bad reaction to my snake's meds??? help!!!

RebelArtt · 02-12-12, 12:23 AM

ok so my snake is sick. she is a 3 year old ball python and is 25 inches long. she has an upper respiratory infection, & a bad one at that. she is also in shed, which she tends to need help removing. i brought her to a vet and they gave her some meds to inject in her every 2 days. they also told me to give her warm baths 2 to 3 times a day for 15 minutes each bath.

i started out with the baths, which she very much enjoys, seeing as i give them to her and all my other pythons every 2 weeks as well as during their sheds. i started her medicine injections 2 days after her initial appointment, as the vet had directed me. they gave her the first shot in the office during the initial visit, to teach me how to give her the shot, & where to give it to her, and how much to give her. she had no reaction from this shot.
the 1st shot at my house, no reaction.
2 days later, the 2nd shot at my house, no immediate reaction.
i gave her a bath the day after her 2nd injection at home. i took her out of her bath to help massage her shed, and she didn't want to be touched anywhere on her neck from the base of her skull & about 5-6 inches down her body. i didn't have her in immediate light, she was shadowed, and i saw that she looked purple. i put her under the light and realized that the purple color was blood!!!! & it was free flowing directly under her skin!!!!
i started freaking out, because #1 i have NEVER had a sick snake, and i have 7, the oldest being 10, & #2 i had NO idea what was going on. i immediately stopped her medication, & 3 days later, the blood was gone, although she is still very sensitive in that area. i took her back to the vet & they said it was not a reaction to the medication, so they gave her another shot since i had skipped a few. low & behold the next day, the blood was back.

the medication they gave me for her is Ceftazidime. has anyone else had experience with this medication?!?!?!?!

infernalis · 02-12-12, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RebelArtt

the medication they gave me for her is Ceftazidime. has anyone else had experience with this medication?!?!?!?!

I am familiar with that, it's a powerful antibiotic. It's supposed to be injected subcutaneously (just under the skin)

From what you are describing, you ruptured a blood vessel, you need to get to get back to the vet quickly, if it's not already too late.

KORBIN5895 · 02-12-12, 09:57 AM

I agree with infernalis. Sounds like you punctured a blood vessel.

On a side note what is the humidity in your snakes enclosure? Not trying to be rude or critical but :f you usually have to help her shed the humidity may need raised a bit. Good luck

Wolfus_305 · 02-12-12, 10:32 AM

oh no, that doesn't sound good. I would go back to the vet and explain everything you just told us. Good luck and I hope she gets better!

RebelArtt · 02-12-12, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

From what you are describing, you ruptured a blood vessel, you need to get to get back to the vet quickly, if it's not already too late.

when the vet taught me how to administer the shot, she taught me to give her the shot near her rear end. and to make sure i wasn't in a vein or anything, she told me to pull back on the syringe a bit to make sure i wasn't taking in any blood or fluids. i administered the shot no where near where the blood was.

Skumbo · 02-12-12, 08:23 PM

so they just said "oh its not from the shot" and sent you on your way? what did they think the blood was from?

Wolfus_305 · 02-12-12, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skumbo

so they just said "oh its not from the shot" and sent you on your way? what did they think the blood was from?

Mhmm, did they mention it at all or had it gone away by the time you got to the vet. I would suggest taking pictures and/or a video next time it happens and then getting to the vet ASAP (maybe even a new vet if this one doesn't think that this problem requires any attention) that way if the symptoms are gone you can at least show them the evidence and see if they can explain it. I don't want to worry you but it does sound like an urgent matter

Skumbo · 02-12-12, 09:32 PM

Take this in an extremely "I AM NOT A VET" way, but it may be from the shots anyway, I understand subdermal bleeding in humans, not reptiles, but a small subdermal puncture could take a decent amoutn of time to "show" a lot of blood pooled up under the dermis.

It is possible a side effect (i know this happens to some human medications) could be lessening your snakes ability to coagulate blood, and so a small puncture could be worse than it should be. Either way, if the vet wasnt worried about this, they may have known what it was and thought it wasnt a big deal but forgot (?!) to tel you. who knows.

this is all speculation, just throwing ideas out there, don't trust me im some random guy on the internet

^ Just in case hehe

insignia100 · 02-12-12, 09:37 PM

It is unlikely that the bleeding is from the medication itself. While you may not have pulled back any blood when you aspirated before injecting, you may have actually pierced all the way through a vessel with the needle. Can you tell us exactly where the injections were given?

Our reptile professor says he likes to give IV meds by mouth rather than through injections. I don't know how effective this is as far as absorption, however.

I would second taking a video or some photos of the bleeding and show your vet.

insignia100 · 02-12-12, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skumbo

Take this in an extremely "I AM NOT A VET" way, but it may be from the shots anyway, I understand subdermal bleeding in humans, not reptiles, but a small subdermal puncture could take a decent amoutn of time to "show" a lot of blood pooled up under the dermis.

It is possible a side effect (i know this happens to some human medications) could be lessening your snakes ability to coagulate blood, and so a small puncture could be worse than it should be. Either way, if the vet wasnt worried about this, they may have known what it was and thought it wasnt a big deal but forgot (?!) to tel you. who knows.

this is all speculation, just throwing ideas out there, don't trust me im some random guy on the internet

^ Just in case hehe

Actually, you make a very good point. The OP said the blood was purple, which would indicate that it is NOT fresh blood. Still, these animals are so small that they don't have a whole lot of blood to spare. I don't know anything about coagulation disorders in snakes, but I guess that is a real possibility.

Oh, and I should probably add a disclaimer to my signature along those lines, since I shouldn't be taken seriously until I get the DVM behind my name and more experience.

Wolfus_305 · 02-12-12, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by insignia100

I would second taking a video or some photos of the bleeding and show your vet.

Even posting some pictures here people might have more suggestions, but I would still go to a vet

RebelArtt · 02-12-12, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

On a side note what is the humidity in your snakes enclosure? Not trying to be rude or critical but if you usually have to help her shed the humidity may need raised a bit. Good luck

the humidity & temps are normal & where they should be. her issue with shedding is that she refuses to move when she's in shed, so she doesn't naturally rub it off on her own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfus_305

oh no, that doesn't sound good. I would go back to the vet and explain everything you just told us. Good luck and I hope she gets better!

i did. read below for their response.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skumbo

so they just said "oh its not from the shot" and sent you on your way? what did they think the blood was from?

yea pretty much. they told me it's not a reaction from the shot. they told me if i feel like bringing her in i can, but that they were really busy that day, so i could just monitor her if i didn't want to bring her in. i was taken aback because i was freaking out about it but they were blowing it off like nothing. the vet wasn't even the one relaying the messages. it was the receptionist, who kept going back & forth from desk to the back. which also alarmed me, because there was no way to know whether or not the messages were being relayed properly.

OH!!!! also, when i picked her up to massage her, her head was hanging lower then her body, & she opened her mouth as if to yawn & she had a clear slime out of her mouth, almost like snot. is that normal for a snake being treated for an RI?? like i said, i have never had a sick snake, & i have 7, the oldest being 10.

RebelArtt · 02-12-12, 09:47 PM

Wolfus_305 = i will take a picture of her & post it to show where her injection site was, as well as the location of the blood. i had taken pictures at the time when i noticed it. unfortunately they were on my phone and i am a dog groomer & left my phone in my smock pocket & it is now dead. which i am kicking myself in the *** for that....

Wolfus_305 · 02-12-12, 09:48 PM

I honestly would go back to a different vet

Even if the problem is nothing to be concerned about the vet should take the time to explain that to you to calm you down and so you know that it is nothing to be seriously alarmed about

The symptoms do not sound normal to me (though I have never had a sick snake) and I would be concerned if the vet was relaying messages via the receptionist.... so did you not end up going? maybe they aren't understanding what you are describing?

Could you post some pictures?

Skumbo · 02-12-12, 09:53 PM

I'd find another vet and go to them, or get a hold of the vet himself, delaying a day may be the difference between your snake recovering and not making it

Internal bleeding of any kind in any animal is not something to mess with!