Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I also posted this in the Rat snake forum.

I've moved to an area where the populace hates snakes, and the vet won't even see this poor guy. Long story made short: I live deep in the woods, and my !@#$% dogs caught what I think is a 4' Rat Snake, and he's injured. Trust me, there is NOBODY I can take him to. (And we're in between paydays, so I don't have a lot of gas.)

He has a bloody mouth, but worse than that they must have grabbed him because his abdomen is cut, and he has gray metter pushing out (which I assume is his digestive tract.)

This one's up to me. Sure, I could stitch him up, but what if those intestines (for lack of a better word) are torn? He's going to need antibiotics if he even makes it.

I placed him in a sealed plastic tub with air vents and on a soft towel...then I put it on top of my BP cage's heat pad. (I have exterior pads both top and bottom on his warm end. It was that or put that container in my GTP's cage, and I'm not taking any chances he could pass mites or disease to my pet...so atop the BP cage heat mat he is..with one end of the container off the heat mat.

Can anyone direct me to some online help?
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1.0.0 BP
1.1.0 Chondro

i dont know what to say other than good luck, but from the sound of it i dont think hes going to make it without the help of a vet. theres a good chance he could get an infection on the inside and if there is an injury to the mouth that could cause difficulty feeding. and the stress of all this may also cause him to refuse food.
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Jake Barney

snakes
1.1.1 ball pythons
0.2 corns

aquarium
0.0.1 Typhlonectes natans (aquatic caecilian)
0.0.1 common pleco
0.0.1 peacock spiny eel
0.0.? feeder fish/ shrimp

I rescued a snake that may not have been as roughed up as yours. But with care, the snake survived. I cleaned the wounds and applied Neosporin. So my advice to you is to try your best and don't give up. It will take some of your time but not any money. Well, Neopsporin is 8 bucks. Good for you for doing what you have done thus far.
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Mark

First I'd like to get it out of the way that if the snake has mites and if it's WC it us surely to have them regardless of what you put between them it's gonna pass mites. If there is not a water tight seal between them that runs the length of the room mites will travel to the other snake.

We just had a debate a few posts back about uthanizing a snake. Many are so hard core against it. I'm guilty of it too. Unfortunately I've never been able to do it to any of my animals and seen quite a few suffer because I was too much of a coward to face the facts and give them the most comfortable way out. I do understand giving them the care and chance they may deserve, but at what cost? Snakes do have a concept of pain, agony, and uncomfort. They do not however have any concept of time. Every animal out there will die one day no matter what we do to try to save it. When their time is up, it's up. Rather than to allow this snake to suffer it's most humane to put it down.

Just a quick story. My boss has an australian shephard that lived to play and fetch. Every time you seen it, it had a ball or rock or stick in it's mouth and wagging it's tail it's ears perky. It would fetch that thing untill your arms got tired. One day it blew out it's hind hip. It being an old dog the vet give my boss the option of putting it down or surgury that cost over 3 grand. He chose the surgury. The dog is still alive but not allowed to play anymore. Since the surgury I see it walking around with a ball in it's mouth constantly, never once yet seen it wag it's tail, never seen it's ears stand yet. And looking in it's eyes he is already dead. Very, very sad situation. So would you say this man is a saint for dropping the 3 grand to allow this dog to live maybe a year or two in pain and agony?

Like I said I'm guilty of this as much or more than anyone. I have never put an animal down even when I know I should have. But when it's all over and you think back. You realize the best thing to do for the animal would have been to end it's misery. We just can't bring ourselves to doing it. They have no concept of time and they are all gonna die one day. They have no way of knowing their day came any earlier than anyone elses. I sympathize with you. Good luck....