Daisy Had Her First Vet Visit

[PsychoSnake]

And she was a very good little patient, even when she was restrained and had a popsicle stick in her mouth. Vet said she's going through a bad shed and may not shed all in one piece. He thought it was because she went so long without shedding (poor husbandry at local petshop?). She also has some inflammation in her mouth that needs to be watched.

So moist paper towels!

Passed her neurological, respiratory, and cardiovascular exam. She could stand to gain some weight, but is not critically underweight.

At the end of the exam she tried to hide in the vet's sleeve.

[EL Ziggy]

Congrats Psycho, I'm glad everything went well with Daisy.

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by PsychoSnake

And she was a very good little patient, even when she was restrained and had a popsicle stick in her mouth. Vet said she's going through a bad shed and may not shed all in one piece. He thought it was because she went so long without shedding (poor husbandry at local petshop?). She also has some inflammation in her mouth that needs to be watched.

So moist paper towels!

Passed her neurological, respiratory, and cardiovascular exam. She could stand to gain some weight, but is not critically underweight.

At the end of the exam she tried to hide in the vet's sleeve.

Can you tell me how the vet tested for neurological problems? It's not a test I've heard of with snakes.

Also, a long wait between sheds won't be cause for a bad shed. Bad husbandry is the only cause for bad sheds.

[PsychoSnake]

It was a very simple test. He held her belly up to see if she could correct it or exhibit unusual movements to correct it. She easily turned herself around and didn't do anything unexpected.

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by PsychoSnake

It was a very simple test. He held her belly up to see if she could correct it or exhibit unusual movements to correct it. She easily turned herself around and didn't do anything unexpected.

Interesting....

What was he going to do if there was an issue?

[PsychoSnake]

Since she is healthy it wasn't discussed. I think common sense would dictate that he would do further investigation of her history, enclosure, and exposure to other snakes. Could be viral, genetic, etc... but I don't know what he would do specifically as for further diagnostic tests and treatment. He seemed knowledgeable for common ailments and has performed surgery on snakes, but he was not necessarily a specialist.

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by PsychoSnake

Since she is healthy it wasn't discussed. I think common sense would dictate that he would do further investigation of her history, enclosure, and exposure to other snakes. Could be viral, genetic, etc... but I don't know what he would do specifically as for further diagnostic tests and treatment. He seemed knowledgeable for common ailments and has performed surgery on snakes, but he was not necessarily a specialist.

He didn't really know what causes a bad shed so I'd question the common ailments and knowledgeable part.

Anyway, glad it's a healthy animal. I would definitely be mindful of going again and what he says.

[PsychoSnake]

Yeah he's not perfect, but there are not a lot of options for exotic vets in my area. The closest snake vet who is an expert is at least 300 miles away. I'm glad I checked it out and know what to expect.

The local pool of information on exotics in my area is very poor and mostly propagated by a local petstore chain that keeps ball pythons and boa constrictors together. They have also kept rosy boas in Kritter Keepers with no heat source, no hides, and only enough room for the snake to be balled up and a deli cup of water. Really terrible conditions and nearly all of those snakes had bad attitudes.

Considering several of the questions he asked me about her environment and what he recommend, it seemed pretty in sync with what is talked about on this forum. I found that to be a really good sign. I also used to do a lot of work for an exotic animal rescue so I have experience working with vets. There is almost always a learning curve, but most vets really care about the health of the animal and are eager to learn new things. With more exposure to exotics they get better at doing their job.

Long story short, definitely always be mindful, but I'm not going to sweat it too much. Daisy's a healthy girl and has a medical baseline for the future.