Emergency!!!

Hoskins · 11-10-13, 12:51 PM

Hi this is an emergency I need advice! I'm an absolute idiot and I made the mistake of making a hide for my 3 month old ball python and I used tape on it. The tape came off, I'm assuming the heat lamp melted the glue, and Athena got stuck in multiple places. When I woke up some of the scales near her head were completely peeled off. There's a place about 3/4 inch long where you can see the pink of her skin. She doesn't seem to be bleeding, and she didn't draw up or become defensive when I picked her up. I managed to get all the tape off without harming her further, but the scales that were peeled off are kind of dragging and it looks really painful and I have no idea what to do. Please give me some advice with this, if would mean a lot!! I can post pics later if need be.

CVH · 11-10-13, 01:12 PM

Firstly stay calm, 3/4 inch of lost scales sounds serious.
Best that you take your snake to the vet for some decent care and information before it gets infected.

Donnie · 11-10-13, 01:23 PM

As mentioned you need to get your snake to a vet and keeping the wound clean is a must. Remove all substrate from the enclosure and put down kitchen roll / paper instead. I think you can use iodine on the wound to help it stay clear from infection but before you do I would like somebody else to confirm this as well (my brain is not working tonight)

Hoskins · 11-10-13, 01:37 PM

I have her on fresh paper towel and I put some antibiotic on the wound, she seems to be less nervous than me. She's just a bit more jumpy than usual and it was a trick to get her to let me touch her wound to apply the mess, but otherwise she seems fine. Here's to hoping.

Thanks for your help, everyone.

Sublimeballs · 11-10-13, 02:48 PM

As stated by others remove substrate in favor of paper. Go to the vet. The vet will most likely give you benzodine(iodine) to treat the wound, but still best to get a professional opinion.

formica · 11-10-13, 02:53 PM

yes iodine is good - if you dont have access to that right now, you can use a mild salt water solution, boil some water, and add 1/10th of a tea spoon of salt to a cup of boiled water (dont put more than 1/10th tea spoon of salt, more is not better, it can irritate the tissues), cover the cup with cling film and allow it to cool, then use (sterile if possible) cotton wool, to soak up some of the water and drip it onto the area affected (make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with hot water before doing this, if you dont have access to sterile gloves) - do this every 3-4hrs, until you can get iodine and get to the vet.

and as Donnie suggested, get rid of all the substrate....infact I would go futher, get a new plastic tub, disinfect it with boiling water and bleach, allow it to dry completely (20-30minutes tops if the water is truely boiling when used), rinse again with boiling water, then add kitchen paper towel, sterilize a hide for her with boiling water, and add it to the plastic tub - then, once everything is cooled to room temp, put her in the sterilized plastic container until you can get to the vet

may seem excessive, but avoiding an infection in the first place, is worth the effort

wrecker45 · 11-10-13, 05:47 PM

Iodine on a human cut is painfull and destroys good tissue.

Starbuck · 11-10-13, 05:53 PM

if the lesion is not bleeding and open, i don't think you need to go to such lengths as some have described; yes make an apt with the vet as soon as possible. Good job putting the antibiotic ointment on it, and keeping the snake away from substrate. Try to keep the antibiotic away from eyes and mouth. Let us know how things go.

Hoskins · 11-10-13, 08:21 PM

Wrecker, I appreciate the input, but I'm pretty sure iodine simply removes dirt/bacteria from a wound. Which is why we use it on ourselves.

Starbuck, I definitely will. She seems to be fine thus far, but I'm keeping a close eye on her.

MDT · 11-10-13, 09:25 PM

Wrecker is correct. Iodine/betadyne is no longer recommended in wound care as studies have shown it to be toxic to healing tissue. We have stopped using in the ED and are using Hibiclens or other non iodine containing skin preps for wound care.

And, just to add....it doesn't remove dirt or bacteria....it is bacteriocidal. Any "removal" of material is done by irrigation/scrubbing/debridement of tissue.

smy_749 · 11-10-13, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MDT

Wrecker is correct. Iodine/betadyne is no longer recommended in wound care as studies have shown it to be toxic to healing tissue. We have stopped using in the ED and are using Hibiclens or other non iodine containing skin preps for wound care.

And, just to add....it doesn't remove dirt or bacteria....it is bacteriocidal. Any "removal" of material is done by irrigation/scrubbing/debridement of tissue.

Nice to have the doc around haha Stuff like this makes me wonder how many things we do currently that we will find out are bad for us. Science is a scary field. On a brighter note, judging by what youve said , Id do as formica stated and vet is a given, but dont feel so bad. We havent all done the tape mistake, but def made others. Be thankful hes alive and not critically wounded(by what youve described, I think he will be fine and the vet wont need to do much)

Hoskins · 11-11-13, 12:10 AM

I was definitely thinking of peroxide and feel really silly now. I've never used iodine. But anyway, thanks for the input, everyone. If she does manage to get through, will the scales grow back after a few sheds, or will it be scarred forever? I know small patches can regenerate after a few sheds, but this is a fairly large patch of skin.

formica · 11-11-13, 04:03 AM

Actually it is only speculation that Iodine slows wound healing - evidence suggests the opposite, that low concentrations, as typically used to clean wounds, infact aides healing of wounds

refer to Wounds International if you need further information: Iodine Made Easy (page 1 of 4) › Made Easys › May Vol 2 Issue 2 › Wounds International (world leading wound management specialists)

**lady_bug87** · 11-11-13, 05:01 AM

Neosporin/polysporin without pain relief should do it and the vet.

MDT · 11-11-13, 07:07 AM

Not speculation. Povidone Iodine has been shown to harm fibroblasts in healing skin. The Emergency Medicine literature is replete with recommendation to not use Betadine in wound care. The saying "don't use anything on a wound you wouldn't use in your own eye" is one we follow. Use Betadine if you want. The realistic answer is that it probably won't jack up the healing process. However, the current reccomendations are such, it is not recommended.