PLEASE Help

[05brandon50]

Hey guys
My garter Rita is really sick. I found her laid out in her tank motionless. I waved my hand past the glass a few times and where she would normally be very inquisitive, she wasn't. She just laid there and barely moved. The one things I could think of was that she had reguratated and I had been feeding her her usual silversides but on one I dusted ever so slightly with a vitamin supplement, barely any. It wasn't an overly large meal either. Her water was a little low but that's all that I can think of. I replenished her water and picked her up gently and she started spasming violently as if she was trying to throw up more. After she calmed down I placed her near the water and she took a few gulps but that's it. i have since turned off her light and she is still just laying there, motionless but alive. I don't have a very good exotic reptile vet near me (the last and only one remotely close to me was the one who killed my cham right in front of me). I'm not sure if this is normal behavior after regurging but I have owned exotic reptiles my whole life and have experience with snakes but I have no idea what's wrong... PLEASE I know there are none/not many vets on here but at the moment, it's the best option I have so if there are any ideas of ways I can help her please let me know as I don't want to lose my beloved pet..

[d_virginiana]

There is no need to dust food with vitamins if an animal is eating prey with bones (that includes silversides).

What sort of vitamin supplement? Some contain phosphate which can affect absorption of certain vitamins and minerals. I don't know if the vitamin dusting is what caused it, since it was a very small amount, but I have heard of frogs going into seizures when people over-supplement. On the other hand, those were situations that you heard what the person said and thought "You idiot, why would you even do that?!". Which isn't the case here. I think the only way the vitamin supplement could have caused this is if your snake happened to be unusually sensitive.

If you can't get her to a vet, try and get her to drink fairly often. It may help flush out her system. Also, if she eats, try feeding only nightcrawlers for awhile. They go more quickly through the digestive system, and would help cleanse out anything in there quicker.

If this is a neurological issue, it may not get better. You can only wait and see.

[Stefan-A]

Sorry to hear this happened. I wish I had something useful or maybe just uplifting to say, but it doesn't look good.

[chris-uk]

I hope you've seen an improvement since you posted. The symptoms you describe aren't good, all you can do is keep trying to get her to drink.
Threads that start with symptoms that you've described rarely have a happy ending, so whilst I don't like to be the one to bring it up you may want to consider your options for euthanasia.

[guidofatherof5]

Hope there has been some improvement overnight. What sort of diet has Rita been on?

[05brandon50]

Thank you everyone for the input.. I had to leave very early for work today but I made sure I put a few shallow water dishes all through her cage, one with a light solution of water and pedialite as I am sort of thinking it is dehydration..

Hope there has been some improvement overnight. What sort of diet has Rita been on?

She's just been on a diet mainly consisting of f/t silversides and a few pinkie mice once in a while. Like I said the last and only time I ever offered her a supplement was the last time I fed her about two days ago and she regurged/vomitted it yesterday..

I've been so upset crying lots ever since last night asI watched her in her cage as she just sat there suffering. I'm afraid to go home and check up on her... I don't know what to do

[guidofatherof5]

You're doing just fine. It's hard when one of our animals is sick.

[EKS56]

I hope she gets better.

[Mommy2many]

Thoughts and prayers with you and Rita. How old is Rita? I have to agree that the symptoms do not sound good and you are doing everything you can. It is very hard to watch our beloved pets suffer and we can't help them. Keep with the water, that is more important than food. Keep us updated.

[05brandon50]

Update:

I just came home and she was at least under her hide rather than just laying out in the open. I lifted it up to see if she had passed or not and she started spasming more violently than the first time and spinning much like an aligator would with her mouth open... This is so hard to watch...

Someone had asked if te vitamin supplement had Phosphorus in it and yes, it is 10%. Could that be the issue? Like I said I used a tiny tiny amount of it, barely anything on her most recent feed teo days ago...

I'm at the point where if there's no clear cure then I just want her out of her misery... I did a huge amount of research on garters before I got her but apparently not enough. The feeling of watching her suffer is unbearable :/