Mouth infection on baby snake!!

[d_virginiana]

I just got home for break, and was checking out my snakes, and Harley seems to have a mouth infection! :( I'll get a picture up tomorrow, but her mouth is swollen up around the edges (like, if you look at her from underneath, the top jaw puffs out on the sides). I can't get a picture up until tomorrow, but I'll post one ASAP. It's also discolored, and a bit darker than normal.

Apparently she last ate 5 days ago, and she doesn't seem to be too lethargic or anything, so I'm hoping I caught this early.

What do I do?!? I have no clue what to get, how to dose things, ect. I'm really worried about her! I've never had to deal with a sick snake before...

[EasternGirl]

When I thought that Seeley had a mouth infection last year, some forum members told me to take Hibiclens and put a couple of drops in a cup of water and put it on a Q-tip and put it on the infected area a couple of times a day. But maybe some other members can tell you some better ideas?

[d_virginiana]

What's Hibiclens and how where would I be able to get it? Could I mail order it?

Any help is welcome :)

[EasternGirl]

Hibiclens is an antimicrobial cleanser often used in hospitals or doctors offices to clean wounds or wash hands...you can buy it at any drugstore. Try cleaning the infected area with that tonight/tomorrow morning...but like I said, don't use it undiluted...just put a few drops in a cup of water...put a cotton swab in it and dab it on the infected area...then wait for advice from other members...you may want to PM Steve...he knows a lot about treating sick snakes.

[infernalis]

I salvaged this from what is left of our WIKI board.. Hope it helps.

MEDICATIONS: Products such as hydrogen peroxide, and mouthwash, have been recommended for stomatitis. The problem is that these products are cytotoxic. At full strength they destroy the good tissue along with the bad. What is called for is a product that has antibacterial properties but is gentle on healthy tissue. Vets use Novasolon (chlorhexidine diacetate) and Betadine (providone Iodine). Novasolon is available by mail order from animal suppliers and from feed and grain stores. It's great to have on hand as a disinfectant, but the stuff is expensive ($36/gal or about $10/qt), but you dilute it in water. Betadine is available at drug, grocery, and many pet stores. It is also great to have on hand as an antibacterial agent for cuts and scratches.
TREATMENT: Quarantine the snake! Mouth rot (stomatitis) is highly contagious. Raise the temperature of the enclosure (see below). If there is a scab-like crust over the gums, it should be wiped away, using a Q-tip with 1/3 strength hydrogen peroxide (2 parts water : 1 part peroxide). Swab the affected area inside of the snakes mouth, roof & gums with a 1% solution of Nolvasan or full strength (10% solution) of betadine. The swabbing may result in the mouth bleeding, depending upon how advanced the infection is. This can be followed by coating the inside of the mouth with fresh aloe from the leaf of a live aloe plant. Not only does the aloe soothe, it seals in the Nolvasan/Betadine. Hopefully this helps to keep the Nolvasan/Betadine in the affected area of the mouth and decreases the amount of iodine that gets inadvertanly swallowed. The aloe can be safely injested by the snake. For slightly more advanced mouthrot (showing bleeding or enlarged, red blood vessels along the gumline), applying 1/3 strength hydrogen peroxide before applying the Nolvasan or Betadine opens the blood vessels and allows deeper penetration of the Nolvasan/Betadine. Discontinue use of the diluted peroxide or mouthwash if open bleeding occurs. Mild cases warrant daily care. Cases with dried puss warrant twice-daily care. If the condition does not improve within a week, consult your veterinarian for systemic antibiotic treatment. Wash your hands thoroughly in soap and water, followed by Betadine or Nolvasan before handling any other snakes or continuing your daily activities.
HEAT: For this condition stomatitis (mouth rot) it is widely suggested that you raise the temps in your enclosure to the upper 80s, immediately. This is to give the snake's immune system a boost. The temperature should remain elevated day & night, 24x7. My observations indicate that my snakes seem quite content to be literally *bathing* in the heat. If the snake doesn't show signs of improvement within a week, see your veterinarian.
NOTES ON MEDS: Nolvasan may also be purchased as the generic chlorhexidine, from the internet for about $10 less than the brand name. You can also find the generic equivalent of Betadine (Povidone Iodine), at most drugstores and pet stores.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I had to treat a graybanded kingsnake for stomatitis once. He developed it as a secondary result of a respiratory ailment. The big question when a snake gets stomatitis is why? Often there is an underlying cause and it is often a secondary infection, not the primary one. Watch the snake closely for other signs of ailment, especially respiratory. One possibility though is if they get a piece of substrate stuck in their mouth, and it sits in there, that introduces bacteria and can cause an infection all on it's own. The swelling on either side of the face as you have described actually sounds like something a little different... blockage of a duct that connects between the eye and the mouth... which can lead to both mouth infections and eye infections as well. From what I learned through a vet there is a duct that kind of allows some drainage to go between the eye and the mouth and if this gets blocked off by foreign material or mucous or bacteria or WHATEVER it can cause the eye to swell and fill with milky fluid and can also cause mouth infection. I learned all of this when I had a female concinnus who first had a swollen side of the lip under her eye and then they eye proceeded to cloud and swell. I would open the snake's mouth and search for a cottage-cheese looking material, and of course blood/obvious signs of trauma. If you see this you know you have mouth rot... I successfully treated my case of the graybanded king with a dilute peroxide solution. The snake wasn't too happy about having his mouth peroxided several times a day but it cleared up very quickly and saved his life. The female concinnus with the eye problem eventually died despite the antibiotics and treatment.

[d_virginiana]

Thanks for the suggestions.. All I have on hand at the moment is some Hydrogen Peroxide that I'll dilute and swab with tonight. Tomorrow I'm going to go on a pharmacy run for hibiclens and betadine. I also have a gigantic aloe plant that I can use. Hm.. I guess I can move her tank into the room where my frog lives. It's much warmer, AND that'll keep her further away from Houdini.

Shannon, that might be what it is; her eyes don't seem affected, but the cheek area under the eye is incredibly swollen.

One more question... Would it be a good idea to go ahead and swab my other snake's mouth with some hydrogen peroxide as well? I ask because I'm almost 100% sure that, while I've been gone, my mother has been using the same tongs and probably even offering leftovers from one snake to another, because she hadn't noticed the infection on the little one. I really don't want anything to get started up with him because of his age. Also, his eyes are always a little bit cloudy (cataracts I think. been that way for over a year) and it'd be more difficult to spot an infection.
Also, I'm guessing I shouldn't be feeding her while all this is going on??

[ConcinusMan]

Let's hope it's not stomatitis. Often it's not, but a mouth injury can eventually lead to stomatitis, tooth loss, or a deeper infection of the jaw bone. Personally I used Hibiclens diluted with water, twice daily. You have to use a swab and sort of roll it up under the lip. Don't worry if it bleeds a little the first few days of treatment. That's OK. The active ingredient is Chlorhexidine gluconate. You can feed the snake, but treat/clean the area immediately after feeding. Keep the snake in a container with paper towels and keep very clean and dry during the treatment. Keep up the treatment for about 5 days after it heals, and check daily to make sure swelling isn't coming back. This will clear it up in about two weeks. Works for me anyway, for simple injury. Don't know if it will work for stomatitis. Doesn't sound like stomatitis to me anyway, if there's no crusty yellowish or "cheesy" looking buildup. What you described happens fairly commonly, and is probably just a minor injury to the gums from food fights between snakes, or some other injurious incident, followed by minor infection and swelling. Once it swells, debris gets in there and can cause infection. At this point, peroxide is better than nothing, but 1-2% solution of Chlorhexidine gluconate (twice a day, avoid using excess and avoid swallowing) is much better. It won't injure healthy tissue like peroxide can.

Start treatment immediately. The sooner you notice and start treatment, the better the prognosis.

[gregmonsta]

Fingers crossed for the little one.

[EasternGirl]

Yes...I'm really hoping everything works out.

[d_virginiana]

Okay, quick update. I've not been online a lot lately due to spending all my time on exams and applications...

She seems to be doing a lot better. She shed the day after I first noticed the problem, and it immediately started looking better. What had looked like crusty ulcers at the front of her mouth had shed out. After swabbing her mouth for two days, one side looks like it has no swelling left, and the other side is so low I wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't know it was there. She's been pressed up against Trevor's cage since I got home, so she's been getting a lot of extra heat... Don't know how much that's actually helping, but she definitely is enjoying it. She's really calm about being swabbed! I can just hold her, flip her to her back, swab her mouth, and let her roll back over. She doesn't even really try to get away. If she weren't being really active and happy acting, I'd be worried by how calm she is.

Now I'm wondering how that could have happened? It really doesn't seem to be stomatitis, so I guess that leaves an injury.. She's housed by herself, so it couldn't have been a food-fight, and I can't figure out how she could have injured herself.

[EasternGirl]

Well, first...interestingly, Seeley once had a similar situation in which I thought he had a mouth infection or injury because his lip looked a bit swollen and then he shed soon after that and it went away. So..now I am wondering if it has something to do with shedding. But if not...what kind of substrate do you use and what kind of plants, hides, or any other objects are in her enclosure?

[d_virginiana]

Well, first...interestingly, Seeley once had a similar situation in which I thought he had a mouth infection or injury because his lip looked a bit swollen and then he shed soon after that and it went away. So..now I am wondering if it has something to do with shedding. But if not...what kind of substrate do you use and what kind of plants, hides, or any other objects are in her enclosure?

Well, it's definitely not just from the shed, though it did look much better afterwards. There's still a bit of swelling on either side of the mouth, but today one side was almost completely normal and the swelling of her cheeks between the mouth and the eye is definitely less noticeable. She ate an entire pinkie tonight, so she's definitely feeling alright; I think she'll be angry when she gets moved back into the 'snake room' and out of my bedroom floor where it's a nice, toasty 85 degrees.

I use carefresh and fake plants.. Same stuff that's in my other one's cage and nothing that hasn't been there since I got her. I don't know what could've caused this, unless maybe she got injured eating. She goes crazy striking at food, and sometimes she'll try and chew on the tongs. I try to keep this from happening, but sometimes she still manages to get ahold of them. That's the only thing I can think of other than just plain bad luck..

[EasternGirl]

Well...I'm glad she is doing better. Yeah...maybe she hurt her mouth on the tongs. Cee Cee is the same way...she goes nuts over food and tries to eat everything in sight...the dish...my fingers...once she tried to eat a wood log next to her dish. It's good that you noticed it and treated it right away. Sounds like she will be better in no time. Keep us posted.

[RedSidedSPR]

Just saw this thread. Hope Harley is OK! Glad she's doing better!