Distended belly. Don't know what else to do...

[rejohnson53]

The kindest course for the animal who tests positive is euthanasia.

So I take it that this means that there's no way of treating crypto?

Since her poop isn't unhealthy looking and she still displays an apetite, I don't want to assume crypto just yet, especially since you're implying that it's untreatable and there would be nothing I ca do anyway. I'll take the advice of my herpetologist friend and a local breeder and assume that it's a gut imbalance from the medications she was given. I'll try fasting her for a couple of weeks and monitor her body weight so that she doesn't loose too too much weight, and see if/how fast this bulge subsides. I'll keep the temps in her tank below 90. I'll get her tested for crypto if I start to see other symptoms or if she doesn't improve over the next two weeks.

Sound like a good plan of action?

 

[Nanci]

How often are you feeding her? If her stomach is irritated from the parasite treatment, you could keep her on fuzzies and feed at a shorter interval, maybe five to seven days?

How many times, in total, has she regurged?

 

[beautifullywild77]

Is she your only snake?

 

[rejohnson53]

Is she your only snake?

Yes. As I said above, she is my only reptile. She has not come in contact with another snake since I bought her from a breeder almost a year ago, and neither have I or anyone in my family who handles her.

 

[rejohnson53]

How often are you feeding her? If her stomach is irritated from the parasite treatment, you could keep her on fuzzies and feed at a shorter interval, maybe five to seven days?

How many times, in total, has she regurged?

After her deworming, I started her on a pair of day old pinkies. 7 days later, small fuzzy. 7 days later, large fuzzy. She seemed to have a much greater apetite and was much more alert and active as compared to pre-treatment. 7 days later, I tried a small hopper. She regurged the hopper the next day, perhaps because I moved her up after an illness too quickly? She's vomited up bile twice since then. She hasn't vomited anything in the last 5 days.

She was regurging pretty often the month before she was diagnosed with parasites. During that time, she regurged 3 mice, as well as more bile maybe 3 more times.

 

[Nanci]

To be honest, the pattern of regurging makes me very nervous. If she does have crypto, and has reached the stage of repeated regurges, you don't really even have a realistic hope of having her live out her next 15 years as your only pet snake. You will watch her slowly starve as you build her up to a decent prey size, she regurges, you have to follow the regurge protocol. Better to just find out sooner rather than later. If she does _not_ have crypto, then you may still be able to halt whatever process is causing the regurgitation.

How much does she weigh?

 

[Susan]

Your vet telling you that the temp range for a corn snake is from the 80's to 98F only proves his/her complete lack of knowledge in the area of corn snakes (and as a certified vet tech for 29 years, I don't say that lightly) and I would highly suspect the current diagnosis/treatment. Many of us have had corn snake die when their heating units malfunctioned and temps got over 90F.

Don't walk, but RUN to have your snake tested for crypto as the symptoms of multiple/chronic regurges, severe weight loss and swollen stomach are classic symptoms for crypto. Multiple tests may need to be run, but yes, a PCR on a gastric lavage is the best way - a regular "fecal exam" at a vets = fecal flotation and is worthless for diagnosing crypto. And current theory is that more snakes carry crypto than previously thought and are actually carriers. These carriers may or may not show signs later in life, and signs can occur at any point from weeks after initial infection or years later.