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My Blood Boa is broken

Utta said:
Hows his attitude? still the same ol' Guku?
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Yep, he's still a ham. Open the cage, he wants to come out and say hi.

Helenthereef said:
So still sounds muscular or skeletal rather than biochemical - is he still twisting his tail?
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I haven't noticed the curl in a while, but the scoliosis is still pretty obvious. I agree, it sounds muscular/skeletal, but nothing was found in X-ray or CT scan to keep us focused in that area. We may go back there if these next tests don't reveal anything.
 
Utta said:
Then i have to believe, that with all the other evidence found, its just a temporary issue.

Is the bruise still there?
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It appears to have subsided. I took some pics with a better lens after he shed. I'll post the before pic first, and a couple after pics next. That is a plus, and also plan on bringing it up to the vet next time I'm in. Maybe a second round of X-Rays or something at different angles will reveal something that was missed the first time. The bruise especially leads me to believe injury and not viral or anything along those lines.
 

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I didn't really see it before, but now it definitely looks like a bruise. Personally I'm leaning more towards her twisting the poor boy wrong during breeding than a sickness. Pulled muscle or tweaked nerve maybe? Don't those usually heal on their own...? *crosses fingers* I hope Guku recovers quickly and completely! He's definitely got a great owner on his side there. :yesnod: Honestly while it really does get me down hearing about good guys dealing with bad things, at the same time it's kinda warming seeing a dedicated owner on top of things for his pets. There needs to be more like you. :eek:

I'm also glad to hear that Rosy shed for you and that her nose is clearing up though. That's wonderful! Hope she continues like this and that Guku follows! We're rooting for you guys~ :D
 
The bruise looks a lot better. I'm hoping its nothing. Really seems like it's just a pulled muscle. Is he digging his tail into the bedding still?
 
He ain't digging his tail into the substrate, that I've seen, for a while. But neither has he been using it. It still acts limp, and the scoliosis seems a little worse, which is the biggest concern.

I hope it's something he overcomes as well. My mind ain't been this messed up in a long time.
 
Xposted.

Just returned from the vet, and after getting 2cc more of his blood for anaerobic culturing, and discussing things for a while, we decided to get him started on 0.5cc Piperacillan daily for the next 10-14 days. Piperacillan is pretty good stuff, and pretty expensive, but I got it free since it expired last month. :D It's very wide spectrum and is effective against many aerobic and anaerobic microbes, so hopefully this will do the trick, and we can avoid the PCR.

He feels good enough to have a go at the Dr though. LOL

Interesting news though. As we are talking, and he's explaining some things, he mentions, "and as you already know, Jacobson agrees with me". I'm like, oh, so he forwarded my email to you? "well, we are friends, I visit him every time I'm in FL, we talked some about it". Makes me feel even better about my vet.

More news, maybe not so good. With many of these bone "diseases" for lack of a better word, he may not ever get his tail straight again. So basically we're trying to stop it before it progresses to the rest of the spine. It may correct itself, or maybe correct just a little, or may not. Dr. also says, "if he was my snake, I'd still breed him and get those genes passed on if he's willing and able".

I wish I had his confidence about it. I'm still skeptical.

Anyway, cultures are being started, so more waiting. Best case is, we culture something that the AB's I'm using are effective against.
 
Well, nothing cultured. This left me with numerous options, and I went with the most aggressive, because i want an answer to what's going on. So we discussed it, and decided we needed biopsy of the muscle close to the bone, and the bone itself. Send some to Northwest ZooPath for Dr. Garner to see what he can find, and just for the sake of ruling it out, send sample to Jacobson as well for IBD testing.

So, sorry to say, but best way to get enough for a sample, is to off his tail. This happened last weekend, and he's recovering and due to eat tomorrow. He lost a little over an inch of the tip, but not enough to stop him from being a boy still.

Good news though. Dr. Garner says the testing he will be doing will already reveal if IBD is causative or not, so I don't have to send samples to Jacobson as well. My Vet and I both doubt IBD is the reason, but just to say I ruled it out is reason enough to do it. Several other tests will be run as well since he has enough tissue.

Gonna be a mighty expensive hat band if he can't be fixed.
 
6-7/8" I prefer the pinched front outrider. HA HA

Seriously though, Dr. Garner and his staff at Zoo Path are the best in the country. If they don't find anything, nobody else will either.
 
Poor baby... :( How's he holding up what with there being less of him now? :ack2: I think I'd rename the poor, little nubbers boy "Stubbs". ;)
Seriously though is he doing alright after it?

For all this I really hope you guys finally get a good, definitive answer. Also that Guku eats tomorrow. :eek:
 
crotalusadamanteus said:
He lost a little over an inch of the tip, but not enough to stop him from being a boy still. .
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If it's any consolation I have 2 males who have lost more than that and are certainly still able to do the deed.... and I'm sure if you introduce him carefully to your hat he'll see reason and start practicing better technique in future..... :dgrin:

Hope some causative (and treatable) factor will eventually be found. Sorry that you're living in such "interesting times" as the Chinese curse goes, but it's certainly fascinating to hear about.
 
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