Hey Gerry,

I just took a look at that LTT from your picture and I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on, though it's not a pretty prognosis. What I'm seeing, and what you're describing as paralysis caudal to the lesion, is consistent with a traumatic injury to the spine. The "thinning and narrowing" of the body is acute muscle atrophy, which invariably occurs when skeletal muscle loses innervation (in this case from either a disk or fractured spinal process that is compressing the spinal cord). That injury hadn't occurred long before you found her. Is there a chance you rolled the rock on her LOL? Swallowing is a vagal (parasympathetic) process independent of the spinal cord so she should be physiologically capable of prehending dead prey and swallowing, but her (unlikely) survival will require a lot of extra care. Snakes with these injuries usually deteriorate pretty quickly due to stress and physiologic dysfunction, and those that survive (usually those with limited, very caudal paralysis) still often present with burns, bite wounds, etc since they're incapable of feeling or responding to pain in those regions of the body.

I don't mean to sound like a downer nor do I mean to discourage you from trying to salvage a great looking snake, but I'm in a position to offer a realistic perspective on the situation. If she continues to deteriorate, my personal opinion would be to have her euthanized humanely and don't beat yourself up over it. She's struggling against great odds right now.

Best of luck,

Brad
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http://www.waffahousereptiles.com

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