Prolapse.... HELP.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Okay... to make a long story very short... I was offering a baby python a mouse tonight when I looked at his tail and realized his rectum has prolapsed. This is the one with the extremely odd facial pattern... I can't afford to lose him.

I called my vet and the snake man is on vacation.... I called the emergency clinic and they said "sorry we cant take snakes anymore"... gave me yet a farther away place to call... and they said well if you can have him here in a half hour then we can see him tonight for $99 plus the fee of the treatments... I said you are an hour away its impossible... so they told me tehre wont be a snake doctor again until saturday... so this is really really bad. So far, appointment is on saturday... but I feel this isnt good enough. Both of the other vets besides my normal one were SO insensitive to my situation.

Is there anything I can do to help Po before saturday? is there anyway I can try and fix this on my own? They already told me its $70 for the appt... which is $50 higher than MY vet... I have a feeling theyre going to rock me hundreds for this. For right now, Po is in a sterilized tub with moist paper toweling to keep his rectum from drying out... I don't know what else to do... I came here because people are not jerks on this site... I am REALLY upset any advice would be great... thanks.

[ssssnakeluvr]

definitely keep it moist...that sucks about the vets! it used to be about taking care of the animals, now its about money. Not sure what you can do, just make sure it stays moist!

[Zephyr]

From what I've been told by my mother, surgery is a must. Are you sure it's a prolapse? Any pics?

[jitami]

I'd smear it with vaseline or triple antibiotic ointment to keep it moist, every little crack and crevice you can get to without causing more harm... wish I had more to offer.

[Zephyr]

If it's a minor prolapse, you can use a sterilized utensil to push it back in. If it's major, you'll have to have surgery done.

[jitami]

I'm sure you're googling your little heart out, too, but here are a couple ideas... try to use preparation H to get it to shrink and possibly slide back into place. If it goes back in at any point, use a fabric bandaid or cloth tape to hold it into place. It sounds like it may stay in after this attempted fix or it may not, but at least it might buy you a little time til Saturday? It sounds like time is not a huge issue, but I would be freaking out having to wait until Saturday.

[Garter_Gertie]

I'd not put anything on it but what you're doing. Vaseline is going to cause EVERYTHING to stick to it.

Is there *anyway* you can keep Po from moving around? Do you have something to put him where he's not able to move hardly a muscle? I don't know how big he is... One of those butter tubs? Keep him immbolized and keep moisture on it.

Should he some how poop, be sure to clean it up/off him. Only if he poops would I use antibiotic ointment - and keep him in the butter dish so nothing at all can stick to his little bottom.

Aren't they nocternal? Then keep him in a lighted area for the next day. You want to keep him as immoblized as possible.

My thoughts anyway. And I know jack-****. But it's what I would do.

[Sid]

Shannon, sorry to hear the awful news, wish I had more to offer. The only advice I find on google is "see a vet". Hoping for the best and fingers crossed for you.

[anji1971]

Shannon, so sorry to hear about Po.:(
I have no advice to give, unfortunately. But I'm sending all the best wishes I can. Hope it works out alright............

[jitami]

If there was a vet available that would be the only advice, but since one's not I'm reading everything I can find about people who've taken care of the problem at home. It's not meant to supercede the advice to go to the vet, just some things to try since she can't get Po into a vet right away.

YouTube - Prolapsed Rectum In A Ball Python (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqHzEYzXEuA) Here's a video of a knowledgable guy and the snake is going to the vet, but he had had some luck getting it to go back into place, but not permanently.

CANDOIA.ca (http://www.candoia.ca/caresheet.html) Here's the quote about prolapsed rectum:
Rectal Prolapse
Rectal Prolapse occurs when the last section of the intestines - the rectum - "pops out" of the anus. The danger then is that the prolapse can dry out, swell and die off, and can be fatal if not treated quickly.
Rectal Prolapse in Candoia appears to be very rare, which may simply be because so few Candoia are captively kept. Prolapse in snakes in general, however, is not rare, but not quite common. In some species, like neonate green tree boas, it can be common. There are a few possible reasons for a prolapse: parasites, dehydration, stress, and overfeeding / powerfeeding. I do not by any means overfeed my snakes (I like to keep them lean because it seems to me that most captive snakes are too chubby!) The Candoia in question, Sol, was treated for parasites shortly after I got her, and is not in a high stress/high traffic situation. I came to the conclusion that dehydration is the cause, despite the large bowl of water and thrice-weekly mistings.
I noticed the prolapse one evening after work, and although it was too late for me to take her a vet that night, I began looking for one. I was very lucky in finding an excellent herp vet who worked in zoos in Africa. His experience with "pet" snakes is limited, but he was happy to take my own suggestions and do some extra research and assist me in any way possible. When I got her in the next day, her prolapse was quite swollen and a bit dry - it wasn't shriveled up, but did seem to be developing an outer layer of "skin". When the vet tried to re-insert the prolapse, the "skin" split, causing some minor damage to the prolapse. We thought for a while that it would not be possible to re-insert it and that it would need to be excised, but the vet inserted a thermometer into the rectum, and it did go back in. We used some surgical tape and gauze wrapped fairly tightly around her butt to keep her from "flexing" and popping it back out again. We determined that two stitches on either side would probably be in order to keep the rectum in place. However, when the prolapse did not recur within a day, the vet opted not to do surgery. I did not feed her for a month and the prolapse has not recurred yet. Because I suspect the culprit was - at least in part - dehydration, I have begun injecting her (f/t) prey with warm water in the belly, and providing her with a much more humid enclosure. I also opted to treat her with antibiotics, and she was put on a 10-day course of oral antibiotics. She was not a happy camper by the end of those 10 days, but seems to be doing fine otherwise.

In the event of a prolapse in your snake, you can try to re-insert it using a gloved finger and some KY jelly. If the prolapse is swollen or dry, or if you do not feel comfortable doing it yourself, do not attempt to re-insert it. You can use a sugar and water paste slathered on the prolapse, or some hemorrhoid cream, to try to reduce swelling to help with re-insertion. You must also keep the prolapse humid with some mineral oil or KY jelly. You should schedule an appointment with your vet as soon as possible - within a day or two. If the prolapse is left too long, it will dry out and need to be surgically removed.
The vet may be able to push the prolapse back in using his finger or a thermometer. If he cannot, but the rectum is still healthy, he may suggest a small incision to enlarge the anus, giving enough room to push the prolapse back in. If the prolapsed rectum is damaged, dead or dried out, he will have to excise the prolapsed rectum and sew the next bit of healthy rectum to the anus.
Two stitches, one on either side, may be recommended to ensure proper healing. You or your vet may also want to treat your snake with oral antibiotics. Do not feed your snake for at least 3 weeks - you want the rectum to heal as much as possible before the snake passes feces. This also means that you should avoid soaking your snake, which may induce the passing the feces. Instead, provide a small bowl of water and a moist hide with moist sphagnum moss.
You will also have to address the root cause of the prolapse - if you know what it is. Treat for antibiotics if necessary; reduce feeding to one small meal (just enough to cause a small lump) every 2-3 weeks; increase humidity, inject dead prey's stomach with water; move your snake to a more appropriate, less stressful enclosure, etc.
If caught soon enough and treated promptly and properly, there is no reason that a snake cannot recover fully and quickly from a prolapsed rectum.

[jitami]

GTP Care (http://www.finegtps.com/Care_sheets.html#SolvingCommonProblems) Similar Advice. (The sugar water thing has been recommended a couple of times. I had no idea sugar would reduce swelling, but everyone has sugar and it probably can't hurt. )
5/ Rectal Prolapse
This problem is not common in properly maintained collections. However, most keepers with multiple animals will experience prolapse at some point. Even veteran keepers experience this condition from time to time, and the occurrence of prolapse does not necessarily indicate that there are husbandry problems. Actually, chondros prolapse part of the bowel as a normal part of defecation. The problems arise when the rectal tissue fails to retract, and begins to swell. This looks like a pink bubble or blob of tissue protruding outside of the vent. Left untreated prolapse can be fatal. Conditions that may lead to prolapse include stress, temperatures too high, dehydration, feeding too large a meal or feeding too often, lack of exercise, and in the case of babies, eating unnatural food items. (It is very doubtful that pink mice make up wild neonates' diets.) However, prolapse can occur for no apparent reason even under good conditions, so if you are doing things correctly and experience a prolapse, don't beat yourself up...they happen to experienced keepers too. Animals that repeatedly prolapse are most likely suffering from deeper health issues.
The first order of business is to keep the swollen tissues from drying out. Place the snake in an appropriate size container (such as a deli cup for babies) with a small amount of warm water in it. Be sure that the water isn't deep enough to drown the chondro - use just enough to keep the swollen tissue moist. Make a thick sugar and water paste and apply some to the tissues. Often this will cause the prolapse to retract within a few hours, or overnight. An eye dropper can be useful in applying the sugar paste. Sometimes the tissue will go down in size but not fully retract. Use a clean blunt tool such as an appropriate size sexing probe, and gently push the tissue back into the body cavity. Push the tissue completely into the body, but not farther than is needed to get it all reinserted. If you aren't comfortable with doing this, or if no improvement has been observed within 24 hours, see let a qualified veterinarian. In really bad cases, mild anesthesia will be needed to relax the muscles enough for reinsertion. Sometimes a purse-string suture is needed to retain the prolapse while things heal.
Withhold food from the recovering animal for at least a couple of weeks and then start with very small food items. Watch for a normal defecation, and then slowly work back up to normal meal size and feeding frequency. Most cases of prolapse look much worse than they really are, and usually the condition is very treatable if caught early. Adult females can make a full recovery and go on to lay eggs without complications, as long as sufficient time is allowed for complete healing.

[jitami]

Ok, last link... one with a happy ending...
Anal Prolapse - Herp-Fan Forums (http://forums.bobclark.com/showthread.php?p=693653)

Good luck Shannon!

[infernalis]

Shanon, I have very little to offer, except I'm in your corner.

Good luck in whatever it takes.

[Snake lover 3-25]

i hope he pulls through!!!! now that all my problems are fixed i can truely say that you have my BEST wishes!!!!:)

[adamanteus]

I think Tami has offered some very good advice there (I haven't followed her links), try to shrink it down with Prep.H or similar, then spend a couple of hours gently massaging it back in. Once it's in, tape it up to stop it popping out again.

I was once successful doing this with a prolapsed iguana, but it's not easy. Good luck.

[Bay_area]

My Retic had a prolapse clocia way back when he was under 10 feet long. This is what I did...I put him in the bath tub & was able to get it back inside of him. It did keep popping back out, so I had to hold it in for awhile. Probly 5 minutes or so. I then applied a liberal amount of Preperation-H to the area & held it in for anoth 5 minutes or so. While I was doing this, my wife set up a small cage so he could not move around alot. We used newspaper for the bedding. I tried wrapping it with bandage, but that just kept coming off. Anyhow, it did work & have not had any more problems. As long as you caught it in time before any infection or discoloration, hopfully it will be alright. I hope the best for your snake Shannon. I know how frustrating it can be.

Sincerely, Jerry

[drache]

keeping my fingers crossed for your baby, Shannon
I once lost a baby garter to rectal prolapse - it sucked
I hope very much yours has a better fate

[Lori P]

Also sending you good wishes, Shannon. Tami sent wonderful info. My only experience in prolapses is with goats and sheep, and I've also used sugar to reduce swelling, kept it moist, and had the vet re-insert and stitch in place.

In those animals, it is not recommended to breed them as it can be congenital.

Keep us posted, and good luck with him!!

[Garter_Gertie]

Shannon, how's the baby doing today? Hope better...

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Well I checked on him after I got home from work, and the area actually looks pretty good, it is not SUPER swollen, its a light pink in color and its clean. I had a bearded dragon have a prolapse once, she did not make it. Hers looked REALLY bad. I have not attempted to do anything yet because 1) it scares me and 2) I need to get some preparation H and 3) my boyfriends lil sis is in critical in the hospital with mono, pneumonia, and in need to having her gall bladder removed so my time is so little (she is improving every day now that they are draining fluid, she is going to be okay). I have him in a small deli cup right now soaking in a bit of water near his heat source, so that he can't move and his rectum stays moist... the paper toweling I noticed was making him want to go go go and he was dragging it and it was scaring me... now without any paper toweling its not rubbing anything. Will prepration H really reduce swelling? The end of it is a bit swollen, and I can see that it is too swollen to go back in. If I am not successful in fixing it on my own (i will be starting that stuff tomorrow, I had to see my boyfriends lil sis in the hospital tonight) then Po is going to get surgery or at least vetrinary treatment by MY vet whom actually cares a lot about the snakes he sees. I was told that as long as I keep it clean and moist and he gets treated that there is no reason he cant recover fully from this. Thank god!! If he doesnt make it my heart will break I LOVE this little guy!!! I don't care if it costs me $500 to get it fixed he is going to get the help he deserves. My parents are like its just a baby ball python you only paid $75 dollars for and youre going to put out hundreds for surgery!?!?! YES!!! if he needs it hes getting it! a week and a half's worth of work to save his life is worth it in my eyes.

He was eating well before the prolapse.. once a week steady... and he pooped his last mouse so he shouldnt have any poop in him (thank god)... I am jsut glad he got the food he needed before this happened to him because I know that hes not going to get to eat for a few weeks now... and then once he is healed I will feed him very small prey for a little bit.

He is VERY alert.. he doesn't show any signs of being lethargic... not even that he is hurting. he seems in apparent good health considering his butt is inside out ATM.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I think I have a really good chance of getting him to a full recovery even with my vet being on vacation.

[drache]

you go Shannon
I'm sure you can pull him through this

[anji1971]

Glad to hear his chances are looking good.
Now I'll pray for your boyfriend's poor sister...............hope everything is okay.

[crzy_kevo]

glad to hear hes not doing too bad we are all rooting for you

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

everything with his sister is getting a little better each day. She has even been regaining enough strength to let everyone know that shes REALLY angry with being so sick and in pain... she has been yelling at her mom and was even throwing stuff today.. we are actually all very happy that she is doing so! it means shes got spunk!!! My dad told one of his friends, and the guy actually called his church and ALL 300 members of that church got together last week and prayed just for her. It's amazing that they all did that for someone they have never even met! It is nice to know we have so much support. Her 16th birthday was on tuesday, and she was supposed to leave for a trip to Florida she had planned for a year last saturday... the poor girl! we are going to throw her the biggest party even when she gets home!

[Garter_Gertie]

I never had pneumonia while I had mono, but I had mono while away from home, at college. Somehow I got through it on my own, in my dorm room, never leaving my bed for 3.5 weeks but to potty and stagger to get food. Gotta tell ya, I was one sexy, slim babe! LOL! :D

I'm not trying to make light of your boyfriend's sister's situation, but just trying to say that even w/o the expert care she's getting, she should pull through. I'm trying to ease your mind.

You're a woman after my own heart. One of my cats, Little Girl, broke her leg. I took her to the U of MN vet school and forked out $2,500 for two surgeries (they pinned it and then had to remove the pins since up here the skin could have frozen to the pin-thingys if she'd gotten outside in the winter; too the body sees the pins as 'okay' for calcium and won't put calcium there and the bones actually become weaker if the pins and the metal things are left in.). Regrets? None at all. But I pray nothing like that happens today as I've not the means to pay for it.

I ramble.

But, you're doing the right thing for your boyfriends's sister and your snake. Love knows no species or dollar amount. It's not what you paid for the animal, but where it resides in your heart. I know many here may roll their eyes at me calling my animals my babies, but I never had kids. And my animals ARE truly my babies. I will put forth every dollar I can - over myself - for their well being.

It's okay, Shannon. You're doing everthing correctly. Hugs to you.

[Lori P]

Shannon, so sorry to here about your boyfriend's sister... tell her we're thinking about her and hope she feels better soon!! Poor girl. My sis just had her gall bladder removed 2 weeks ago and has done well, but lots of pain.

You really can sprinkle sugar on the prolapse to reduce swelling-- it won't hurt the snake and even the vets will use it in a pinch. It would be best to get it all back inside of him asap. Lots of good thoughts coming your way!

[KITKAT]

Shannon, so sorry to here about your boyfriend's sister... tell her we're thinking about her and hope she feels better soon!! Poor girl. My sis just had her gall bladder removed 2 weeks ago and has done well, but lots of pain.

You really can sprinkle sugar on the prolapse to reduce swelling-- it won't hurt the snake and even the vets will use it in a pinch. It would be best to get it all back inside of him asap. Lots of good thoughts coming your way!

Hi... how is he doing? Lori P is right. I had a vet instruct me to use sugar to re-insert a dog's um, male part, when it had extruded out and got swollen and stuck in that position. It worked, and it worked fast.