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zuzubp
Snake Mite
4 Posts |
 Posted - 07/06/2012 : 21:32:05
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Hi everyone, I need your opinion on problem with my BP. She is about 2 years old. About three months ago problems started, first by my ignorance BP had gotten belly burns from heat pad. I started dealing with that, using dermazin and betadine. Her next shed was bad, she had skin all over her. But the biggest problem was tip of tail that did not shed properly. A piece of skin covering about 1 cm of tail tip remained. I tryed to remove it with wet towel, soaking tail in warm water. But by the time we managed to remove that part couple of scales had lifted exposing skin on tip of tail. Here is how it looked, then. Until that time she had never had shedding problems.
Next shed came very quick after that, about two weeks later. This time she had shed properly but scales from the tip of tail fell of with her skin. That was one month ago. Three days ago here belly started turning pink, and yesterday we noticed tip of her tail is starting to turn black. Here is how it looks.
Without flash:
With flash:
Couple of things I would like to point out. She is acting normally, she is active. She is eating, she has gained on weight and size since the burned bell problem. I read somewhere that if snake has necroses, that part of body smell bad, but here tail does not smell different from the rest of her body.
I am in touch with vet for past three months. Actually, as soon as I got her I took her to vet to do make a complete health check.
Fist picture is two months old, it's when she got heat pad burns. That has been taken cared by now. Here belly normal and there is no discoloration. But the belly burn caused bad shed. That lead to tail tip problem. We had a problem with removing skin from the tip of tail, cos we didn't want to harm her further.
Vet is suspecting necroses caused by bad tail shed that happen month and half ago. And suspects antibiotic tretment and maybe surgical removal of tail. :( But on the other hand she is puzzled by the fact that animal is very active, eats every week two rats. She is visible getting bigger and stronger. Her behavior so not in correlation of animal that has necroses. Other thing that is puzzling black tail happened literally over night. When her shedding process started black tail appeared.
Bottom line is I don't want her tail to be removed surgically unless that is must of course. So I am seeking to know is someone had this or similar situation with there ball python. And is able to shed some light on this matter.
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chrisc
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
3326 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2012 : 21:37:08
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the tail has gone black where retained shed has constricted an cut off the blood flow an basically the tail tip is dying.
as your vet has said it need treatment with antibiotics an may need surgery if it cant be saved, they will lead a perfectly normal life if the tail tip needs to be removed |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2012 : 21:52:58
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Yes, this needs urgent vet care - it is necrosis, have seen this myself, and never mind the tailtip - this is a case of the snake won't care if it loses the tailtip; to do so will save its life.
You won't notice much once the tailtip has been removed - one of my royals lost his tailtip before he came to me and believe me he's still a handsome lad.
All the best with him! |
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Edited by - n/a on 07/06/2012 21:54:18 |
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zuzubp
Snake Mite
4 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2012 : 22:40:56
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Thank you.
Unfortunately you have confirmed my worst suspicions. I don't doubt my vet, she is a very helpful and kind person. I was just hopping that this time she might be wrong, and this might be just some type of discoloration that can occur during shedding process. :( My vet is away but she arranged for me to visit another vet that is willing to work with reptiles. I am going to see her first thing in the morning.
Sorry about my english, it's not my first language. |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2012 : 00:55:11
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If its black its dead, it needs removing surgically and cleanly because it will drop off eventually and as its not from a retained tail tip and is from a wound it has a very real chance of spreading (gangrene) and killing the snake, I think the first signs of this are visible between the dead bit and the hermipenes (looks male to me), slight bruising/marbling so veterinary intervention is required as a matter of urgency to prevent it getting any higher.
Poor thing has been in the wars, burns do often cause bad sheds and because of the skin damage shedding will be accelerated while it heals. Welcome to the forum by the way I wish your snake a quick recovery and Royals are short tailed pythons anyway a loss of a inch or two wont bother them too much. You'll have to keep us all posted, its never nice when things go wrong with your animal I'm sure you are deeply affected by it, us lot on here are here to support one another at times like this too. |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2012 : 02:31:16
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quote:
Originally posted by zuzubp
Thank you.
Unfortunately you have confirmed my worst suspicions. I don't doubt my vet, she is a very helpful and kind person. I was just hopping that this time she might be wrong, and this might be just some type of discoloration that can occur during shedding process. :( My vet is away but she arranged for me to visit another vet that is willing to work with reptiles. I am going to see her first thing in the morning.
Sorry about my english, it's not my first language.
Hi, your English is cool - good luck with the vet visit and as Bob says, keep us posted. Vets are brilliant these days - the necrosis I had to deal with was in a cat in the 1980s when owners had to do all the nursing - the cat lived to a ripe old age but all the same a worrying time - I can't believe how vet procedures have improved since then and I'm sure they'll sort your girl's problem without delay. All the very very best with her - and welcome to the forum too. |
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zuzubp
Snake Mite
4 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2012 : 13:05:28
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Update. This morning we went to vet. She told us that it looks much worse on pictures, at the moment this is definitively not for amputation. She told us that it's necroses but in fairly early stage. With vet we had a better look at the affected tissue, actually there is no black tissue, only light gray. Picture with flash shows correct condition, other one without flash is too dark. Vet also told us that this is far from terminal stage and that we got plenty of time to observe her condition before we proceed with amputation. Also area affected with necroses didn't form yet so it's unclear how much of tissue would be needed to remove.
Today she started treatment with antibiotics and will continue to do so for next ten days. In that time situation should be much clearer. Our vet feels that antibiotic treatment at this stage should give very good results. If it does not it will help to show how much tissue cannot be saved. And snake will be much better prepared for operation.
Thank you for a warm welcome. :) I still didn't read forum rules, there is probably a rule to crate welcome treat for new member. If there is, I am sorry for not following rules. Hope you understand I just wanted to get to the point as I was in panic and needed to wait for visit to vet. Once again thank you for all your advice's and support. |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2012 : 13:34:14
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Hi, hope all goes well with her and that she doesn't need an operation. The vet sounds good. (I like vets who are happy to spend time supervising the animal rather than just sell you an expensive operation or treatment lol.) Yes, sometimes the necrotic tissue will just slough off by itself and as long as the infection's arrested it will be a lot better to wait instead of surgery. Glad the photos looked worse than it is - in the case of my cat the tissue went grey and then came away by itself so hope it's the same in this case.
All the very very best with her - keep us updated. |
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Meadow
Yearling
United Kingdom
196 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2012 : 23:20:46
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Hello and welcome 
I'm glad the prognosis seems better now than when you originally posted and I hope the antibiotics are all that are needed to get your snake fully fit again.
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1.1.0 human beasties
0.1.0 royal python
“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.” - Alan Cohen |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2012 : 23:24:08
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| Sounds like you've a knowledgeable and caring vet there which is good as there are some have-a-go heroes out there. Sounds like good news and a snake soon to be well again. |
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zuzubp
Snake Mite
4 Posts |
Posted - 17/06/2012 : 17:53:52
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Hi I just wanted to give you guys update. Today my BP received 10. antibiotic treatment. About 3 days ago she had a shed, that went great, no leftovers.
About 5 or 6 days ago her vet suggested that this might not be necroses after all, vet suspected hematoma of tissue. So she gave us gel to treat her tail. We started using it 3 days ago. And it looks like it's working, gray area on tip of tail is getting smaller. So all we have to do now is way for a week to see how things will go.
She told us that she suspected hematoma from the beginning, but since she is out of country and could not make checkup first hand, she wanted to play safe, just in case she was wrong. But right now she is 95% sure it's not necroses cause by now affected tissue should dry off and that didn't happen.
We are still unsure what could have caused hematoma, some times she tries to climb the lamp so maybe something went wrong for her. That would explain how sudden gray tissue appeared.
So much for now, as things progress I will update you. Have a great day. |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 17/06/2012 : 18:16:32
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| Brilliant news that things are on the mend. Its great when the suspected worse case scenario actually shows it self to be something else a little less severe. Thanks for the update, we are all routing for this one to be right as reign in no time. |
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Meadow
Yearling
United Kingdom
196 Posts |
Posted - 17/06/2012 : 18:22:56
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Thanks for the update! That sounds like good news, that can be fixed, I am glad
Keep us updated - good luck with your python's recovery |
1.1.0 human beasties
0.1.0 royal python
“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.” - Alan Cohen |
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Tip of tail turning black
