Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After noticing a swollen eye the other day I went to the only snake specialist in my area and my snake was diagnosed with a blocked tear duct. The fluid build up was clear so no infection and no mouth rot or RI. After the exam the vet informed me that surgery was necessary to correct the issue, unfortunately I dont have the $1200.00 for the surgery so I was given some antibiotics to inject every three days. Does anyone know of an alternative treatment to clear this up or if a snake will survive this with out treatment?

Your vet is correct in that this sounds like a condition caused by an obstruction of the lacrimal canal at the lower front corner of the orbit of the eye. This canal drains excess fluid from the orbit of the eye down through the lacrimal duct and through the anterior portion of the roof of the mouth. If this canal becomes obstructed, swelling occurs and infection can set in. If the fluid under the spectacle is still clear, you have definitely caught this in the very early stages. As the condition progresses, one of the early symptoms of infection is a slight clouding of the eye. As it progresses further, the eye itself will become more swollen due to the inability of fluid to drain from under the spectacle. In the more advanced stages, the eye will become completely opaque and greatly swollen with a yellowish material that usually contains some blood. If it gets to this point, resolution is impossible and the eye will need to be removed.

Sometimes slight pressure on this area below the eye above the canal will relieve the obstruction and force it down into the mouth, however that is definitely something for an experienced vet to perform and is not always successful. Pretty serious antibiotics are in order if the condition becomes more advanced, and the drugs of choice are usually an aminoglycoside or third generation cephalosporin class antibiotic. It is probably a good first step to treat with antibiotics to see if that will resolve the infection considering you have not seen any clouding of the eye, however, rapid treatment is imperative if any cloudiness of the eye is observed.

What antibiotic were you given for this condition?

Kelly

He is on 3cc of Amikacin every 3 days

That's good to hear. Amikacin is one of the aminoglycoside class antibiotics that I was referring too in my previous post. Are you sure it wasn't 3 mg instead of 3 cc.

Kelly

Well it could be 3mg im not sure what unit of measure but I do know its 3 cc's or 3 mg every three days