Bloat? Abscess?

I'll get pics of Stupid up against a bright light when I get back from work so you'll see more clearly what I'm asking... but in the mean time...

Stupid is, I fear, on his last invisible leg. He's getting fair emaciated looking now, but his middle looks like he's eaten, despite having not been force fed for a week. Even without a strong backlight you can see that the distended area has a sort of creamy yellow colour. I was worried at first that it might have been air from an attempt at syringe feeding a little while ago, but when I passed a 5F red rubber feeding tube, it was unable to pass into that area. Also, when he's held up to a light, you can't really see through that area, the way you can the rest of the snake which leads me to believe it is *not* air.

So... are snakes capable of gastric torsions?... But if it was a week old torsion he should probably be dead by now. So... abscess? I'm wondering if I should simply have him euthanised or feed him off to my sil's hognose. He's been a non-feeder since august.

aaaand.... somehow this posted in the wrong forum. Could have sworn I was in the right place. Oops!

Could be any kind of blockage. Soudns solid, so it could be a tumour, which was my last experience with a blockage. By the time it developed into a visible lump on mine, it was inoperable and I had to have him euthanased. Has your vet given an opinion?

I would say block or tumor too sorry, but if a tube couldn't get through the area obviously something is in the way and its not just air. I would take him to the vet and see what they say maybe something could be done, but if not euthenization could be done quick and semi painless.

It's probably kindest to let him go. As in, from life. I'm sorry.

Messaging from work. I'm going to be bringing Stupid in to my work on monday for euthanasia and a necropsy. At least I can say I tried everything I could think of to save him.

I assist-fed a hoggy for nearly two years. While treating an abcess. Trust me, it will be a relief for both of you. When you've done the best you can, and nothing works, then the kindest thing to do is provide a peaceful end.

I was talking euthanasia logistics with the vet and we both guess we're going to have to go intracoelomic, though the question of how much euthasol is still up in the air. And doing a necropsy on a 6 gram snake with a 4gram tumor/abscess will be very interesting.

I literally just weighed him. Two weeks ago he weight 6 grams. Today he weighs 10. That alone is enough to convince me. Poor little guy. ;_;

In the mean time I guess all I can do is try to keep him warm and as comfortable as possible.

I'm so sorry Shiari. It's always a horrible decision, but it sounds like the right one under the circumstances. You certainly have done all you can.

If you have not yet done so, I would highly recommend that you have Stupid tested for cryptosporidium. A thin snake with a swollen stomach just screams "crytpo" to me. I'm sorry.

Good catch, Susan. I hope it's not that. But you'd better immediately start acting as if it is, until it's ruled out.

Well... it turns out that it was indeed an abscess of sorts. Current thought is that he had some sort of defect that, under the pressure of the egg yolk split. So... I feel somewhat guilty because that syringe-feed of a meal well over a week ago that should not have been too big for him did him in. But then again, since he had some sort of stricture of malformation, he wasn't exactly going to thrive anyway.

Stupid was buried under a rock outside my work.

Well, it's better to know than to not know. RIP Stupid.