A Loan No Longer: Fred- Rosy Bloodred!! Mine, All Mine!!

03-14-2010, 05:59 PM

Edited!!!

I am ecstatic to announce that John has allowed me to purchase Fred. This is NOT a snake that John wanted to sell. And I only asked to buy him once! This shows what a great, generous guy John is- he knew that Fred was very, very special to me and offered to let me buy him. Thank you so much, John!

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This is going to be a long thread! Please hold comments till the end- thanks!

Whew! What a stressful three weeks this has been. It all started when Ruby and Pepper refused to mate, and it was discovered that Ruby was a male. This left me scrambling for a different pairing, and Lily, 2007 Serpenco Lavblood, was the lucky female I chose. Who would I pair her up with, though? As I was considering my options, John Finsterwald offered a suggestion. He'd send me out Fred, his SMR Rosy Blood, who had already completed his breeding duties at home! Hmmm- took me about five minutes to say yes!!

Fred arrived nearly three weeks ago. Right out of the shipping container I sensed something was not right. Fred's breathing sounded odd- like he would take in a breath, hold it, and when he let his breath out I would hear a little pop. I listened for quite a few breaths, and it was not my imagination. I called my vet and he was able to see Fred that afternoon. Meanwhile, I wanted to take a couple pics of Fred. It was here that I noticed that- was he blue? I wasn't sure. His eye looked blue. Wait- retained spectacle! Only a very close, careful examination revealed this. Off we went to the vet.

Right away the vet wondered if Fred was blue. Well, he'd shed the end of January, so I didn't expect he would be. And look- did I see how his head, near his right eye, was asymetric? Easy for a vet to see- not so easy for me to see, but I could, now that he pointed it out. Yes, Fred had a retained spectacle. The vet opened Fred's mouth. Look here- see how the blood vessel supplying his right eye is huge? That means there is an inflammatory process going on with the eye. (Does the vet know CPR? Because I am going to have heart failure!!) Fortunately, his eyesight in both eyes is fine. On to the sinus exam, which required three people. The vet carefully examined Fred's sinuses from inside his mouth, through his eye, through his skull. The right sinus is inflammed, explaining the breathing noises. On to the lung. Fred's lung is, thank God, clear. Whew- the first bit of good news. Heart- fine. At this point Fred thoughtfully provided a stool sample, which was whisked off to be tested for parasites and a Grams stain. The good news: only whipworm eggs, which came from the mice, but pass through the snake without hatching. No snake parasites. The Grams stain was within normal limits of positive and negative bacteria.

Here's a picture of Fred's eye with the retained spectacle:

03-14-2010, 06:10 PM

I heard about this guy. Im glad to hear all is well

03-14-2010, 06:11 PM

The vet speculates that the spectacle has bothered Fred, who has tried to remove it by rubbing his eye, to the point that it became inflammed.

So let's discuss the treatment. Fred is to be given drops, three times a day. One into his mouth, while holding him upside down, so it will run down the roof of his mouth into his sinuses. One in each nare, until he breathes it in or blows a bubble. One into the hurt eye. I need to pick up some Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion and put that on his eye every day, to soften the spectacle. Mist him and soak him. Return in a week.

So I go home. I'm afraid to call John- he sends me his prize snake, and this happens! I chickened out and sent him an e-mail detailing it all, with photos. Trying to reassure him that Fred was fine, really, and would receive the best care. Well, he tracked me down pretty quickly anyway!

A week goes by. Fred, who started out a little- snippy- (maybe from his irritated eye!) is now the tamest snake in the universe. He probably thinks I am insane and is not enjoying the luxurious, romance-filled vacation that John had promised. At the vet there is good news and bad news. The swelling is gone- Fred's head is normally shaped again, but the blood vessel is still enlarged. Fred's breathing, however, is back to normal. The vet does a Grams stain of the roof of Fred's mouth and the results are, again, good. So I am to intensify the treatment. Drops three times a day, a new ointment that is to be kept on the eye at all times, a once daily soak in weak tea-colored Betadine water (Fred thinks this is delicious, so I have to soak him in plain water first, till he drinks his fill!) and daily misting.

Fred, meanwhile, is starting to look definitely blue to me. I send pics to John, who concurs. That is excellent news. We want Fred to shed, and take the spectacle with him! I've been reluctant to feed him, fearing regurgitation with all the handling, but decide to give him a fuzzy and hope for the best. Fortunately, Fred has taken to his paper towel tube like a snail to a shell and it is quite difficult to convince him to leave it. So I can handle him without really handling him- all I need is his head.

Here's a view of the enlarged blood vessel; in real life, it is purple-blue and very noticeable.

03-14-2010, 06:15 PM

So a few days pass. Fred now knows for a fact that I am crazy. Covering his poor eye five times a day with ointment so he can't see! Soaking, drops, misting...Saturday rolls around, and Katie comes over for a visit. I delayed doing Fred's treatment till she got here, in case she wanted to see how it was done. But wait- what is that in Fred's viv? A shed skin!!!!! I'm so anxious to get my first look at his eye. WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!! The spectacle is gone!!!!! I am beyond ecstatic!!! Fred is glistening, glowing, perfect!