paralized? and dying corn

[gob144]

I noticed a lump on my corns spine in two places a few weeks ago. I took him to the vet 2 times and all he says is it looks like an injury so leave him be for while. The lumps seem to be getting worse slowly and my corn can barely move his tail end half. When ever I put him in his home he goes into his hide but his tail half never goes in. I put him on the floor to see how he is moving and he seems to be dragging his tail half around. Hes not totally paralyzed though because when i pick up his tail half the tail will move slightly but very slowly.

I don't know what the hell to do now i cant keep taking him to the vet it isn't cheap. I'm starting to think i may have to get him put down.

[bitsy]

Sounds like either way, the vet is your only option. Worsening paralysis following a possible injury doesn't sound good. My feeling is that if it was a survivable injury, then the paralysis would be getting better as swelling or inflammation goes down.

I think you need the vet's advice. Sadly I suspect you're right and you may be looking at euthanisation. Let us know how it goes.

[Karoni]

Can you take him to another reptile vet? It doesn't seem like your current vet is giving you any real help at the moment.

[gob144]

there no specialist vets any where near where i live. Its such an upset i researched for months on snake care and corn snake care, I'm so frustrated I was looking forward to having a corn for so long and its not even been a year. Puts me snakes altogether now.

[gob144]

another thing is i have no clue how he could have ever gotten the injure that got to be one of the worst parts. I cant picture him doing it to himself but iv never seen him do anything that would cause such an injury.

[diamondlil]

How do you feed your corn?

[Ares2010]

Poor little guy. That is strange how he could get such an injury.

Wished I could suggest something, but I'm just as clueless as you are on this one.

[gob144]

he eats frozen thawed in a seperate feeding container. he is still eating just fine. Hes shedding right now but its not going to well because he isnt mobile enough to get all the shed off.

[Johan13]

Poor guy, I wish I could be of more help :(

[bitsy]

he is still eating just fine. Hes shedding right now but its not going to well because he isnt mobile enough to get all the shed off
Is he pooping OK as well? That might indicate that the paralysis isn't catastrophic.

The basics for his survival will include him being able to get around enough to:
1) Move freely between the warm and cool temperature zones
2) Swallow
3) Digest
4) Poop
5) Shed

If he seems to have having problems with any of these, then you need to think about whether he's going to be able to live a decent life.

1) could stress him to the point where he stopped eating. Being unable to move to a warm area could prevent him digesting. Potentially life-limiting.

2), 3), or 4) would be fatal.

5) may not be an issue if
- a) you're able to help him enough to complete the shed and
- b) doing that doesn't stress him unduly

Also, even if he can survive with some limitations, you need to ask yourself whether he has an acceptable quality of life.

Without a reasonable reptile vet, you have some potentially difficult evaluations to make.

[Tracee]

"even if he can survive with some limitations, you need to ask yourself whether he has an acceptable quality of life." - Bitsy

And that's what it really boils down to.

I agree that your current vet is probably sadly unable to help, and I realise that it is not the most affordable thing, but if it were me in your position (and I would like to stress that point again, IF it were me) I would travel further afield to a specialist vet, whatever the cost, and give this snake one more chance at survival. I keep almost deleting this next part, but, if a specialist vet then recommends euthanasia, at least you won't have the dilemma and emotional heartache of doing it yourself.

I wish you both the best of luck. Don't torture yourself over the how's and why's - it's not your fault. And he COULD still get better.

[gob144]

He seems to be having trouble doing all the above listed things. He just shed and he got the shed off of hes head and a little behind his head but didn't get any more than that off. I have to check if hes pooping, He use to always poop 3-4 days after eating and im taking him to a vet today so hopefully i can get some sort of idea as to what i should do.

[Ares2010]

I feel so bad for the little guy. I hate it if you might end up putting him down. It makes you feel so helpless.

I hope there is some way you can save him. And I feel for you, I do.

[bitsy]

Let us know how it goes with the vet. I really hope the outcome is better than I fear but it doesn't sound like he can manage the basics for survival.

I'll be thinking of you and sending you and snakie all good wishes...

[gob144]

UPDATE: I took him to the vet. The X-rayed him, He does seem to have 2 small fractures in his spine. He now has 2 cast on each of the areas. Were are going to keep casting him once a week for about a month and a half and hopefully he gets some mobility. On a lighter not he looks very funny with a cast ill take some pics. I really hope he recovers enough to not have to be euthanized.

[Ares2010]

That's great to hear that the vet is trying all he/she can to get your little guy over this. And kudos to you for hanging in there with him and not giving up on him. He's very lucky to have found you.. you obviously care very much for him. I will pray that he recovers and is able to stay with you in this life.

[Nanci]

I have a snake that is partially paralyzed for about the last third of her body. She eats, sheds, poops, climbs, swims just fine. As long as your snake can eat and poop, you can deal with the rest.

[bitsy]

That sounds very hopeful - it's an enterprising vet that can manage to get a cast on a snake! Great that he's willing to try as well. Fingers crossed!

[gob144]

Yea im happy hes trying something, He said no promises that he will heal from a month of casting but its better than trying nothing at all. I hope he recovers to, hes my pride and joy. The casting is done with some sort of tubing. the Vet puts a plastic tube over the area and cast that in place to limit mobility. The vet isnt a specialist but he owns a red tailed boa and has had problems so hes done his homework to get his snake up to proper health and take pride in working on snakes now.

[gob144]

UPDATE: My snake either seems to be getting some mobility in his back half or he is learning to cope with out using it. He is eating fine the cast has been doing well keeping him immobilized where he needs to be. Its looking more hopeful than i could have imagined.
here's a pic of how goofy he looks.http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/gob144/IMG_0811.jpg

[bitsy]

Aww bless! He certainly looks in good condition otherwise. If he can manage all of his natural functions through that, then there he must have a good chance.

Thanks for the update and congrats on the progress so far!

[Karoni]

He's a handsome guy. I'm so glad he's doing better. Thanks for letting us know.

[Ares2010]

Awww he's handsome.

I am happy to hear he is doing better or learning to cope more.

I wondered about this little guy and how he was doing.

Thank you for the update. I hope he recovers and stays with you for a very long time.

[gob144]

he is great, the feistiest snake iv ever had. I keep you all updated until i know the final outcome. thanks for caring though this sight has been so much help and ease on my nerves ever since i started getting snakes.

[Nanci]

I can't believe his cast is staying on!!

[Tracee]

Me either - you have found a hell of a vet there! Lets all hope for the best, keep us updated.

[josie]

I was really surprised to read that they casted him. I had no idea they could cast a snake. You learn something new every day. I'm glad he's doing better and wish him a full and speedy recovery.

[gob144]

As fast as my hopes were bought up they have come crashing down. I had my first meal refusal ever since iv owned him, also I was changing some of his bedding because it smelt a little off and while pulling it out i found a regurgitation. I don't know why it didn't smell it earlier so i could have noticed but that sums it up for me. Ill try another meal in a week or so and see how that goes then if it goes poorly ill have to do what i didn't think id have to.
Now my ball python isn't eating either, the stress from all of this has ruined my love for snakes and keeping them.

[Ixchel]

The first thing I thought when I saw that picture was wonder how food would fit through the cast. It could be possible it's the reason for the regurge. Perhaps you need to try smaller items?

[Naagas]

How long is he going to have the cast on? I would consider not feeding him until the cast is off.

[gob144]

yes that's what I'm going to tell the vet when i take him in next I'm going to get the cast off in the new year so it had the amount of time required to heal then I'm going to wait about 5 days so he gets used to not having the cast and then feed him. Does that sound like a good idea?

[Dreamsnake]

If it was only his first regurge don't despair, my anery has had three. Give him time to relax and don't feed for 10 days. Check on him once or twice a day, or whatever the vets says. All animals have problems whether mammal or reptile, if you never want an animal without illness or injury than it requires a life without animals.

I've recently had to put down the most wonderful cat in the world after watching him age until he began to suffer when I decided his suffering needed to end. He lived a long life and I promised him a forever home, it was what he got. Keep your pets and understand that we all experience grief and sleepless nights wondering if everything we do is correct. Your snake seems strong and other snakes have survived when the situation appeared hopeless.

[Naagas]

I think it sounds like a good idea.
Snakes can go a long while without food, if it is only going to be a month I would wait.

[gob144]

UPDATE:
Im still sticking with it. I finally removed the cast from my snake. The spot where the cast was is very thin and unhealthy looking. the exact location of where the brake happened is bigger than ever it stands up about 3/4 of a centimeter from the rest of his body. Its been about a month since he has eaten were on 2 refusals and 1 regurgitation.He is about to shed so cross you fingers that that will go good. After he sheds Ill give him a few days then try and feed him 2 more times. If he doesn't eat ill have a hard decision to make.
thanks to all the people who are encouraging me.

[Nanci]

Make sure you start him off with smaller meals, due to the regurge. About half the size he was eating before.

[bitsy]

I'd expect the casted area to be in bad condition. Most of a Corn's body is formed from muscle and the muscle under the cast would have been wasting away as it wasn't being exercised.

I do hope things work out - you and your vet have really gone the extra mile for the little guy. Keep us posted.

[Rdoyle]

I hope now he has that cast off and shed that he will eat for u. U are a great dad for him

[KingCrimson<3]

Be patient with him, the vet trips and the cast could be major stressors in addition to his injury. Offer him a day old pinky, or just a pinky head when you do offer food, and keep the meals really small every 7-10 days. The muscle atrophy from the cast needs time and you don't want to stretch him or overtax his tummy until he has reestablished himself. Good luck!

[Naagas]

Glad for the update!
Do you have Pics of the casted part?

I bet that once he settles down, he will eat just fine. Here is me crossing my fingers for you. Keep us updated!

[gob144]

i dont have pics yet but ill take some soon and show you. the bump where the break is is terrible.

[bitsy]

Don't worry too much about skeletal deformities. I have one who tried to squeeze between the sliding glass doors in a viv during his breeding season frenzy (as an adult!) and about a third of his body looks completely mangled - spine and ribs. His body twists into all kinds of unnatural positions, but he's my most reliable eater and a very friendly chap that's completely relaxed about being handled (although I'm extra gentle with him). The vet said that his x-rays might look stomach-churning but that long-term, the problem would worry me far more than it worried the snake.

Corns are pretty resilient to this sort of injury if they don't prove immediately fatal. The fact that yours has made it this far, really is a very good sign.

[gob144]

good to know i hope mine turns out being a good eater two. What im really worried about is since he seems to be partially paralyzed, if he will pass food and stool properly.

[gob144]

UPDATE:

My snake has completed his shed. He got about 75 percent off on his own which is a huge step up from the like 5 percent when he was first injured. I fed him a hopper which he seemed to take just fine. any opinions on how long i should feed hoppers before going back to adults.

[bitsy]

That's more good news then - well done on another milestone (or most of one, anyway!).

I should give him half a dozen feeds on hoppers before going back up to larger mice. Take it slow and don't over-tax his system. Makes sure that he's able to digest and poop properly and gets his system geared back up again.

[Naagas]

Yay! Looks like he is shedding and eating!
He might end up looking strange, but hopefully that will be the worst of it.

Bitsy- I would be horrified to find one of my snakes in that position! I'm glad he is Ok :)

[Nanci]

I agree- especially after the regurge, I would be cautious about bumping him back up. Good news so far! Let's hope he poops.

[gob144]

how often does some one hope for poop haha.

[gob144]

UPDATE:

He pooped! so that means his body can pass food fully. But the weird thing is the color half was normal and half was green take a look and tell me what you think.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/gob144/IMG_0824.jpg

[bitsy]

I'd say that was good news! I'd expect the unexpected just at the moment, as he hasn't eaten in a while and it might take some time for his digestive system to get back to speed. It's possible that he was just having a "clear-out".

The solid part certainly seems to indicate that the food was fully digested. Fingers crossed some more, but this seems to be looking better by the day.

[gob144]

He took another hopper :). I handled him today because It was feeding day again. He has so much more energy and is moving even his bad half a lot better. that first meal did him really good I think I'm excited for the progress he is making.

[Nanci]

Good news!!

[Christen]

Such awesome news! I am so happy for you and him.

[Naagas]

Wonderful news!

[bitsy]

Fantastic! Great work.

[dannylill1981]

amazing mate the hardest part is over now just a bit of gentle nursing back to full strength

[Tinkerbeller87]

Awesome! Keep us updated please.

[Ares2010]

I'm so glad to hear he is doing much better. Just keep up with the TLC and I am sure he will be tons better soon.

[Karoni]

That's wonderful news! All your hard work is paying off!

[gob144]

it is, now he buy far the most expensive pet iv ever owned.

[gob144]

UPDATE: he eat three meal of hoppers. I haven't seen any poo since the last time i showed it on here. It could be that there is very little because of how small his meals are but who knows. just keeping you all updated.

[bitsy]

Thanks for the update - good to know the latest. Hope it all keeps ging well for you.

[Nanci]

Great! I think animals generally won't eat unless things are passing through, or more specifically, continue to eat. So I wouldn't get obsessed about poo now that you've seen the first one. What does the vet say about reconditioning him? Are you supposed to treat him cautiously, still, and restrict his exercise, or is he able to begin gentle exercise?

[Ares2010]

How's he doing?