Skin split as she swallowed...

[Mark Jones]

Remember my BCI with the RI and all the other issues? WEll she's been doing great. Eating a couple of big fuzzies or a hopper at each feeding. Folks here had been on me to feed her larger mice rather than multiples. Tonight we bought her a rat pup. It was smaller than a grown mouse and only slightly larger than a hopper.

She killed it clean and worked it down fine - until it was completely swallowed and two inches past the back of her head. (She is 22 1/2 inches long.) Then it happened....

Her skin split open right down the centerline of her spine for a length of 4 inches!!!!! It shows clean pink "meat" underneath with NO bleeding. She was due for a shed, but hadn't gone 'milky' yet. Her humidity and temp has been PERFECT for months getting checked daily.

If you've followed this story you know I've gone to all lengths to save this snake that I bought as a sick neo. What should I do? Is it time to consign her to the freezer? I'd hate to do that with all the time, money, and LOVE that has been expended to this point. Has anyone EVER seen this happen before?:confused:

[Derrick]

That really doesn't sound good. Sorry to hear about the trouble. I dont have any advice.

[emkovar]

I have had this happen to long time non feeding corns taking there first meals (them being sooooo small and skinny and even the smallest pinky i could find toooo big). Anyway because it is just a split in the skin i consulted with a veterinarian and he prescribed an ointment to apply to the area. Also while the wound is healing feed extremly small prey items no thicker than the area that was split or don't feed at all.
After the following shed the wound healed up and the snake has been fine ever since.
I would recomend talking to a vet and seeing what he would prescribe for you.

[greenman1867]

Don't give up, emkovar has the right idea, she will heal, try to stay positive, as hard as that is in these situations.

Shawn

[VI Reptiles Snr]

Dont have any advice but dont give up and it will be ok!!
Good luck

[Katt]

Originally posted by Mark Jones
Folks here had been on me to feed her larger mice rather than multiples.

Well that was advise gone bad.

Multiple meals are better, especially for an animal that is doing poorly.

Skin splitting is due to malnutrition. Buy some polysporin and NuSkin or any liquid bandage, dab the wound with a bit of polysporin. Then if you can, squeeze the edges of the skin together and paint the wound with the liquid bandage, hold til it dries, the bandage will keep the skin together and help her heal.

Only feed her tiny little meals until she has shed once for you. The skin will reknit and she will probably end up with a scar.

I had this happen to me with a non-feeding burmese.

Best of luck to you.

[Mark Jones]

I'm wondering if hse's really gonna make it. I've had her to the vet several times, had her wormed three times, force feeding, antibiotics, skin salves, fluid injections, twice a week feedings. I won't talk about the money spent, but it is signifigant for a disabled vet with three kids and a bunch of other beast to feed and care for.

And despite all we've done she is still malnourished?? I'm thinking this is a case of "failure to thrive".

I'm also considering strangling the breeder next month when he comes back to Mobile to sell more sick snakes!

[augerdvm]

the split needs to be sutured shut to allow it to heal Mark. Ive done this without sedation as the skin has little nerves in it.

You need to decrease the size of prey ang just feed her moreoften...dont wnat to stretch the skin any more than necessary.

You need to put an antibiotic salve on the skin as well to keep it moist and prevent infection from seeping in .

Daren Auger DVM

[Gillards]

I have never seen or heard of this.
It goes to show you never stop learning something new every day!
Lorraine

[Stockwell]

Lorraine, it's new to me as well.. I'd like to see a photo of this. Snake skin is highly elastic. In my experience they always regurge before any skin splitting occurs.

[Paleosuchus]

If i had heard about this anywhere else i would have argued it down to nothing, never heard of this aswell. Best of luck with the animal,
Jason

[Katt]

There's some good pics of skin splitting in the "What's Wrong with my Snake?" book, a boa and ball python are pictured.

Not nice.

Something is wrong with your boa, and perhaps whatever is wrong with it is causing it to not uptake the nutrition it should be getting from what food it is intaking.

[Gary D.]

My very first boa was very thin and emaciated, and did similar on his first meal, but not to that extent that inner flesh was exposed. It was mor likely in my case that he was too weak and emaciated to shed properly initially.

Anyway, another product that seems really benneficial for open lesions and cuts on herps is the liquid bandaid. It will not act as a suture in any means by holding the wound closed, but does prevent infection, is flexible and will not come off with activity. An asset to any herper's medicine cabinet.

[Linds]

Originally posted by Gillards
I have never seen or heard of this.
It goes to show you never stop learning something new every day!


Ditto that! Good luck with whatever happens, I'm sorry you've had such a tough run with her. Sometimes everything possible just isn't enough :(

[Mark Jones]

We take comfort in our vet saying she wishes everyone would try as hard as we do with all of our animals. She said that even the wealthy won't spend a dime on exotics feeling they are not as "worthy" as dogs and cats. Then she offered us an iguana rescue.

That felt good, believe me. (It's a shame we aren't set up for iguanas yet...)

We all hope Midgard will survive, but the poor beast has been through a lot. I'll keep you posted. BTW: All is as well as possible at the moment.

[RB420]

Mark i dont kno what to tell you except you are a genuinly great person. I hate to say it but iwould never be able to go to the extents you have to try and nurse a pet back to health....not for lack of caring or patients but lack of funds. You are truely a man who loves his pets! i wish you and all of your animals the very best. please keep us posted on the situation

[chas*e]

Polysporin is the answer and hope for the best..if it is a deep split then buy some #4 sutures and sew it up...get some help to do this but keep it clean ..paper towel the enclosure ..no substrate

[Mark Jones]

Just the skin split. We've used an polysporin spray and then closed the wound using a liquid Band-Aid. Believe it or not, she seems to still be quite active. Just saw her go to her water for a drink moments ago.

As soon as possible we are going to have another fecal float done. There has to be something wrong, like a tough parasite, (tapeworm maybe?), that is causing her to be so slow at growing and to have weak skin. She eats tons and has been de-wormed twice. Still, has to be something...

[ravensgait]

Have to take my hat off to you that's for sure.

I hate to say it but from what you've said it could be an organ problem IE heart or Liver. Happens at times in all animals that for whatever reason one of the organs just doesn't work right or grow properly. Had a little BRB that out grew his heart, he was never quit right but when he hit 3 and a half months he just went down hill fast. The animal just doesn't seem to thrive... Hope I'm wrong about your little one. If your Vet has a sonogram and doesn't charge to much for it have them take a look.


Randy

[Mark Jones]

I had wondered if that was possible... I've had Dobermans, back when we bred them, that would sometimes just not make it no matter what. I had a necropsy(sp?) done ion one and it was a mal-formed liver.

It very well could be that...

BTW: She'd going downhill a bit now. We'll not give up just yet though.