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Weed waker victum alive

Yesterday was my first Natural Hystory of Vertibrit class and we went into the feild to collect herps. One of the snakes we found had what looked like an inverted colon which they will do when afraid sometime, but a closer look reveild that this poor little northern water snake had been hit by a weed waker and in addition to a few small cuts along it's body was one very deep cut that had herniated. I asked the prof to let me take it because I know the basics of repairing such tramas, but now, as I sit in my dorm with my illegal patient I find myself wanting to conferm my memories of how this sort of this is repaired and also to determin if extra work is needed on the protuding organ (which is now clean and coverd with ointment in hops of reducing swelling). I think I need to make an insition and push the organ back in and then use liquid stitches or super-glue to close it up, but I am not positive I even know what organ I am dealing with o_O. I can't find a single photo reference of internal snake anatomy, not even of one of the species built differently from my little freind here. I also can't find instruction on-line >_< why must it have been so long ago that I helped fix the others. I'm probubly just nerotic, but if the gut has streched funny I sure would like to fix THAT before I close up this guy... oh and on top of all this, it didn't shed it's right eye scail properly so it's blind on one side :p

Anyone have any tips or know any resorces? Thanks ;)
 
Darcie,
I can try and get ahold of a vet I know who is also a cp grower, but in any case if nobody replies, it's probably doomed if you don't try, and probably doomed anyway.
Hope that helps.

Joe
 
Try www.kingsnake.com
 
Go to Barnes and Noble and get Surgery for Dumbies.
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I'm just kidding. It doesn't sound too good for the little guy.

imduff
 
ive used neosporin to treat scale rot and stuff. use the plain stuff not the one(s) with additional medicine. worked quite well and lots of herp keepers use it. for the unshed eyecap. contact fluid or any plain eyedrops for ppl work to get it nice and moist and then use a piece of scotch tape to lift it off. used this many times with a ball python that refused to shed right. sorry. i know nothing about even minor surgery but the super glue may work. i use it on myself all the time for small cuts.

Rattler
 
well Id take it to a vet before you go performing an operation on it. That just doesnt sound good. There is another site aside from kingsnake.com and that is ssnakess.com you might get some help there as well.

As far as the eye is concerned its no biggie and will more than likely come off in the next shed if the conditions are right. If you feel the need to take it off you could take some tape and gently tap the eye cap but youre better off just waiting till the next shed.
 
Darcie, The snakes organ should be pushed inside the snakes body, and a couple of small stitches to close the cut will work. I have done that a few times over a lifetime of herps and CP. unless the snake is asleep or knocked out, superglue will not last an active snake long. If he is hurt bad enough to barely move, it may work. I would go with the stitches though.
 
Okay, thanks bugweed
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I'll do that for the big opening. So should I stuff the innerds back in or make an insition to make it easier? After carefull examination, I have desided it is probubly it's tummy poking out. I'll likely do a combo of liquid and real stitches. When you sow up a chicken you use hair for the stitches so I guess I'll try that for the snake. My next hurdle will be getting it to eat, it's injeries are bad enough I have a feeling it may reopen wounds if released to early.

Thanks to those sugesting the contact solution and tape combo for the eye. This will help me figure out if it's permenently blind or not
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Well, I will probubly operate after my vert. class today (I have a friend in their that will likely hold the snake for me during the work) Wish me luck
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-Darcie

P.S. this will be my third kind of operation on an animal, lets hope I've learned enough from working on fish and chicken feet!

P.P.S. Dot the chicken is recovering nicely from her second bought of bumble foot with the help of some antibiotics provided by the first vet I've found who takes chickens, yah no surgery required on her this time
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so... is the thing alive still?

typically if an organ is poking out and swollen, a skin cap (fake skin kinda thing) is best until the organ becomes normal again.
It also helps in treating infection, as stuffing it back and sewing up can cause infection.

did it live?
 
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