Getting Discouraged

She had a partial regurge again last week, just some feet and a little bit of skin. However, she is more active than ever and has even grown an inch. I'm going to feed her again today, and we'll see.

uh no

BeckyG said:

She had a partial regurge again last week, just some feet and a little bit of skin. However, she is more active than ever and has even grown an inch. I'm going to feed her again today, and we'll see.

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awww not again poor snakeyand guess its time to cut back again and see how she dose

crosses fingers
(hope this treply is not to late but i bumped it upto see how shes doing)

She ate fine. I fed her half a pinky dusted with Nutribac. Now the waiting game begins.

ah becky that so sucks... i hope she keeps this down!

sending healing vibes to her.

valentino hasn't had another regurge... but i haven't given him larger than a small pink since his last time... mostly out of fear of it starting up again. so once he's been eating fine for a few more months... i'll increase his food.

recycling goddess said:

ah becky that so sucks... i hope she keeps this down!

sending healing vibes to her.

valentino hasn't had another regurge... but i haven't given him larger than a small pink since his last time... mostly out of fear of it starting up again. so once he's been eating fine for a few more months... i'll increase his food.

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That's what I've been doing, too. I always pick out the smallest pinky I have to feed to her. It's discouraging, but I don't want to give up on this baby. I've thought about euthanizing her, but she is so active and alert, and healthy in every other way, that I just can't bring myself to make that decision just yet. I'll just keep doing what I can for her, and if it ever appears that she is suffering, I'll do what needs to be done when the time comes.

you know what i think? i think one day she'll just start to eat fine and no more regurges. it'll be a thing of the past.

i could be wrong... but i feel like she's going to outgrow this.

please keep me posted... cause i think about your both soooo often!!!

Do you ever think that at a point it just become a mental habit?? I read this whole thread, and it seems like at the point where she was "going through the motions" of regurging the liquid that it had become a mental thing for her... like a compulsive disorder.

I always wonder about these kind of things, because we had a dog that scratched all of his hair out (save a strip on his back he couldn't reach) and when tested was allergic to NOTHING. He passed away last summer, but I always wonder if he had more of a mental problem than a physical problem.

I mean... if it can happen to a human, why not other animals??

It's been 48 hours now and no regurge. I really think that eventually we will get over this. I'm wondering, though if it would be beneficial to give her a calcium supplement. I know it won't stop her regurges, but since she's having to stay on pinkies so long, she's not getting the more developed bones of fuzzies. The amel hatchling I got at the same time moved up to fuzzies weeks ago, and is now almost 10 inches longer than Scarlett. They were about the same size when I got them. Any thoughts on this?


Hmmm, interesting idea Hypancistrus, but I don't think snakes' mental is that well developed. If it were a mental thing, I think she would have kept doing it, kind of like an anorexic who has vomited so much that she can't hold her food down when she wants to. That is the only time Scarlett ever did that.

I apologize that my response might be considered off the topic, but it is in response to what I've been reading...

Wow...I've read this entire thread in one sitting and I eagerly await the next post, to know that all is well & is getting better. I'm amazed at how well you, Becky G, have seemed to keep yourself together throughout all of this; then again, I'm sitting on the other side of a computer screen, not witnessing the emotional drain in the works. I can empathize with you, though, as my cat Strasti (pictured, when he was a wee bit cranky) has been dealing with feline diabetes which took a turn for the worse a few weeks ago when he had a grand mal seizure (and his 4th seizure ever) -- he literally had no glucose showing up in his blood & he gave me nary a sign of going hypoglycemic (yes, he's been on insulin since March). It was a torturous waiting game -- except, he had *a lot* of drs working on him for 3.5 days, and then it was up to me to get him eating again/stop vomiting, fight off his urinary infection & then maintain his glucose -- as he was off insulin. I didn't sleep for a week, home-testing him at all hours & trying to get him to lap baby food from my hand. Now, 3 weeks later, Strasti *seems* to be maintaining a healthy blood glucose on his own...but, we'll see.

Like you, I did think of euthanizing him...it just wasn't right to see him suffer like that, and the physical toll on him was insane. I really had to think about quality of life -- for him & for me. But, I also thought -- like you -- that there was just too much life, too much of a spark left in him that I just couldn't give up on him yet. He truly is my most expensive "possession" (if you can call a pet that), what with all we've gone through in addition to the diabetes in his almost 6 years, but he really is a trouper, also not unlike your Scarlett.

I admire you for all of your efforts and optimism (though you may not feel like it's been there, it has...or Scarlett would not be thriving as well as she is!); it's so incredibly heartbreaking to deal with a sick animal, especially a beloved pet. I wish for all of the best to happen for Scarlett & for you. (You deserve some kind of pampering now! )

Cegninedorf, thank you for your kind words. I do understand what you are going through with your cat. I had a diabetic dog, and he had to have insulin shots twice a day. He did have a grand mal seizure once, and let me tell you, they are scary. The hardest part was keeping his glucose regulated. If he didn't want to eat, I couldn't give him his insulin, which made him feel bad and so he didn't want to eat, so I couldn't give him his insulin...and so on. You can't explain to an animal that he has to eat. Dakota eventually developed cataracts and went blind. He died last year. Like you, I debated about euthanizing him, or having him adopted by someone who was more financially able to care for him. He got everything he needed, but it sure put a strain on my budget. If I had it to do all over again, I don't think I would have done anything different.

Dakota was adorable...I love fuzzy ears & soft, wet noses. All animals -- us included! -- can be certainly stubborn when we want our own way, can't we? I'm sure that you have plenty of beautiful memories, though. While Strasti was in his coma, I actually prayed that he wouldn't wake up, so that the pain would end for him...but, we visited the vet today & it's now 24 days & counting with *no* insulin, and Strasti seems to be holding his own with his BG...now, time to lose a little weight & perhaps we'll be in the clear...

And how is Miss Scarlett doing? I hope that she is in the clear, as well!

How is Scarlett doing? Happy & healthy, I'm hoping!

It's been 5 days since her last feeding. Two poops and NO urf! Gonna feed her again tomorrow and hold my breath. Thank you for asking.

oh that's such good news!

Just an update. I fed her a whole pinky on Thursday. It is now Sunday morning. No regurge yet, but no poop yet either. The last two regurges have occurred 3-4 days after feeding, so we're not out of the woods yet. I'll let you know...

fingers, toes and all other crossable parts.... crossed!

Bless your heart for being so strong. I think the stress would have gotten to me by now already.

Definitely keep us posted. I just read through the entire thread in one sitting. I, too, have a blood named Sanguine. She's a fiesty little girl and quite the pig. I can't even imagine myself in your situation... major kudos to you for kicking this much butt. I think you definitely need to feel good about everything you've done for this little snake... it takes a lot of dedication and love to get as far as you and Scarlet have.

Here is the latest picture of her. As you can see, she is just toooooo gorgeous to give up on!



Update: Got a good sized poop this evening, and still no regurge so far! Yay!

Gorgeous!

Way to go, Becky & Scarlett! Many congrats!

Glad to hear she's doing better! I know how frustraiting it can be when the little ones start gurging!


Jenn