Lawn Mower Rescue

[drumcrush]

Every couple of weeks I go out to mow my grandpa's yard which Is out in the middle of some woods so u see a bunch of herps.

Well today, I had accidentally hit a young Eastern. Just appears to be flesh wounds, not sure if there is any internal damage.

I cleaned out the wounds and applied neosporin.

I put him in a clean tub with paper towel bedding, a clean hide, clean water, and a small heat pad.

He seem all right, active but I can tell he's hurting.

Is there anything else I should do?

[d_virginiana]

That place on his back really doesn't look good, but I've seen snakes recover from worse. You'll probably be keeping him awhile though if you want to be sure he's completely healed before going back to the wild. As far as internal damage, that's probably just going to be a waiting game... The main thing I'd be concerned about with that location would be spinal cord damage, so if he's still able to move properly that's a good sign.

Just to be certain; in the top photo of his back, I see kind of a pale line... That's not his spine, right? I feel like it may just be muscle/tendon tissue that looks funny with the camera flash, but if that is the spine it may be more humane to put him out of his misery.

When I was helping my parents rehab a black ratsnake a year or two ago that had a couple severe, deep wounds on par with the one on his back, the main thing was staying on top of keeping them disinfected (you're starting at a slight advantage here since you got him before infection could set in). The problem with Neosporin and snakes is that the oily nature of it can damage scales if it's constantly on there... If it were me, I might do betadine twice a day and Neosporin at the end of every other day or something... That way the area around the injury won't be compromised (I just worry that constantly having neosporin on an area might prolong the healing process by messing with the skin that would be moving in around the injury).

As a disclaimer, a vet is always going to be the best option when you're looking at something this serious, but I think there's at least a chance for survival without vet intervention here, so I went ahead and gave the best advice I can if that's not an option.

[drumcrush]

Sorry about the flash, best i could do for lighting, it was harder to see without it even.

As far as the back goes, It appears to be just muscle/tendon, I think the flash might have reflected a bit of the surface to make it appear white/silver.

He is pretty active for his injury, I do not notice any sign of struggle as he moves about.

I will try to find/buy some betadine.

Thanks for the advice and help!

[d_virginiana]

You can probably find betadine at Walmart, but if not they definitely have it at CVS.

[drumcrush]

alrighty, thanks!

[drumcrush]

You can probably find betadine at Walmart, but if not they definitely have it at CVS.

I see a few different kinds of betadine, maybe they are all the same but i'm unsure if it matter what kind

NORTH BY HONEYWELL 15SL016 Betadine Topical Antiseptic, 16 oz. - Walmart.com
Betadine Skin Cleanser 4 oz - Walmart.com
BETADINE SOLUTION - Walmart.com

[d_virginiana]

As long as the chemical name is Povidone-Iodine and it doesn't have any additional ingredients, it should be fine. When you use it, you should probably dilute it in water. Since this is a pretty heavy duty injury that looks like it could get easily infected, maybe 1 part betadine to 3 parts water? Does anyone else have a suggestion on how much to dilute it? I'm not sure how exactly would be the best way to balance the intensity of the treatment with the risks if the wound did become infected, so the 3:1 ratio is just my guess at it.

[drumcrush]

ok, thanks!

[Tommytradix]

i had a snake with an injury and i used 4:1 i soaked him in just water first so he could drink or poop then soaked in betadine solution

[drumcrush]

so he started shedding, should i try to help take the shed off or just let him be?