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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
 Posted - 26/04/2010 : 13:21:22
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Okay- Time to call in the big guns.
Have a vets appointment booked for 3.10 tomorrow with Richard @ Blake vets in bridgwater- before anyone flames me lol.
First thing first.
Seth, my late 09 male royal has been a bit off colour lately.
somewhere around the start of the month he went blue. when i picked him up he was hissing at me and was very stiff (i.e he was straightening hiself out in my hands and going stiff) he didn't strike at me but kept thrashing around and going stiff. I only picked him up as the rub he was in (and had only been in for a day)was getting far too humid and I needed to rehouse him so I could make more air holes. I have put that behaviour down to stress.
By the 9th he still hadn't shed and was still blue...well silver to be fair, it's almost like he'd had a bad shed, so bad that the skin hasn't come off at all.
He was mildly dehydrated so i gave him a powerade bath and the wrinkles went.
At that time i noticed he was very clicky and squeaky, its almost like his nostrils are blocked, though there is no mucus, he was breathing through his mouth a fair bit. (this was even before the bath)
unsure whether it was due to the impending/overdue shed OR if it could be an RI, (or both?) I messgaed someone asking for advice: their reply was:
quote:
my advice would be to bump up the temps 3degrees and mist daily for 4 days and see if he improves....if not then do the RI treatment
at this point, this was his set up: he had a water bowl big enough for him to submerge in, in an extra large exoterra faunarium with two damp moss filled hides (no other hides at all)and has newspaper as substrate. Heated on statted heatmat (under the faun) which reads as 32*c warm end and 24*c cool end on digital thermometers (which I have just tested to check that they are still accurate.)
his last weight was 372g empty which was a month ago.
I had not fed him for almost two weeks because of this...? He doesn't always eat when shedding and i was worried he'd suffocate as he's mostly breathing through his mouth (well, was then).
Anyway- I followed the advice and the breathing issues cleared up for a few days, i soon noticed that the skin over the nostrils was coming off a bit but not fully- now he can sort of breath but is still breathing through his mouth/gasping/puffing etc frequently. I don't think it's an R.I- could be...but i'll leave that for the vet to diagnose/ treat at this stage i think.
I dropped the humidity back again (stopping misting but leaving the moist hides- i was worried i would end up causing an RI if he didn't already have one
Saturday afternoon just gone, I looked in at him and he'd shed....well I say he'd shed but all that had come off was the skin under his chin.
Worst. Shed. Ever.
So I popped him in the bath for a little bit and his belly scales inflated till he looked like a balloon, then chunks started to fall off, but still leaving loads on.
The bits that remain look like they are glued to him, some bits- like around his neck look quite scabby- almost like the orangey impetigo scab- no weeping fluids though.
he also has a few tiny blisters- but only on the old skin and i am confident that these are the same blisters WLW pointed out recently, that they are fluid (oil?) filled due to the snake going from dry-wet-dry-wet.
ALSO...he's colouring is very muted now almost all the brown pigment is gone from the new skin. leaving only black. grey and a few yellow patches on his back.
And: I had some bark in the faun for him to rub on to help, but I think he's caught a few scales badly as they have bled slightly (another reason for vet visit, I want to make sure they dont get infected)
He did eat last week and is still very active, happy, calm etc no more of the stressy thrashing around etc.
I really really need some advice if anyone can help...?
I left it so long as i thought this was just going to be a case of a bad shed- easily sorted, but it's not >.<
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Edited by - MissCat on 26/04/2010 13:23:09 |
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Blackecho
Royal Python Admin
United Kingdom
11327 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 13:27:24
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| Sorry to hear that MC, I very much doubt anyone on here will be able to provide much help before you see the vets tomorrow, you have done exactly what I would have suggested already. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. x |
 
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mischang
Yearling
United Kingdom
482 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 13:31:05
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| good luck am thinking of you dont forget let us know how you get on x |
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lee2308
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
2597 Posts |
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 16:13:23
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| just took a few pics, batteries died. let me charge them up for a few mins then I'll see what they have come out like |
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HannahB
Yearling
United Kingdom
300 Posts |
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 16:36:48
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Well according to people on the dark side, it is my fault for letting him get dehydrated... :/ I didn't realise he was getting dehydrated as he's kept the same way the others are and they are fine. I don't think he's drinking. I DO need to get him out of the faunarium though.
Pics upleading to Flickr atm. |
Edited by - MissCat on 26/04/2010 16:38:13 |
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Blackecho
Royal Python Admin
United Kingdom
11327 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 16:45:51
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| Its a bit mob-mentality over there though Cat, you know that. If he's choosing not to drink there's not a great deal you can do. |
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
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spor
Fully Grown Royal
United Kingdom
1226 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 17:04:55
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i think you done everything right Cat. as others have said you have done the same as they would have done. If he is feeding and appears in a good mood then what wrong could you have done. As BE said if the snake choices not to drink there is not a lot you can do. bar getting a syringe and gastric tube and pumping fluids in.And as last resort. ( something that most will say should be done by a vet.) .but as you dicribed he never sounded in need for such measures.
Hopefully all should be okay with vet and you'll both come home happy with just a wee tube of ointment for the skin. |
0.4.0 Royal Python
1.0.0 Pastel Royal
0.1.0 Spider Royal
1.1.0 Carolina Corn Snake
1.0.0 Normal Stripe Corn
1.0.0 Yellow Bellied Turtle
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 17:11:40
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I just assumed that if he was that ill...he wouldn't eat... I wonder...do you think that soaking his food in water would help at all? just to get a little extra bit of fluid in him, even that small amount might help. he'd eat it (i know this as i accidentally dropped his food in teh water the other day and he still ate it)
Ugh, I feel as bad about this as I did when I first came on here with Ra :'( |
Edited by - MissCat on 26/04/2010 17:13:46 |
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Blackecho
Royal Python Admin
United Kingdom
11327 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 18:33:34
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| Yes, that sounds like a good idea Cat if he will eat it. |
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mischang
Yearling
United Kingdom
482 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 19:43:12
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| that looks a bit weepy is it googy ?? or dry ? the orange bits |
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 19:52:18
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Nope, it's not weepy or gooey, just very, very dry. But bear in mind he's been sat in a wet pillow case all afternnon so he was a little soggy when I took the pics.
This was just said on teh dark side:
quote:
It's been seen a few times where royals go that silvery colour, most just go back to normal after a shed, i can see the damage on the neck which to me looks like where he's trying to shed but is too dry as the old skin pulls off it's pulling the fresh underskin with it too.
which makes sense to me.
He's been in the pillowcase all afternoon, a large patch of skin on his back has come off, as well as a smaller patch nearer to his tail and a bit that was lodged in the vent on a spur. No change to the scabby patch on his neck but hopefully the vet can help with that, and hopefully he can help with the eyecaps and skin still on the face. As well as get to the root of the suspected R.I. What I'll do now is leave him in teh pillowcase until the kids go to bed, then pop him in a rub with soem water until I go to bed, then pop him back in his rub (with water bowl- this is a wide ceramic cat food bowl, big enough for him to submerge in.) Instead of newspaper I'm going to use kitchen roll, purely as at this point I think that will be a bit more hygenic. I shall put the water bowl in the warm end.
Question is, should I just give him normal hides (and splash a little water around), or damp moss hides?
What temps should I have him at?
Does anyone know what sort of thing the vet will do/prescribe and can anyone give me a rough ballpark idea of how much it'll cost? (please note, I do have the money, no matter how much it costs...I'm just curious so that if the vet charges me a certain amount I won't faint with shock!)
And gosh, it's very quiet on here these days :( |
Edited by - MissCat on 26/04/2010 19:54:22 |
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dazb
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
2847 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 20:53:21
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Try not to worry cat you seem to be doing everything right...
I hope it something simple that the vet can sort quite easily, Ali should be on soon hopefully to help.
You should know better than to expect anything less than a flaming on the dark side...
Good look with the vets and keep us up to date... |
 
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Gingerpony
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
2663 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 21:11:48
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i'd have just put it down to a dodgy shed initially too hun, and yes, if they're eating, you assume they can't be feeling that bad, particularly royals who only need a whiff of an excuse to not eat!
please keep us posted on what the vet says hun |
Dumerils boas, BCO hybrids, Sinder Hypo boas, cornsnakes, ratsnakes, Day Geckos
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mischang
Yearling
United Kingdom
482 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 21:14:10
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| if he is in need of it they will inject a hyro solution into him as puttig him on a drip ov wouldnt be poss lol they may show you how to do it as he may well need more than 1 shot or you will have to go back every day or so, s snakes need they jabs in a certain part of upper body also i would think they will give him ashot of predisalone (steds) in case of infection and to ease his lungs if that is a prob poss a R.I . they may also give u a lotion to rub on him and tell you to remove all humidty till he can breath . I'M NOT SAY DO THIS , just thats wat i think will happen , no matter wat aleast your doing your best and its wat he needs . best of luck x x as for vet bills i think they make it up as they go along ! |
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Gingerpony
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
2663 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 21:17:47
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as an after thought if you've got a faecal sample it might be worth taking it in with you............
not sure what line of thinking my brain is going down but something internal causing the external 'skin' problems, possibly treated with metronidazole (Flagyl-S or similar)..........not sure if it's a typical Baytril case......... |
Dumerils boas, BCO hybrids, Sinder Hypo boas, cornsnakes, ratsnakes, Day Geckos
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 21:20:58
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Just been told this via the dark side:(was diagnosed from the pictures I posted, so the vet may say different when he sees it in the flesh)
quote:
your snake has scab neck...its a type of dermatitis...it infects the later under the scales...so actually the skin of the snake...and it kills the scales and turns them into scabs......its the reason for the colour change.
you need silver sulfadiazine to cure it....so your vets most likely to prescribe you flamazine for it
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 21:22:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Gingerpony
as an after thought if you've got a faecal sample it might be worth taking it in with you............
not sure what line of thinking my brain is going down but something internal causing the external 'skin' problems, possibly treated with metronidazole (Flagyl-S or similar)..........not sure if it's a typical Baytril case.........
He pooped about a week ago...i didn't save it though lol.
You seem to be having similar thoughts to WLW so I think that's probably what it is. |
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Gingerpony
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
2663 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2010 : 21:23:22
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quote:
Originally posted by mischang
if he is in need of it they will inject a hyro solution into him as puttig him on a drip ov wouldnt be poss lol they may show you how to do it as he may well need more than 1 shot or you will have to go back every day or so, s snakes need they jabs in a certain part of upper body also i would think they will give him ashot of predisalone (steds) in case of infection and to ease his lungs if that is a prob poss a R.I . they may also give u a lotion to rub on him and tell you to remove all humidty till he can breath . I'M NOT SAY DO THIS , just thats wat i think will happen , no matter wat aleast your doing your best and its wat he needs . best of luck x x as for vet bills i think they make it up as they go along !
and again in either vet talk or english......... i can understand either
no idea what a hyro solution is.......
i'm assuming by 'drip ov' you meant fluids given IV?
snakes are generally injected in the upper third of the body
'predisalone (steds)' i'm guessing is prednisalone (steroids)?
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Dumerils boas, BCO hybrids, Sinder Hypo boas, cornsnakes, ratsnakes, Day Geckos
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yea okay- very flipping worried now.
