Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well ive recently had a boat load of tests done on my female retic recently (barium study, fecal exam, blood tests, and sent the x-rays to some expert of snake xrays to Florida)and all results have come back inconclusive. this is really bothering. the only concrete explaination that i got from the vet and the xray guy is that theres what looks like an abcess in the lining of the stomach, not in it. on the xray the vet called it "lumpy-bumpy stuff". she said it may be something to do with an old infection. i have no idea whats going on, im already over $1,500 on vet bills w/ no diagnosis, (i dont even want to add up the total for the rest of my snakes) and now they want to do surgery on her an look around to see what it is. im going absolutely nuts. have any of ya'll ever dealt with something like this or heard of it? Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated.

p.s is anybody familiar with Midwest Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital in Westchester, Il?

What kind of problems is the snake having? WHy did you take it to the vet? Is she not eating or seem to be in pain?? If it doesnt seem to be bothering it, then why do surgery, that seems more risky. Like the doctor told me about a small tumor, if it isnt bothering you leave it a lone. But maybe I dont have the whole story, please reply with more info..

Thanks
Savannah
-----
More New Imported Morphs Than Any Where Else.
Savannah
Morph Specialties
New Imported Morphs
morphspecialties@yahoo.com(New Email Soon)
morphspecialties.com(Under Construction)

she was breathing really heavy, out of nowhere i'd hear a loud hiss like sound and she and her hidebox would literally jump, kind of like a huge twitch, and she was wheezing alot.

Oh Im sorry...Here is what Im thinking.There is a mass in there,we know thisfromwhat the vet says.it could have been there for a long time but has grown recently. It is blocking air passage.I have seen this happen,well it was in the throat and the snake wouldnt eat, so we looked deep inside with a light and saw this mass was blocking the throat.

I would guess the mass is restricting the airway,maybe not all the time, but maybe when she lays in certain positions,or when she has a meanin her.. Something to think about..

I wish I could help more..

Wish you the best.Let us know what happens.
Savannah
-----
More New Imported Morphs Than Any Where Else.
Savannah
Morph Specialties
New Imported Morphs
morphspecialties@yahoo.com(New Email Soon)
morphspecialties.com(Under Construction)

It helps knowing that youre not the only one, so Ill tell you a little bit of what Ive ben going throught for the last 5 weeks...

My 10 mo. old Black Throat monitor became lethargic out of the blue. On the 3rd day of inactivity I took him to the vet. Xrays, blood, fecal...normal except for an elevated white cell count. All that says is that hes got some sort of illness that his body is trying to fight off. Totally inspecific and inconclusive. They dont have the virus tests for reptiles that they do for mammals, so were pretty screwed in that regard. So off I carted him to the local university for more testing including ultrasound, cryptosporidia testing, and a liver biopsy. All NORMAL! Ive been tubefeeding him, getting him outside in the sun for exercise, and soaking him 2 times daily. He went through a course of anitibiotics as well.(he was on two antibiotics;FLAGYL and fORTAZ, but the FLAGYL made him worse, so they took him off of it). Nearly 1 1/2 months later and he seems to be improving, even eating a tiny bit on his own and climbing the tree outside. However on the down side, Ive spent nealy $1300. and the vets have NO idea whay he became ill to begin with.

Believe me, I understand how frustrating it is. At least though in your case, you have something that is detectable, now you and the doctors just gotta figure out the "whys".

Good luck! Lets hope that in the coming years, reptile diagnosis and treatment will advance a bit more!

All the best,
Michelle

np