Did a necropsy on a garter snake at work today, and the snake's liver looked really odd. It was incredibly lumpy and appeared to have a lot of fat deposits in it, as well as all over in the rest of the body.



I'm not well practiced in this stuff, so I'm not sure if fatty liver disease is what was wrong with the snake, or what that would even look like. I'm not even sure if it's a problem in garter snakes (I usually only hear of it in hognose).



The snake was older, but completely healthy and active.



It had been in the water, and when dead, appeared to have been biting a rock in its enclosure while still partly in the water. The head was not submerged, but water could have gotten into the snake's lungs. Drowning could not be determined as the snake was frozen and then thawed in a bucket of water.



I can link pictures of the necropsy if folks are interested, but will not post them, due to the fact that it could upset some people.
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4.3.1 Western Hognose

1.1 Ball Pythons

1.0 Everglades Rat Snake

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