Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a hatchling Texas Ratsnake which had a parasite problem and ended up prolapsing a couple times as a result. It just finished being treated with Albon (sulfadimethoxine) and is being put on another antibiotic today to take care of a second species of parasite. Earlier this month the snake was on Baytrill to take care of any potential bacterial problems in its gut (this was before parasite eggs were found in fecal float). After each prolapse incident sutures were put in by a reputable herp vet around the vent to prevent the cloaca from popping back out and were removed 3 days later. Damage caused to the anal scales by the sutures may be irreparable. The first anal scale tore to the side and fell off. The second appears necrotic and is also torn in the same fashion. He's going in for a recheck either today or tomorrow but I wanted to know what you all thought about this. Obviously the anal scales are not a vital organ but what are the long-term implications of this? The primary function of the anal scales is to protect the cloaca and hemipenes. My assumption is that without two of them the snake should be kept on a paper towel or newspapaer substrate so that stuff can't get jammed in there and cause problems. Anything else you can think of. I'm pretty sure the snake is male but I have not probed to be certain... It's weighs only 20 grams.

The snake didn't lose two anal scales because it only had 1 to begin with. It had torn between where the sutures were put in place so it appeared to be two different scales.

Well, a couple hours before the scheduled check in at the Vet's the snake re-prolapsed. I am posting about this here just because I think other people may like to see the photo and hear about the full story. Any advise on the matter is still welcome but after talking with the vet for a while I think we have a pretty good course of action planned out.

Because of the snake's size, the repeated damage caused to the anal scale by inserting sutures has caused the scale to split off and become necrotic. After previous prolapses, the cloaca was re-inserted into the vent and the vent partially closed for 3 days with sutures to prevent the cloaca from popping right back out. Now that the snake has re-prolapsed and there is no anal scale to put a suture on the vet and I are trying a couple other things to try and prevent a recurrence of the problem. Thus far the snake has been put on Baytril to clear out a potential bacterial problem in the gut and Albon to remove the parasite coccidia from its GI. The snake is now being treated with a broad-spectrum de-worming medication which should take care of the other known parasite species in its GI as well as nematodes and protazoans if they happen to be in there and causing problems as well. It also just got an anti-inflammatory shot which will be repeated in two days, and is being treated with a topical anti-biotic to keep any exposed tissue as a result of scale damage from drying out or becoming necrotic. Luckily the prolapse was minor enough that it did not pop right out after being re-inserted. If this does not fix the problem then options may be limited. The snake does not have any blockage and continues to pass feces and urates as normal.

Im no expert on any of this but it seemsto me that the vet bills are going to be far higher then the value of this snake.I can understand paying money on a dog to get it well but not hundreds of dollors on a 60 dollar snake.
Your thoughts?
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"Wake me when its April"

Doug L

I try not to think of it in terms of how much I spent on the snake. The fact of the matter is that I am responsible for the care of the snake and as long as I have the ability to provide that care, I will keep doing so. Right now we're on sort of a last ditch effort and if this doesn't work out then euthanasia is on the table.

After shipping I payed about $100 for the snake. The three major vet visits were about $90 each. My limit on this snake will be about another $100 trip and after that it will be quite clear that there is nothing practical that can be done to save it.

I'd have to agree with you. When we adopted our cat for $100, a week later she needed $2k in vet bills. Now it's several years later, and she needs daily medication but is otherwise happy and healthy (with only part of one kidney). It's not about the cost of the animal, it's about doing everything within your power to help it.

It looks slim, but good luck on the little guy. If by some miracle he survives this, then I'm sure he'll live a good 10-20yrs all thanks to you, and saving a life like that is priceless.