837484353_n.jpg
This is a pic of him just under a week ago, before the visit. I had just pulled out a big chunk of pus between his gum and lip (that's why there's a hole now). His face was decently swollen because of the pressure the pus was creating. The foaminess is because I had just cleaned the area with some peroxide.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/q82/s720x720/10366293_468342639966210_7335133626747457426_n.jpg
This is the larger chunk of pus I pulled. There was various other bits too as you can see.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/q77/s720x720/10271620_469757576491383_2191714330712332533_n.jpg
Not much in this, just him chilling at the vet today.
After the visit, I walked away with a supplement booster, pain meds (oral injection), antibiotics (needle injections), betadine and F10 solutions to flush and clean mouth and nose, and a cream to help with some bum scales (unrelated, just some scarring scales from old scrapes). All the injections I need to do every 3 days, and the flushing everyday. It certainly will be decent amount of work over a long time.
A lot of people buy reptiles without thinking - "What if they get sick?" They require vet visits just as much as a sick mammal would. They are not disposable. Just because a normal boa might cost you $40 bucks, doesn't make it any less inclined to the best care as a dog would. And I really try to stress this on people when they're buying reptiles - because their vet bills cost more, as well as they take a really long time to heal; so if something seems wrong, get them help asap! because they are so good at showing their illnesses until it's too late.
The cost I paid for my snakes range from $40 to $500, and some people spend even more than that. I'm not rich or made of money by any means, but I am prepared to spend what I need to for proper care as I would any of my other pets, be it dog, ferret, or my bird.
It drives me insane when people just flip a snake because it's sick or "I don't have the money to take it to the vet". Well if you don't have money to take it to the vet, then you probably shouldn't have gotten it in the first place, even if the animal itself only costs you $30 bucks.
Anyways, I'll keep you guys updated as he progresses.
He's my most docile snake and he really shocks people at his overly gentle nature. Even with all the poking, prodding, needles, meds, this, that, etc, he still has not shown ANY sign of aggression, not even hissing. He'll sometimes hold on to you a little tighter than normal if you're yanking some pus (cause I mean hey, it can hurt!), but that's about it. I think the most he's done was wiggle his head a little when I bopped him (at his worst a few days ago before getting that big chunk of pus out) - kind of like him saying 'nuuu'. He's such a sweetie and I hope for a speedy recovery from him.
Seeing the little bump not go down and now a little bit of the classic 'cheese' start to appear, I started to worry a bit. Took him to another friend that treats minor mouth rot all the time on his boas, found all the loose fangs and extracted those.
After extracting the fangs, he looked a little better, but then started to look a little worse, probably because he now had an open wound in his mouth for bacteria to have a party. Called up my local specialist vet and am going that route instead of the 'home remedy' way.
Well, back from the vet today, and $250 and 6 different medication stuffs later, I now am starting my first case of (relatively minor) mouth rot and thought I'd document the journey for those who have yet to come across it, just so you get an idea of what you might have to deal with. I knew it was only a matter of time I'd have to deal with a case of this at some point. And frankly, I think 4/5 years without a vet visit/any issues is pretty decent (and for something minor-ish too, I just rather be safe than sorry). This is definately not a terrible case of mouth rot, and am quite confident that he'll heal up with ease.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/q83/s720x720/1907653_469757559824718_1273133744837484353_n.jpg
This is a pic of him just under a week ago, before the visit. I had just pulled out a big chunk of pus between his gum and lip (that's why there's a hole now). His face was decently swollen because of the pressure the pus was creating. The foaminess is because I had just cleaned the area with some peroxide.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/q82/s720x720/10366293_468342639966210_7335133626747457426_n.jpg
This is the larger chunk of pus I pulled. There was various other bits too as you can see.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/q77/s720x720/10271620_469757576491383_2191714330712332533_n.jpg
Not much in this, just him chilling at the vet today.
After the visit, I walked away with a supplement booster, pain meds (oral injection), antibiotics (needle injections), betadine and F10 solutions to flush and clean mouth and nose, and a cream to help with some bum scales (unrelated, just some scarring scales from old scrapes). All the injections I need to do every 3 days, and the flushing everyday. It certainly will be decent amount of work over a long time.
A lot of people buy reptiles without thinking - "What if they get sick?" They require vet visits just as much as a sick mammal would. They are not disposable. Just because a normal boa might cost you $40 bucks, doesn't make it any less inclined to the best care as a dog would. And I really try to stress this on people when they're buying reptiles - because their vet bills cost more, as well as they take a really long time to heal; so if something seems wrong, get them help asap! because they are so good at showing their illnesses until it's too late.
The cost I paid for my snakes range from $40 to $500, and some people spend even more than that. I'm not rich or made of money by any means, but I am prepared to spend what I need to for proper care as I would any of my other pets, be it dog, ferret, or my bird.
It drives me insane when people just flip a snake because it's sick or "I don't have the money to take it to the vet". Well if you don't have money to take it to the vet, then you probably shouldn't have gotten it in the first place, even if the animal itself only costs you $30 bucks.
Anyways, I'll keep you guys updated as he progresses.
He's my most docile snake and he really shocks people at his overly gentle nature. Even with all the poking, prodding, needles, meds, this, that, etc, he still has not shown ANY sign of aggression, not even hissing. He'll sometimes hold on to you a little tighter than normal if you're yanking some pus (cause I mean hey, it can hurt!), but that's about it. I think the most he's done was wiggle his head a little when I bopped him (at his worst a few days ago before getting that big chunk of pus out) - kind of like him saying 'nuuu'. He's such a sweetie and I hope for a speedy recovery from him.