Cat attacked my snake....

endless · 02-15-06, 11:44 PM

My cat managed to get into the enclosure today and my poor snake suffered many puncture wounds and scratches. He's been treated by the vet, but there is no reptile specialist in my area, so I wanted to run the treatment by you to see what you think ans if you have any other suggestions.

We had him soaking in betadine solution (diluted) within 5 hours of the incident, followed by covering the worst areas with a 'BioDres' wound dressing (hydrogel) that so far seems to be staying on, amazingly enough. She also gave him an injection of antibiotic (Baytril, I think)

There doesn't seem to be any organ damage or nerve/spinal damage as far as we can tell, but I'm really concerned about infection! Is there anything else I can do?

.derek. · 02-16-06, 07:30 AM

find a reptile vet.buy a proper lid.and when you buy a lid make sure it locks in place or use weights. you should have provided a secure terrarium in the first place for your and the snakes sake.

mmichele · 02-16-06, 07:42 AM

grrrrrrrr thats the reason i hate cats:meddead:

.derek. · 02-16-06, 07:47 AM

it was not the cats fault in any way.it wasnt the snakes fault at all either....that only leaves one person...the person you put the snake in basically a box with no where to go knowing there is a cat (aka a predator) that has access to that unsecure box. in not sorry if i sound harsh as im sure the snake didnt have much choice when it was getting attacked either.

dannyc · 02-16-06, 09:03 AM

I'm always amazed at how many people go out and buy a snake and then don't have a safe and secure place to keep them. I've seen many post where the snakes escape. When using an aquarium it's so simple to get the screen lid and the locking clamps. Custom built is better but you need to have it built before you buy the snake. This was an unfortunate incident but was intirely the owners fault.

If you can't afford to house them properly you can't afford a snake.

endless · 02-16-06, 11:56 AM

Yeah, thanks a lot for the help.....

Derek If you'd actually read my post, you'd have noticed that I mentioned there is no reptile specialist in my area.

As for the enclusure, it is secure and has a locking lid. It is also high off the ground. Unfortunately, the hatch was left open by error. What, you're NEVER made a mistake? I feel ****** enough about it as it is, I don't need a bunch of sanctimonious assholes making me feel worse.

I posted here for information. Obviously a bad choice.

gonesnakee · 02-16-06, 03:59 PM

Your vet appears to have done what wa required. The treatments & products mentioned sound appropriate for the snake. Mark
P.S. always remember Cats are Natural Born Killers! It is always easy to come on & bash someone rather than help them out, these folks are all perfect afterall

. I guess some folks get off on putting others down by stating the obvious?

gonesnakee · 02-16-06, 04:02 PM

Also your snake is likely to go into a shed right away & then again sooner than usual. This is how they go about healing themselves. After it sheds it may "open up" some wounds so make sure it is kept in a sterile enviroment (paper towels) & offered lots of fresh water. It may require additional soaks in the Betadine solution & polysporin also works great for healing up wounds too. Mark

stano40 · 02-16-06, 04:56 PM

Mark,

Your vet did exactly what an ARAV qualified vet wouldhave done. Baytril is like an antibiotic and the betadine solution will helpthe healing process. Just like gonesnakee wrote, keep it in a sterile enviroment and plenty of fresh water.

Good Luck and I'm sorry to hear your snake was hurt.

Bob

.derek. · 02-16-06, 10:40 PM

clearly i did read the post.most people have acces to a car to be able to drive to one out of your area.if your snake ever got sick what where you going to do with it ? luckily the vet you did bring him to seemed to know what to do.but if it ever has an infection that that vet doesnt know, you will let it die because you dont have a reptile vet? and no when it comes to having a secure terrarium i have not "made a mistake" that very nearly cost my snakes life.sorry to disapoint you. im glad to see you have now resorted to cursing at me.it really makes you look intellegant. and i never saw where i was trying to be self righteous for you to call me "sanctimonious" especially as i was talking to you and not about me.but in the end it comes down to me not really caring one way or the other.if you want to sit on a computer and get offened at people saying you should provide a secure enclouser thats your problem.and gonesnakee i promise you i dont "get off" on bashing people. if that where the case i would post on alot more of the threads around here that are absurd.the only reason i said anything is mabye my posts will anger him enough that he does not make a "mistake" again.in which case i will have succeded.

sadpanda · 02-16-06, 10:47 PM

people are dicks
and people make mistakes...

hope you snake recovers!
good luck..

geckoguy157 · 02-16-06, 11:16 PM

well its good to see you foudn a vet who seamed to have treated. and as for derek why dont you give the guy a break i dont understand people like you im sure there are tons of people on here who have made mistakes not evryone is perfect like you obviously though.

.derek. · 02-16-06, 11:23 PM

again when did i say i was perfect?i do make many mistakes.doing things like long hand division, mabye i burn foods sometimes mabye sometimes im even late for meetings but i dont understand how people cant seem to comprehend how i dont make mistake to secure an enclouser.is it that common?i have owned more than 5 snakes for more than 4 years and open each cage every day and have yet to leave on open.

endless · 02-16-06, 11:37 PM

Mark and Bob,
Thank you for the input, I really appreciate it. Luckily my vet has an expert whom she can consult by phone as well as being a reptile enthusiast herself so I feel better about her course of treament, especially after getting some feedback. Today we did another injection of Baytril and switched from the wound dressing to a silver sulfadiazine cream to be applied after the betadine baths to keep the punctures protected and soft.

She also suggested I switch from underneath heating to an infrared heat lamp, and to up the humidity in the enclosure with betadine soaked paper towels. Any thoughts on this? I bought the heatlamp anyway, but up until this point have been usng a heating pad underneath. Anyone have a preference for heating from above?

Thanks again for your help.
Krista

djcoreyd · 02-17-06, 07:27 AM

Just want to add my $.02 about DEREKS comments!!!!!!!!!!

I feel that Derek has a point and none of you see what he is getting at. Yes the vet did his/her best to solve this problem, but that does not excuse what happened! If you cannot be responsible enough to take care or your animal then don't have one!!!! I don't have a cat, but lots of snakes, and I never ever, ever would leave my snake room without checking(and double checking) each cage so obviuously if you have a cat you would be even more cautious. Now forums is not only "for your information benifet" but also for us herpers to talk about these situations and Derek is only expressing his opinion(our Country's god given right!) alot of you decided to turn this into bash the basher contest, when the first couple posts answered the kids question.

Owning a Cat and a Snake in the same house is stupidity in the first place! I hope you learned a lesson!
Last but not least Endless if you don't want positive and negative feedback don't post!

Cheers!