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It is just a Blockage!

Okeetee_Corn_Snakes

Okeetee_Corn_Snakes

=O)
Hey I think there is improvement from the heat therapy! =D

It all started when I noticed Buddy doing something I have never seen him do before. One morning he was sitting around his hollow hide with his head resting on top. I thought it was cute. However the next morning when I seen him sitting there again it hit me! He obviously changed his habits for a reason. I didn't even need to look him over too closely to find the problem, his eye looked like this...
sickbuddy009.jpg


So within 30 minutes I was at the University Small Animal clinic across town. Including cab ride lol! (I told blue line it was an emergency) The Vets looked him over, took blood for a CBC and sent him to an eye specialist. I was there for five hours before I learned that it was a blocked snake equivalent of a tear duct, causing fluid to build up between the eyeball and the brille, and that he might have a sepsis infection. (I kinda almost freaked at those words) He told me to take him home, give him UVB lighting, calcium when I feed him, keep his hot side at 90F and wait for the results.

He ate fine, was active and strong, and interested in his new home set up. After two days I thought I noticed a difference in his swollen eye.
sickbuddy053.jpg


So then the vet called me at work. Everything from his blood work came back normal. Electrolytes, calcium, and white blood cell count all normal. However they need to drill a hole in the eye cap and reach the blocked duct from the eye because it cannot be reached from the mouth. So if they eye is not drained by itself by next Wednesday he goes in for surgery. He will be gone for three days. I scheduled it with the vet right then and there and when I got off the phone I was in trouble with my manager for talking on the phone during my shift lol! Some of my co workers wanted to know what was going on, and because I am better at drawing than words I sketched this out for them.
sickbuddy060.jpg


Now all we have to do is wait until next Wednesday. In the meantime I think there might be progress with his eye and he seems happy even though the heat therapy made him a little flaky lol! Wish him luck guys!
sickbuddy047.jpg
 
I have a friend who just went through the same thing with her snake. After a couple of sheds, precautionary antibiotics and some draining by the vet in between, the eye is back to normal. As far as anyone can tell the snake did not lose vision in the eye. He eats and moves about normally. His eye looked much worse than your guy, so I believe there is a good outcome in your snake's future. Thanks for the detailed post. It's a great resource for future owners to use in solving health issues. Good luck and keep us posted.
Terri
 
I'm so sorry!!!!!!!! We just had almost the same thing happen to us! In our case, the victim was a 07 female lavender, and her eye was bulged out much more than yours and hard to the touch.
We took her to a local exotic vet who lanced the eye, and drained the fluid, and thought it would be fine after she moulted next, it wasn't. It began to fill again. After deciding the draining didn't help, the next step was to begin antibiotic injections into the eye once a week. We were warned it could result in loss of the eye's function, but would cure the problem. It did. We have had no further problems, although we do believe she has lost sight in that eye.
Best of luck with your baby!!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks everyone! I had looked everywhere for information on bulging eyes in snakes but couldn't find anything. Not even in my handy dandy "What's Wrong with my Snake" book.

I will share as much detail as possible to help any one out in the future! I was worried that it was such an uncommon ailment that the vet could do nothing about it. Was I wrong. They are so awesome there! I have never seen someone, but myself, in person seem so interested in snakes.

Today when I looked at him there seems to be only a little fluid left. However if it is draining so slow I wonder if the duct is still blocked.

I will keep you guys posted.
 
TandJ said:
Any idea what caused the blockage in the eye?

Regards.. Tim of T and J
Click to expand...

The first day I took him in the vet said that it is a secondary problem, that a blocked duct usually means an infection. However there was no infection found. When I take him back I plan on asking a few more questions.
 
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