New Therapy

[Snakeknot]

This doesn't concern garters but it does concern snakes.

A few months back at a reptile show, I bought an adult Kenyan sand boa from a guy at a reptile show for $20.00. ( The price should have been my first warning! )I brought him home and he immediately became my problem child. He wasn't vicious or anything, he just didn't eat. AT ALL! Of course I only feed F/T. I thought at first it was because he had fathered a litter the year before ( although he seemed quite small for this ) and was used to being brumated.

And then he escaped. ( That's the LAST time I tell people sand boas don't climb! ) 2 weeks later I found the household cats playing soccer with him. Cats will be cats after all. Yes, he was still alive! I immediately took him to the most excellent herp vet. He was given an injection of antibiotics and I was given instructions to tube feed him more antibiotics every other day which I dutifully did, even though he musked me for it. He seemed not to improve but not to wither away either. He just remained stable. And he still refused to eat.

Well we have a new therapy device we are trying to sell to our clients that has generated little to no interest. Its called laser therapy. Its not the surgical cutting laser, its the cold light laser. I thought it might help my sand boa. I ran the idea past the manager and my employer and although they mostly cater to mammals, they seemed receptive to the idea of me laser-ing my sand boa to promote the therapy. I discussed the matter with the herp vet and he seems interested in it as well. It certainly couldn't hurt him any more was his opinion.

So tonight was my sand boa's first session with the laser machine. 4 minutes holding still on a heated surgery table while I passed this wand of red light over his horrific wound was a lot less stressful than forcing him to take a tube down his throat! I HATED tube feeding the medication to him. He always got upset and while holding him still, the wound would crack open again. I'm glad I'm done with that part! Lasering was so much easier than that. Since he was in a strange place, he just froze while I worked on him. I didn't even have to restrain him. So his therapy was much easier for both of us to deal with.

I meant to take pics but my camera wasn't working right. I did get pics on the boss' camera so there will be a photo record of it. And I am recording what findings we get for my herp vet.

I just thought that if anyone on this list has access to this from their herp vet you might want to check it out. Laser therapy is easy, painless and much less invasive than other therapies out there.

Devon

BTW He ate for the first time in months yesterday! Of course it may have been because it was still warm and alive.

[guidofatherof5]

My Vet. offers Laser Therapy. It was used on my girl Spot and Tang.
Spot died from cancer and Tang died from his lawn mower injury. Both my snakes were very calm during the treatment.

[Snakeknot]

I'm finding out that snakes heal a little differently from mammals! He shed Friday and the skin remained scabbed around the wound. Its all black and crusty and pretty gross to look at. I'm so tempted to remove the scab 'cause it looks horrible! But what does your momma always say? "Leave it alone! DON'T PICK AT IT!" I think ignoring him except for feeding and the laser therapy may be more conducive to his healing than anything else.

As long as he keeps maintaining, I'm happy.

Devon

[guidofatherof5]

This is the one my Vet. uses.
http://www.companiontherapylaser.com...FYeF7QodCz_-HQ