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chemo & reptiles

Snake-Queen

Snake-Queen

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Does any one have experience or advice that can give to me?

One of my best friends found out today that her son has osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and will be undergoing chemotherapy. I have already asked the oncologist about the reptiles & her son being exposed & he said he would think on it.

We are very close & I am basically the only family they have in the US. So it will not be feasible for them to never come over, nor will it be feasible for me to move all my bearded dragons & snakes or get rid of them.

Are there any steps I can take to protect him? Any different husbandry techniques that I can do to make my house safer for him?

I would like y'alls input.

Thank you.
 
I would think as long as you keep things clean and he doesn't have direct contact with the reptiles, it wouldn't be an issue.
 
I'm horribly sorry to hear about your friend's son, we're wishing him and his family the very best through this difficult time!
I was diagnosed with burkitt's lymphoma when I was fifteen and I still have many of the childhood cancer family handbooks they gave me. They clearly explain a lot of common terms and procedures, and also give advice on how to avoid infections. His doctor will give him some, but I would be more than happy to send what I have to you guys if you think the extra information would help. I dug one up just now and noticed that it suggested avoiding all reptiles. (They consider frogs a "reptile".) If it's for salmonella, there's also a list of foods to be cautious around such as raw vegetables.
Throughout my treatment, I had CBB snakes and a dog at home, but I didn't handle them much. I was told that they must be kept clean and that I was not allowed to pick up after them. Common precautions such as hand washing and avoiding mouth contact were stressed. My doctor was actually more concerned about the frozen rodents that my snakes ate, so he forbade me from feeding them as well. He initially suggested that I or my pets live somewhere else, but didn't seem too bothered when we said that wasn't possible.

All cancers and their treatment differ, so it'll probably be up to his oncologist in the end. I think it would be fine personally, especially if they were housed in a separate room. Otherwise if the enclosures are difficult to wash thoroughly or have an especially dusty substrate, (If possible, paper towels or cageliners might be best during this time) I might try to temporarily move them from whatever rooms you expect him to be spending his time in. In general, just keep clean and avoid things that might collect dust or bacteria. (My doctor didn't allow common gifts such as plants or stuffed animals for that reason.) You might want to stock up on hand sanitizer and masks.

Again, I'm very sorry to hear that you all have to go through this. My fingers are crossed for the best possible outcome, I'm hoping that everything goes as smooth as possible for him! I can try to give out tips for living comfortably during this if you think they might apply, but always ask the doctors and nurses any questions you may have, they're the ones who really know~
 
That you both.

I am already planning on keeping one room reptile free. So that will be his "safe" room.

I am most concerned about the bearded dragons as they are on crushed walnut, which can get very dusty. I may just carpet their tanks.
 
If you would rather not switch to carpet, you could get a HEPA air filter for the room the beardies are in (or for the safe room). They have dropped in price a bit since they first became popular a few years ago so you should be able to find one for a decent price.
 
The biggest concern is infection, based on whey my radiation and chemo oncologists told me when I had stage 4 throat and lymph node cancer in 2011. I gave up an awful lot of my herps including snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and some tortoises. I took a chance and kept an aquarium with fish and a couple of my tortoises. I survived, never got ill from the animals in my home, including those herps, 4 dogs at the time (up to 5 dogs now, an additional 2 visiting dogs, and several herps and tropical fish). The main thing they wanted me to avoid was contact with anything that could give me an infection - so, I did not handle the herps or clean their enclosures or the aquariums (well not more than a few times anyway and then I used gloves, washed throughly afterward and sterilized my hands with alcohol whn all done washing). I moistly depended on family to help there and they were great.
 
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