Need help Urgently

[Alternative]

Well, my snake has developed either some kind of growth right where his anus is or it is either his feces blocking the passage. Here are some pictures. I don't know exactly what it is, but it is starting to tear his skin. I thought it was feces that hardened because it is whitish and brownish, but I don't know. Can anyone help me?

[abcat1993]

Since I really don't know that much about these type of things, I would say either it's a girl and had a rough birth or it's got cancer.
But since I really don't know I'll just BUMP this up.

[Cazador]

How long has the "swelling" been like this? Could this be your snake's first litter, and is your snake particularly young (less than 2 years old)? It could be pregnant even if is doesn't currently have a mate, if it was wild caught or was previously with males (assuming it's a female).

If the snake has been in this situation for over a day, I'd suggest that the first thing to do would be to put the snake in warm (~90-95F), shallow water for 10 minutes. It should be shallow enough that the snake doesn't have to swim and isn't further stressed out. It may help relax the tissue and help in the passage of whatever this is. If you use the bathtub, be sure to clean and disinfect it with 5-10% bleach afterward (and before using it yourself).

It looks like the snake is trying to pass something (possibly babies or jelly beans). If you haven't changed the depth of your substrate lately, and if your substrate is a uniform depth across your entire tank, I doubt you're dealing with a fecolith even if you're using an under tank heater. The substrate depth looks good, and it doesn't look right.

Keep a close eye on the snake if you use the warm water treatment in case it delivers young. You could also put some Neosporin antibiotic on the torn skin to lubricate it and protect it from infection after it's "bath."
Rick

[dustyfeathers]

What did the vet say it was? I bet it's a prolapsed vent. It seriously needs to be seen by a medical professional. This condition is extremely painful but fixable if you get it in to a vet, who can put it back where it needs to be.

This often happens if a snake ingests a meal that is large, or is dehydrated and trying to digest a meal.

Good luck! Let us know what happens!



kim

[Cazador]

Wow! Interesting call, Kim. Now that you mention it, the swelling seems to be confined to the immediate area of the cloaca, rather than a larger area anterior to it (as would be expected with an obstruction).

It's good to have more members with knowledge of advanced care and treatment around. Does your knowledge come from experience, training, or both? Whatever the source, welcome to the forum.
Rick

[Alternative]

What did the vet say it was? I bet it's a prolapsed vent. It seriously needs to be seen by a medical professional. This condition is extremely painful but fixable if you get it in to a vet, who can put it back where it needs to be.

This often happens if a snake ingests a meal that is large, or is dehydrated and trying to digest a meal.

Good luck! Let us know what happens!



kim

WOW, thanks a lot. Yea, my vet is closed today, but I am going to go tomorrow and seek some help. I think that is exactly what it is because he was trying to urinate, but was coming out in slow streams. You really think the vet will be able to help him out?

Again, thanks for some actual help.

[Alternative]

Ok, I think I found out what it is.

Cloacaliths

Dehydration of captive snakes (especially if long-standing) may result in drying out of urinary excretions. When this occurs, uric acid "stones" tend to form within the cloaca ("cloacoliths"). Their presence in this location prevents expulsion of urinary waste and feces (constipation), which creates serious illness. Dehydration is a sign of disease and not a disease in itself, so it becomes the veterinarian's task to determine the underlying problem that caused the dehydration. Cloacoliths can usually be manually expelled with patience and the help of mineral oil enemas. This procedure should only be attempted by an experienced veterinarian.

I will try and take my snake to the veternarian tomorrow. I just hope they can fix it because he is kind of a small snake.

[abcat1993]

That sounds DISGUSTING. Stones clogging his cloaca, eww.
But seriously I hope your snake's OK/okay

[dustyfeathers]

Wow! Interesting call, Kim. Now that you mention it, the swelling seems to be confined to the immediate area of the cloaca, rather than a larger area anterior to it (as would be expected with an obstruction).

It's good to have more members with knowledge of advanced care and treatment around. Does your knowledge come from experience, training, or both? Whatever the source, welcome to the forum.
Rick

Hello! And thanks for the nice welcome. I have 10 years of reptile experience. I tend to keep large snakes, but I do have alot of corn snakes as well. Just getting interested (possibly) in garters

I was, at one time, the adoption chair for the Pacific NW Herpetological Society in Seattle. This gave me about 4 years of a fast track education that was hands on! Plus.........alot of gray hair. But we won't talk about those.....will we? Between the parrots and the reptiles, I'd estimate we spent about $30,000 in 10 years time, so hopefully I picked up a little knowledge from spending 1/2 my time at the vets office with new arrivals!

I have kept everything. Literally. Even garters. We moved 1000 animals thru the adoption committee in 4 years, and the spectrum of animals was huge!

If I can be of any assistance to you, just let me know. I look forward to reading your forum, it's really well done!


kim

[Cazador]

Hope to hear from you often and to entice you into a few garters of your own . You seem like an excellent resource.