Scale Rot pics

snake_girl · 02-25-03, 11:12 PM

Okay here are some pictures of the scale rot My BP has gotten. These pictures were taken a few days ago and she had just been to the vet a week ago and received an injection of antibiotics and I was giving her Enrofloxcin .2 mls orally for ten days. I'd also and still am applying polysporin 2x daily to the infected area.

Its not getting any better and I know this post belongs in the Python form I just thought more ppl would respond here. I’m really not sure what to do I called the vet and he told me to wait a few days, but the infected scales as you can see in the pictures are pulling off and the scales under the infected area are raw and some times bleed. It looks very painful...

If anyone can tell me anything I would very my appreciate it. Because my vet knows nothing (he wrote on her chart that her scale rot was on her back which it is not!) My funds are running low (he charged me 60.00 to see him, 48.00 for the injection and 26.00 for the Enrofloxcin and that’s pretty much cleaned out my snake fund so I’m not sure what to do.)

I’ve never dealt with this before so if everyone feels I should take her to another vet (money or no money) I will. But I need to know if I’m overreacting (Tend to do that often) But I don't see how I can be now I mean it looks pretty bad.

Any advise would be great!
Thanks a lot
Grace

ps: make sure you trust the person completely before leaving your animals with them. I learned from my foolish mistake and it will never happen again.

<C>This is the most infected area as close up as we could to get a clear picture the brownish part thats peeling up is what I'm worried about.
<img src=http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/10964837861etcsqr_ph-med.jpg></C>

<C>this is the hole infected area give or take a few inches.
<img src=http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1094433-med.jpg></C>
<C>This is the close up on the raw area where the infected scales are pulling off you can sorta see the redish bleeding area that looks like a large scratch
<img src=http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/109more-med.jpg></C>

Just Me · 02-25-03, 11:18 PM

I find that so hard to look at. How long did you leave it with the person???

I don't know if you're just overreacting, but I hope the meds work.

Good luck.

snake_girl · 02-25-03, 11:30 PM

she was with my "Friend" for a month and a half while i moved, over the phone she'd told me it was just a heat burn and I told her to put polysporin on it, i dunno i guesss she was just to busy

thanks for your support I'm sorry the pics are so hard to look at its not pretty i know

Grace

The_Omen · 02-25-03, 11:51 PM

That is not scale rot.

Here's some good ways to tell.
Is it all localized to the subcaudal scales?

Are there any signs of it on any of the upper body scales?

And sniff it.
Smell kinda rank?

Scale rot this advanced will be all over the snakes body and will not advance quite that quickly and suddenly over that span.

Have a hot rock or a UTH without a thermostat in there?

The snake needs stronger meds than that for this.
It needs baytril or amakacin given either injectible or orally for a few weeks until this clears up other wise it can turn nasty.
(oral and inj. is the same dosage, if oral meds, do not feed while on the medicine)

Have you changed the substrate to either news print or housing it in a temp home of a plastic tote with no substrate at all and heated with a heating pad on low or medium, depending on the thickness of the plastic?

Change the water daily, sterilizint the water bowl daily as well, using a bowl too small to soak in and go see the vet again at the FIRST sign of infection.
Which is probably already started, so you don't want it going systemaitic.

paul_le_snake · 02-26-03, 12:33 AM

seen this before and i had a ball python that cooked itself! put on aloe vera lotion from the body shop. it works a treat.
cheers
paul

ETET · 02-26-03, 01:56 AM

This looks like a burn of your BP. The medication your vet gave you should be OK for now. If its still no good, a culture of the skin lesion should require to determine which antibiotic is the best one to use. In addition, a soak in a povidine iodine solution/Nolvasan (chlorhexidine) for 30 min per day before applying polysporin will be helpful. In severe case, 2-4 weeks of injectable antibiotics and 4-6 weeks of polysporin may require.

Another thing is that burns heal slowly. It may takes a few skin sheds to heal completely. During these skin sheds, you may still see raw tissue; but when the skin grows it should get smaller and smaller until heal up completely. Good luck to your BP!

ETET

eyespy · 02-26-03, 06:28 AM

Enrofloxacin is Baytril, just the generic name, so I think the vet gave the proper antibiotic treatment. So the most important thing is keeping the affected area clean as described by The Omen and ETET.

Burns take much longer to heal in reptiles than in us humans because we shed our skin cells daily and regenerate new ones. Reptiles' skin is totally different in its regeneration and it can take several shed cycles to really see normal tissue growth after what looks like a fairly deep burn.

Of course, I'm not a vet so don't take this as any sort of treatment plan and medical advice. I am a former veterinary surgical tech who has seen a lot of burn injuries though, and that's what it looks like to me. To me it looks like she was coiled around either a hot rock or a light fixture.

The_Omen · 02-26-03, 09:12 AM

Almost forgot..
on the polysporin, neosporin or other type of antimicrobial creams, be sure to use the plain, non pain relief type.

Quote:

Enrofloxacin is Baytril, just the generic name

Good point. You get used to calling something one thing for years and when you see it called by another name, sometimes it doesn't immediately hit you....

She does need to stay hydrated as well, but with no soaking, unless in the topical mix suggested, then she needs to be given fluids orally (straight pedialyte) if not drinking on her own.

If still giving meds orally now, give the oral hydration a few hours after giving meds to have time for the absorption of the meds.(You said daily orals)
If not on meds now, then anytime is good for oral fluids.

Burns 101 -
Typically most burns are actually very clean injuries with most bacterias etc killed in the process of receiving the burn. The treatment within the first hours(on a human) are critical to the outcome.
In reptiles the treatment is even more critical as sometimes the burn is not quite as evident, animal is allowed to remain in the cage crawling on used substrate that may carry harmful pathogens which can lead to a major innfection if not treated in time.
Another thing that burn victims have in their disfavor is the dehydration due to fluid loss at the burn site. Humans on one hand are larger than most reptiles kept, and can be placed into a medically induced coma while being treated, receiving meds, saline etc and our systems can handle more due to our much faster metabolism.
Reptile burn victims are typically smaller, have even less fluids to lose and can't be placed into a comatose state for treatment as it would kill them.
Dehydration is a big killer in burn victims either just plain dehydrated to death or over a period of time as the internal organs lose functions from the loss of fluids.
The fluid loss, althougth not always apparent, is due to the loss of the skin and or the loss of the skins ability to heal itself for a short time, allowing fluids to seep from the affected areas.

Hydration is an important factor for this and for survival.

snake_girl · 02-26-03, 10:10 AM

okay well, I do have a heat pad that was hotter then most so i covered it more so that it wasn't as hot.

the thing is the infection spread a little, I mean it was just the really bad area where the scale was brown and peeling but then it carried down her belly but not to fare.

it does seem right though because before the scales would dry up they would bluster frist which is what burns do.

I do have her in a clean cage with paper towel so I can see if its drianed or not (which it has alot) and it doesn't have an unpleasnt oder to it.

I'm really worried, can this be treated? will it go away?
thanks
Grace

oh yes and she is drinking on her own I made sure but she has stoped eating which i know is only normal.

snake_girl · 02-26-03, 10:25 AM

I was going to give her a soak in a 10:1 bactine(sp?) soulition, is that recommended or should I use Iodine?

I aslo have this stuff called Spectro Jel which is recommened for peircings and it washes away bacteria and its unscented should I us some of that as well?

also one of my friend had a really bad accident and brunt her had she got this cream to apply to the brunt areas should I ask if I could borrow some of that or am i geting carried away?

thanks again for all of your help everyone

Grace

The_Omen · 02-26-03, 10:31 AM

Stay away from the ear cream and the burn creams.

Dino · 02-26-03, 06:28 PM

Hey Snake Girl! I have just recently obtained a rescue/adoption with the exact same problem. I am going to tell you what my vet told me! I am not an expert in any way I am just going to relay that info to you.

First of all ...switch to overhead heat..get a lamp or ceramic emiter. The heat on the belly is not good, it is uncomfortable and the snake will have problem regulating. The heat also breeds bacteria.

I change the substrate twice a day or as needed. I use paper towel, I was recomender this or newpaper ....without print!

I soak him in a warm betadine solution watered down to the color of week tea. Once a day for about 10min. After which I blot and dab the infected area with clean paper towel. The odd scale does come off. I purchased the betadine from the local drugstore for $13.00 Canadian per 1 ltr. I do this in the morning.

At night I apply a liberal amount of polysporin. Ever morning I wake up and change the substrate because it will seep out and leave the paper covered in a greenish puss.

I have been keeping everthing as clean as possible to provent any further infection. Like The Omen said fresh water and a clean bowl.

In a nutshell I have followed this regime without fail. So far so good, this seems to be working even though it has only been a week. I am going to be following this thread because I am learning along with you and hopefully we both get a couple of very healthy snakes from this

btw you are right about leaving a pet with a freind! The guy that I adopted this ball python from did the same thing.

Cheers
Dino

This was taken after a good cleaning in the first couple of days

snake_girl · 02-26-03, 06:40 PM

Thank you, THANK YOU! you have no idea how much you've all helped me! I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your guidance.
and Dino I hope so too! good luck with your snake!

Grace

Ritus_Reptile · 02-26-03, 07:00 PM

snake_girl sorry to hear about your BP mine got burnt too a couple years ago. I put him in a glass fish tank and used a heat lamp over top with paper towels on the bottom of the tank. I now use a heat pad under the tank on the out side(it is an adhesive pad) so the snake is never directly on it. There are no inconvenient wires running out of the tank this way. And if you must use a heat rock which i strongly apose, you can just wrap a thick rag around it. The recovery from the burn was slow for my bp, even after 2 sheds it was still raw. But hes fine now and his were a little more severe. I think your bp with do just fine, everyone gave you a bunch of good tips no need to worry too much. I hope you and your bp the best of luck.

Gregg M · 02-26-03, 09:19 PM

That snake was kept way too humid...... I had a gaboon that was being kept in poor conditions befor I got her that had this...... What I did was I used a powdered form of med that is used to treat fungus infections in fish....... I would soak her every other day in a tub of water with the medication mixed in...... After she shed all the scale rot was gone...... You will not see any change until your snake sheds....... This is serious and could kill your snake....... I will get the name of the medication I used and let you know...... I will also tell you how to mix it correctly....... If you take the proper steps your snake should be fine