Black Rat Snake Rescue

[EKS56]

We have a really good vet who openly admits reptiles are not his specialty. Which is cool. Better than having him BS me.
I would be concerned with getting an oral antibiotic in him and I'd think an injectable would be out. I'm hoping I can get this done with a topical.

[guidofatherof5]

If the infection is bad a topical isn't going to do the job.
A syringe with oral is easy to administer. Garter or rat snake it's all the same.

[d_virginiana]

I'll be in Eden both Saturday and Monday next week. If you get an oral antibiotic by then, I can give it to him.
If Jerry's not comfortable dosing something so small, talk to me and I'll give you the info for the exotics vet I took Harley to.

[jwolfe152]

There are a couple of wounds I am really concerned with. They appear to have some infection in them. We'll keep dousing them with peroxide and neosporin. But I really don't like the looks of them.

i don't know how much different a snakes is compared to humans, or how often you use it or how much for that matter, but, the peroxide COULD be doing more harm than good if used to often. the way it was explained to me for my ears, labret, surface, and eyebrow piercings was that while the peroxide does remove the bacteria it also removes other things in the skin that inhibit the healing process, same with alcohol. i didn't know if you knew that or not but just throwing it out there. also the best way to wash any kind of wound is with just antibacterial hand soap such as dial. but like i said i don't know how different this info would be for reptiles.

[d_virginiana]

i don't know how much different a snakes is compared to humans, or how often you use it or how much for that matter, but, the peroxide COULD be doing more harm than good if used to often. the way it was explained to me for my ears, labret, surface, and eyebrow piercings was that while the peroxide does remove the bacteria it also removes other things in the skin that inhibit the healing process, same with alcohol. i didn't know if you knew that or not but just throwing it out there. also the best way to wash any kind of wound is with just antibacterial hand soap such as dial. but like i said i don't know how different this info would be for reptiles.

I believe the peroxide is being diluted and used once a day on an area of the worst wound that had some sort of insect larvae growing in it. From what I understood, the other treatments were with hibiclens (much milder than peroxide) or neosporin. At least last time we talked about it, that's what was going on.

[jwolfe152]

i know the hibiclens is good stuff for wounds. i just wanted to make sure because a lot of people just want to use alcohol and peroxide and think thats the best way to do it, when it can actually hurt. i think the diluted peroxide would be good over the full peroxide. i got one more question, the big place on his back where it looks like the scales have just been slid over and kind of bunched up. how is that doing? as in have you had to remove any of the extra skin? or is it hard to clean that area?

[EKS56]

That's looking a little better. Right now I'm trying to clean up the necrosis and clean out some maggots that have decided to set up shop. He was feeling a little better today. I could tell by the increased strikes and being less tolerant of the cleaning process.

[guidofatherof5]

Thank you for the effort you are giving this snake.

[jwolfe152]

That's looking a little better. Right now I'm trying to clean up the necrosis and clean out some maggots that have decided to set up shop. He was feeling a little better today. I could tell by the increased strikes and being less tolerant of the cleaning process.

could the maggots be used the same was they use them on some people? i mean leave them there for awhile so that they will clean away the necrotic tissue and not the living stuff? im not sure the conditions they use them or if they use a certain kind and what not just thought it could make the cleaning a little less stressful but like i said there are a lot of questions i don't have answers to in the use of them.

[guidofatherof5]

Not the same maggots. Medical maggots are disinfected. These are disease carrying maggots.

Maggot therapy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia