Boa autopsy -Graphic-

[RandyRhoads]

I opened up my boa and saw this, and was wondering if it could have anything to do with her being sick and not responding to treatments. It was not something I just sliced open and spilled it out in her. It was still frozen and appeared to have congealed inside her, similiar to snakes I find hit by cars. She's never suffered any trauma that I knew about. Her skin was also incredible weak. I've skinned a decent ammount of boas and normally it frees up with alot of torque and pulling, but hers just detereoriated with light tugging. Anyone experienced in this area? Wasn't someone here in vet school...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d86/randy666rhoads/DSCN0741.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d86/randy666rhoads/DSCN0742.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d86/randy666rhoads/DSCN0744.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d86/randy666rhoads/DSCN0747.jpg

[Snakefood]

Not positive as this would be my first view of the inside of the snake.

BUT...

when you can see that greenish color on the belly of a dead snake, I think it is actually the gall bladder leaking bile. I imagine that is what it would look like on the inside???

[RandyRhoads]

But why was it leaking outside of her digestive system into her thoracic cavity?

[KORBIN5895]

First off nice tat. Secondly I love that fillet knife.

As for that nasty spot.... when I worked for a a taxidermist I saw things similar to that quite often in bucks. They would get into fights and get a puncture wound. The wound would heal over but the infection would just fester. A lot of those bucks would carry those infections for q long time. Once I saw a buck that had been shot behind the ear with a broad head. The ball of puss had been there for since the previous bow season which was 9-10 months prior.

[RandyRhoads]

Hmm had her for almost 2 years without anything happening to cause this. Is it possible that's why she was sick and the guy was getting rid of her for 50 bucks? Maybe she just kept getting septic from that?

[KORBIN5895]

Possibly. I know a lot of buck die from infections they get from sparing.

[DeesBalls]

i know nothing of this, but my guess, would be septsis, from whatever that is spilling into her body/ maybe blood stream???

really no clue though just throwing out ideas.

[RandyRhoads]

Maybe that would explain why she would get better with drugs then get sick again. The meds would clear her out enough to stop the RI and oral secretions, but the wound would just fester and put out more bacteria and toxins, creating more RIs and secretions. Just a theory, it would be nice if someone could clarify that, i'd sure feel better.

[DeesBalls]

that makes the best scense to me :)

i should say i am a nursing student/ microbiology major, so i do know a little... i suppose ?

[RandyRhoads]

that makes the best scense to me :)

i should say i am a nursing student/ microbiology major, so i do know a little... i suppose ?

I would hope so!:blink: Snake anatomy is a bit different though, a tracheal lung? How odd...:shocked:

[DeesBalls]

yea, it is a bit odd, but the i guess "functions i suppose are the same..:)

[RandyRhoads]

So my snake had cholecystitis? LOL. Wonder if someone stepped on her, which got her all sick, then they sold her to a sap like me who just kept trying to fix her, with no luck....

[mykee]

You mean necropsy.

[alessia55]

You mean necropsy.

Wow, thanks for your input on the thread, Mykee. :rolleyes:

[RandyRhoads]

You mean necropsy.

Mmm, ok.

Boa necropsys -graphic-


There ya go Mykee. Have you ever seen anything like this, or have any thoughts at all about it?

[KORBIN5895]

Hey now leave mykee be. Look at that golden nugget of information he already gave you!

[Snakefood]

Hey now leave mykee be. Look at that golden nugget of information he already gave you!

I was just thinking the same thing!!:p

[mykee]

Lol!! You guys are awesome.

From the pics you posted, it looks like you punctured the gall bladder with your cutting. Aside from that, possibly an abscess of some sort.

[Snakefood]

Well, we've just learned to NAG an answer from you!!

[RandyRhoads]

Lol!! You guys are awesome.

From the pics you posted, it looks like you punctured the gall bladder with your cutting. Aside from that, possibly an abscess of some sort.

:blink: Thanks. After I saw the weird discoloration around it I cut into it to have a look in some exploratory "necropsy".

[RandyRhoads]

Anyone know if this would be from some sort of trauma? Or is there a chance that the offspring from her will develop and abcess or something similar later in life?

[Snakefood]

abcesses are caused by wounds closing over with bacteria or foriegn matter in them. it is NOT an inheritable condition (if abcess was the COD)

[Will0W783]

Oh no...your boa died? I'm so sorry for your loss. :(

That definitely looks like a septic abscess to me. It could have been caused by an old wound, or some kind of internal organ damage.

[red35]

is this the same one that had the babies a couple of months ago?

[RandyRhoads]

Yes it's the same one.

Kim I decided to put her down, and now i'm glad I did. No wonder she's been sick since I got her.

[insignia100]

Not likely an abscess. Reptiles do not form pus like mammals do. Instead of a liquid, reptiles form inspissated pus (i.e. it is very dry, almost granular).

Now, obviously I'm not a pathologist, much less a reptile pathologist, so take what I say with a grain of salt. It would be really hard to tell what that is with just a picture. It could be the gall bladder, possibly rupturing as a result of freezing and leaking into the coelomic cavity. The darker reddish-brown material could be coagulated blood. Another possibility is pseudomelanosis, which is basically a discoloration of tissues surrounding the GI tract as a result of hydrogen sulfide release from gut bacteria.

Again, I'm no pathologist, and these suggestions are just gross pathologic descriptions which may or may not help lead you to a cause of death. My advice would be to try to find a reptile pathologist that could take a look at the photos and give you their opinion.

[RandyRhoads]

There you are, :) thanks for the reply.