Broken tail

Not too sure what to do now except apply lots of AB cream (poly) to her tail. When I went to check up on her at 12:30 pm today, it looked like she really needed to shed, she looked like someone had clear coated her & it was too dry on her (don't think I'm explaining it correctly). I wanted to record it but the battery was dead on the camera (for stills) & the phone video card was full.

So we spritzed the viv (like we've been doing to raise the humidity) & put a damp towel (soaked it & really wrung it) & put it on the floor of the viv. She was rubbing herself all over it, going around like an accordion, going through the side folds, rubbing her nose etc & she had a good pee & poo. Pee were crystalized (?) & little pea sized dark green poo. After a while she decided to go hide under it near her UTH, so we left her there for an hour. My plan was to get that tail some hydration in the less intrusive way possible. After that hour, we replaced the towel with new paper towel, spritzed it so it was just damp & left her alone in her hide.

I went to check in on her at 3:50pm & she was under the paper towel on her UTH & I saw she had shed & it was all in a ball stuck to the side of her hide (she went between it & the glass wall). It wasn't an easy shed, one section of the belly was missing but it looks like it's because it got all twisted & rubbed (like when you rub dead skin from a sunburn between your hands). The shed broke off at the scab part of the tail & it's still there gloved over the tip. She was bleeding & when I checked the shed, it was still moist enough that I was able to pull it back to normal (it was like a rolled up sock), so figured it's still fresh & prepared her a bath in the tote to see if it could help with the tail. I ended up leaving her one hour in there but the scab is too thick & still healing & it would not come off (I did NOT try to pry it off! I gently felt the resistance when she went through the towel just enough to feel). When it started to dry, it was catching somehow & poor babe was very stressed about it! She went in my hair (it's long enough) & calmed down (oooookay) but when I went to take her out, the tail got tangled (of course) & it made her bleed a bit. She then hid in my sleeve with the tail dangling out, she calmed down right away so I took the opportunity & applied the poly.

I figure I'll just try to keep the tail moist with a few applications a day until we see the vet on Tuesday. That's a deep scab, though I was hoping it would slough off, I'm not surprised it wasn't ready to.

I'm wondering if tomorrow would be a good idea to offer her food?

Photos to come soon... (charging the battery a bit more)

The shed. It broke off at the vent & measured 20"


Soaking








When drying it got caught a bit.
Right side
Looking at the pics close up, that's the same area that was bleeding when I decided to put her in the water. In the first close up shot of it in the water, you can see the area washed off. The the big scab did try to come off. It's the tip itself that's really not ready/healed enough.


Left side

Strangely in this situation, I think the end of the shed being stuck on the wound might actually help you. In a healthy tail, we recommend removing the stuck shed as it will cut off the blood supply and cause the tip to die and drop off. But in your position, this is exactly what you want to happen. By leaving the stuck bits of shed(s), the injured part will naturally dry up and drop off. It might just be a case of keeping the injured area clean, dry and uninfected and just making sure that sheds are successful as far as the injury. It will look a bit unsightly for a few months as the sheds build up, but it might do the trick.

One of mine had an operation which left her with stitches along two inches of her belly. The stitches dissolved, but shedding was a problem around the wound. For the first couple of sheds I tried to make sure the shed came off around the wound, but just ended up opening it in places. I then left the shed to build up, making sure that it came off everywhere else. After four more sheds, the entire area of stuck shed came away, revealing a nice clean, neat scar.

I think if you keep working to get the end of the shed off, you'll probably keep reopening the wound. Nature might very well have the answer for you.

Originally Posted by bitsy

Strangely in this situation, I think the end of the shed being stuck on the wound might actually help you. In a healthy tail, we recommend removing the stuck shed as it will cut off the blood supply and cause the tip to die and drop off. But in your position, this is exactly what you want to happen. By leaving the stuck bits of shed(s), the injured part will naturally dry up and drop off. It might just be a case of keeping the injured area clean, dry and uninfected and just making sure that sheds are successful as far as the injury. It will look a bit unsightly for a few months as the sheds build up, but it might do the trick.

One of mine had an operation which left her with stitches along two inches of her belly. The stitches dissolved, but shedding was a problem around the wound. For the first couple of sheds I tried to make sure the shed came off around the wound, but just ended up opening it in places. I then left the shed to build up, making sure that it came off everywhere else. After four more sheds, the entire area of stuck shed came away, revealing a nice clean, neat scar.

I think if you keep working to get the end of the shed off, you'll probably keep reopening the wound. Nature might very well have the answer for you.

I'd agree, although my area of expertise is obviously in healing up people, but I can see how your experience and advice makes sense, Bitsy. Leaving the area to dry and die is exactly what we have to do sometimes with necrotic toe and finger-tips where diabetes has affected the nerves and blood supply so healing isn't going to happen until the dead tissue sloughs away.

Makes total sense. I guess my question is: do I leave it be versus applying antibiotic cream to it to keep it from cracking & bleeding again? (will applying the cream hinder or help?)

And what if, at Tuesday's vet appointment I get told it needs to be surgically removed? Do I grab the snake & run or let the vet take it off?

To me it looks like the end is going to dehisce and drop off if it's allowed to dry out. I wouldn't worry too much about the fresh blood, that shows that there is a supply to what will be healing tissue. If the vet feels taking off the end and popping a stitch in there would help and you've got the funds, I'd say go for it. The dead tissue is a potential source of infection until it does drop off, and it's not just a tiny tail-tip like you could commonly see after incomplete sheds

I'd take the vet's advice as well - no harm suggesting the shed trick to him but I'd go with removal if that's what he suggests. His advice and your care have done the trick thus far and you've done well to keep the stump uninfected.

Whilst there's an open wound I'd carry on using the cream unless the vet advises otherwise.

Thank you.

Can I start breathing again?

You're doing a great job, BREATHE! I'd be a nervous wreck if it was one of my snakes, but this forum is such a great community for support and advice, we're all rooting for you!

I don't think you're out of the woods by a ways yet, As long as there's an open wound, it's a potential route for infection and that could affect the vent. However you've certainly managed the injury to a much better state than I ever imagined when I saw it was that significant.

Breathe - just because you're doing so well!