Reticulated Python Colon Surgery

[bcr229]

Unfortunately there's a sad update to this story. Last week Nova started having issues with getting backed up/unable to pass feces. We took her to SEAVS and they got her cleaned out, but over the few days they had her for observation they noted issues with her back third becoming paralyzed, with a loss of muscle control in her tail, she could not close her vent, etc. We gave her a few more days to see if things would improve, but she then showed increasing signs of pain in her body just before the paralysis point.

They theorize that there may have been some nerve damage due to the surgery, and her nerves may have been torn or stretched away from the spine when they had to do the intestine resection. While the problem wasn't evident immediately post-op, it became an issue as she grew longer and thicker.

So, we made the tough decision to have her euthanized.

Since her particular case was included in the recently released edition of Mader’s Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery, Dr. Stahl will be doing a necropsy on her as a follow-up, in case he finds anything useful to include in a future release of the book.

 

[AbsoluteApril]

I'm so sorry Melinda

Rest in peace Nova

 

[JColt]

Very sorry to hear. Heartbreaking...

 

[Helenthereef]

Very sorry to hear that.

I hope it is some consolation to know how much you and she contributed to veterinary knowledge by letting us know all the details though.

Re the tail paralysis - I had a snake with a similar problem after a heat wave (the snake died the next day). I'd never heard of it before, but I imagine nerve damage was a very likely factor in that case.

 

[Helenthereef]

Thank you Melinda

I think I might be in your situation at the moment: one of my Fiji Boas, Samael (1.8m 2.5 kg not sure how old but I've had him for over 10 years), has two hard lumps in his gut, about 8 scales above his cloaca.

It does not appear to be causing him pain or discomfort, and at this colder time of the year, (we are coming to the end of our southern hemisphere winter) they fast, so there is no danger of him eating and causing more trouble right now. He would start to eat again next month if all was well, so I do need to get this sorted out if it is possible.

I have tried warm water soaks and belly massages, but cannot move or change them. The next step would be to force feed him a little mineral oil, or try an enema, and failing that, surgery.

We don't have specialist reptile vets in Fiji, but I am sending useful links, including your photobucket album, to the few vets we do have, and while I'd be delighted if anyone had any hints of tips for us, I'm primarily posting here to thank you, Melinda, for posting this up, it's going to be very helpful in informing vets here if we can try to do something for him.

BTW, this is the same snake that had a severe respiratory infection in 2017 and went off feed for 1.5 years after that, so he's not my simplest snake, see thread http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=640431

 

[bcr229]

I think that's different. Nova's infection was on the colon wall so there was no visible lump. Her swelling was symmetric due to backed-up feces in the colon before the infection.

This may give the vets a better idea of how to treat:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?267147-Panamanian-Hypo-Boa-with-a-lump

 

[Helenthereef]

Thanks very much, I'll pass that along.

 

[Helenthereef]

Hi again Melinda.
Do you still have your photo bucket story on file? I went back to photo bucket but the link is no longer there. I should haver saved it the first time.
My snake still has his problem, and although you don't think it's the same thing, I'd like to show our local (non herp) vets what a scan of a blockage can look like.
Many thanks

 

[bcr229]

I'll just upload them here. The Photobucket account was my husband's and when he moved over to Instagram he kind of stopped using it so I think they clobbered it.

 

[bcr229]

Next set of pics

 

[Helenthereef]

Thanks a lot.
I'm taking Samael in for an X-ray tomorrow. Did you also have an X-ray of your snake that you can share?

 

[bcr229]

More pictures

 

[bcr229]

Almost done...

 

[bcr229]

All done and sewn up

 

[bcr229]

Thanks a lot.
I'm taking Samael in for an X-ray tomorrow. Did you also have an X-ray of your snake that you can share?

No unfortunately we don't.

 

[Helenthereef]

Ok, thanks for all the photos, I know our vet will be very interested.

 

[Helenthereef]

It's like taking your car to the mechanic

Just back from the vet with good news.

He took three X rays, as below, and decided that the blockage is contained within the intestines, but there was no torsion, so we were pretty sure it was impacted faeces, not a tumour or a twist, making it possible to consider giving him oral laxatives.

We were just discussing laxative possibilities (anyone have an opinion on Mineral oil or Lactulose laxative in snakes?) when he started to pass urates.

That was messy but good news, but then there was a little blood in the urates, and a visible inversion of rectal tissue, and he passed a decent size stool, soft on the outside but dry and impacted on the inside. I've rarely been so happy to be pooped on

So, it's pretty obvious he had impacted faces for some reason, and we are hopeful that with the help of some mineral oil, which we are trying to source now, we may be able to shift the rest of it. The remaining lump is much smaller and softer and is nearer the cloaca than it had been, so we will continue with bathing and handling to keep him moving, and wait for another stool before we try feeing again.

I'm sure we are both much happier this morning - 3 - 4 months of constipation can't have been nice for him.

(Please excuse my rings in one of the X rays - the local vets aren't too thrilled to hold a snake still, so I had to do it myself)

 

[bcr229]

Excellent!

 

[Helenthereef]

He passed a second stool that afternoon after another hour's soaking and massage, so now he's just going to rest for a few days before I try feeding him again.

I don't want to hijack your thread further, so I'll start a new one and detail the process I went through with Samael, in the hopes that someone else might find it as useful as this thread was to me. (Our newly certified surgical intern vet was fascinated by the surgery photos, thank you).

On that note, did you ever get / can you post the necropsy results of your python?

Since her particular case was included in the recently released edition of Mader’s Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery, Dr. Stahl will be doing a necropsy on her as a follow-up, in case he finds anything useful to include in a future release of the book.

 

[bcr229]

On that note, did you ever get / can you post the necropsy results of your python?

I did not get anything in writing. The vet did say that the internal and external incisions had healed very well and there didn't seem to be a lot of scarring, which is why they were thinking nerve damage that became evident or worsened as she grew.