Help for wild garter

[crittermom]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum, and unfortunately am here because I have found what looks like a seriously injured garter. I found him 1 week ago, and he looked like he had been injured by a cat. His tail was chewed off below his cloaca, and he had several swollen scabs in the middle of his body. I gave him water and he drank A LOT. Since he already had scabs, I didn't clean the wounds (which now I'm thinking I should have removed the scabs and cleaned them out since this was most likely a cat bite). Put him on newsprint strips with a hidey long and a water dish. A week later, he is still alive, but now his sores are open and DEEP. They are about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down his body, and seeping a bit. I can't tell if its through the snakes gut or any important organs, or if it could be a draining abcess? I'm using antibiotic ointment in the wounds now, and he still seems to be able to move his body below the wound, and he still seems pretty perky. Hasn't eaten worms or minnows. My question is..how long do I let him suffer? I can't imagine this is painless. Has anyone rehabilited a snake with this type of wound? Should I euthanize it? If so, should I decapitate it or is there a better way? Sorry for such a long post. I hope some kind sould can help us out.

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum.
Sorry it's under these circumstances.
This forum has seen its share of injuries from cats, both wild and pets.
It sounds to me like you are doing all you can but this probably requires a Vet's. intervention and medication.
As long as the snake is active, tongue flicking, drinking and hopefully eating. I wouldn't rush to put it down. They survive these kinds of injuries in the wild.
I will put a link to the care sheet at the end of this post.
Any idea what species of snake you have? Where do you live? State?
Best of luck and thank you for taking the time to be concerned. You're doing a good thing.
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Don't offer the snake any food during the time of healing... a snake's immune system is compromised while it is digesting food and it can actually take away from healing injuries and recovering from illness/infection..... it does not sound good but photos of the injury could help. If anything it should be seen by a vet if it's savable. good luck!!!

[Millinex]

I'm going to be brutally honest and blunt, and the answer may not be very widely accepted... However, any time I encounter an injured snake in such condition, it's in a lot of pain most likely, in my opinion, the best thing you can do for the animal, is put it down to stop said pain.

If a garter is that damaged, odds of it surviving and doing well without extensive vet work, lots of money, time, and pain involved on the animals end, is simply not worth it in my eyes.

-Mike

[ConcinusMan]

At least we can agree on something. I learned a while back to keep my mouth shut about such opinions but I would have to agree. It sounds like the snake is injured quite seriously, and the wounds are probably infected. If it were me, I would put the snake down too.

It would need to see a vet if the wounds are indeed as serious as it sounds. Antibiotics and who knows what else might save the snake but really, you have to ask yourself if it's worth all that. Either way, the snake is going to go through some serious suffering.

[kibakiba]

This is just an opinion, and it might seem a bit mean... But, if it's tongue is flicking and it's active, take it to the vet and see what they can do for it. They may not treat it if it's illegal to keep them in your area.

If it's not active and flicking it's tongue, it's sad, but it'll probably die anyway and you should end it's suffering.
With how bad the injuries seem, he/she is probably in an extremely great deal of pain.

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Crittermom :)

Polysporin is good for wounds but if you relly want the Garter :confused:
A doc will let you know if the snake is healthy and what it needs :D

[Mommy2many]

Welcome from Connecticut! Good luck with your injured friend.

[ConcinusMan]

Hi, from Oregon, Crittermom :)

Polysporin is good for wounds but if you relly want the Garter :confused:
A doc will let you know if the snake is healthy and what it needs :D

I wouldn't put antibiotic ointment on deep, oozing wounds.:cool: Minor skin-deep wounds, yes.

[Odie]

I wouldn't put antibiotic ointment on deep, oozing wounds.:cool: Minor skin-deep wounds, yes.
Hencs the doc :eek:

[RedSidedSPR]

I'd post pictures before you do any anti-snake moves. But yeah, if it's as bad as it sounds....

[crittermom]

Thanks for the replies everyone! As of tonight, the snake is still alive. I've been putting neosporin on his oozing wound, and now it seems to have dried out for the most part and the swelling seems to be going down. I got a better look at it tonight and it seems to be in the muscle, but I don't see anything else (hard to know for sure though). The wound is probably 3-4 mm deep or so. I gave him a drink (out of my hand, he doesn't seem to be able to figure out that there is water in his cage) and he drank a bunch and excreted some urates. He is definately moving the end of his tail, and the tip has pretty much dried up and fallen off. His tongue is flicking a lot, so I'm hopeful. If he seems to continue going downhill, I'll definately euthanize him, but if he's able to recover and be released (or kept if he is permenantly handicapped i guess, boy will the hubby love that!) I'm gonna give him a shot. I havent looked into what kind it is, but I'm in Colorado, north of Denver. Here's a pic of the little guy. I'll try to post pics of the wound, but I remembered tonight after I had already put the neosporin on it, so you couldnt see it well. Here's the little fellah!

[guidofatherof5]

Looks like T.radix(Plains garter snake). Green heads are awesome. Good looking snake.
Sounds like you have a handle on what to look for if this thing goes South.
From your description I think the wounds are at least not getting worse.
Tongue flicking is a good sign of overall health. In my opinion.
Activity is another.
From what I can see the snake looks alert and bright-eyed.
Keep us posted, please.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, that's a Plains Garter Snake. Tough as a garter snakes get, too. They're tough as nails. Well heck, if he's not limp as a noodle, can hold himself up a little, flicking his tongue, and still alive after this time has passed...

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/attachments/urgent-care/1817d1304649913-help-wild-garter-p1050188.jpg

What do you think guys? He doesn't look so bad after all.

If you can get some povidone iodine on a cotton swab and clean his wounds really good with that, (of course he won't like this) that would be really good. Drying up is a good sign. Especially if the raw skin appears to "shrivel". That's a really good sign. Keep him hydrated but don't offer him food for a week or two. Give him time to heal first. Keep him warm, (75-85 F is fine) dry, and clean.

[crittermom]

My little garter friend seemed to be improving a lot, but I found him dead yesterday. Poor guy. Thanks for all the replies!

[Hornets23]

Bummer that is sad but at least you did what you could :)

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry to hear the bad news.
Thanks for doing what you could and taking the time to care.
R.I.P. little Thamnophis.
I applaud your efforts.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/Clapping.gif

[kibakiba]

You did a great job giving him some comfort before he died. Thank you for caring about him.

Hopefully you'll stay with us and perhaps get another little buddy. Garter snakes make great friends. :)

[ConcinusMan]

Sorry to hear it. maybe I should stop making predictions as to whether or not they will make it. Seems like every time I express some bit of hope for the little fellas, they drop dead.:(

[kibakiba]

It's the same way with me. Predict something will go good and it goes down the drain. It's always better than just telling someone it'll die, especially when you don't know. Positivity is always the best route for everyone.

[guidofatherof5]

There is nothing wrong with expressing hope as that is the outcome we would like to see.
The truth tempered with empathy towards the person is kindness.