Major Skin Loss Down to Bone

[chewbacca]

damn poor retic thats damn gnarly

 

[longqi]

But even with that damage
Eyes are ok as they follow clearly and it strikes hard and accurately
Responses are far too good so brain or nerve damage also probably zero
Its drinking
I wriggled a fresh killed rat and it actually had a good sniff which is promising and was totally unexpected
Curled up but not lethargic
Definitely a small mouth infection and possibly RI, but they can wait a bit til this hole starts healing

Been checking out the cuttlefish thing and that could be very promising too
Chinese use it in herbal medicine for open wounds and tropical ulcers

Concentrating on fighting any bacteria first then we'll see what happens

 

[cement]

Hey longqi,
Thats not as bad as it looks.
Firstly, wash with warm soapy water to remove any particles of dirt etc. Then treat with betadine to kill any bacteria's etc.
Then cover with manuka honey or your closest equivalent. Don't continually put on betadine. It kills healthy tissue as well as the nasties. Once this has been done just keep it warm and dry and in a spotlessly clean enclosure. Re apply the honey every 2-3 days, until you are sure there is no infection and then let it dry out and scab up. If you can't get anti biotics then that may be a problem but only if it gets infected. If you are as limited as it sounds with vets and antibiotics etc, then your last hope will probably be cutting out any infected tissues and starting over with the betadine and honey treatment back to raw living flesh. If it doesn't heal and infection gets into the bones then say your prayers and euthanase by crushing the head and brain with a large hammer.
Good luck.

 

[longqi]

Thanks Cement
Done and doing most of that now
Added savlon to the honey and have stopped the betadine
Enclosure is clean warm dry and covered in my bedroom so I can check if it starts thrashing around or anything
No visible signs of infection so hopefully it will come good

Hammer was everyones suggestion but I felt it was worth a shot so giving it a go

 

[KaotikJezta]

Been checking out the cuttlefish thing and that could be very promising too
Chinese use it in herbal medicine for open wounds and tropical ulcers

Concentrating on fighting any bacteria first then we'll see what happens

yes, it is crazy stuff, my cat disappeared one night when someone left the door to the laundry open, he came back a week later with 2 really infected abscesses and they were almost clear after two doses in his food, as opposed to a vet treated one in another cat that had a drain tube and took the full 2 weeks of antibiotic treatment to clear up.

 

[cement]

Thanks Cement
Done and doing most of that now
Added savlon to the honey and have stopped the betadine
Enclosure is clean warm dry and covered in my bedroom so I can check if it starts thrashing around or anything
No visible signs of infection so hopefully it will come good

Hammer was everyones suggestion but I felt it was worth a shot so giving it a go

Its definatly worth a shot. Flesh wounds that don't involve bone and internal organs clear up pretty easily. The snake will do it all himself, we just give them a good environment and guard against infection so he does it quicker and without further complication. The extra heat, cleanliness and dryness will help with the RI too. Once you think the injury is stabilised as far as infections go, just leave him be and don't worry about putting to much of anything on it. You want to go dry and "crispy" then just leave him alone. When it scabs up, it will be a big thick chunky scab that will probably hinder his fascial movements for a little while, and he will probably shed. Try to keep the scab on for the first shed, for the second shed you can probably take the scab too if it comes away fairly easily. There will probably be a few spots that will bleed but most of it should be skinned however thin. The bleeding spots just go through the scab process again only much smaller. he's gonna end up with a head like a dropped pie, but will be fine!

 

[snakes123]

That looks horrible!

 

[kawasakirider]

Horrible, poor bugger. It almost seems deliberate? I wonder if he got caught on a wire fence or a bit of sheet metal?

 

[Darkhorse]

he's gonna end up with a head like a dropped pie, but will be fine!

I agree, but he will have character and it's well worth it!

 

[MD-Mummy]

you seem to be doing the best you can and i take my hat off to you good job mate

 

[cement]

Horrible, poor bugger. It almost seems deliberate? I wonder if he got caught on a wire fence or a bit of sheet metal?

No one will ever know.

 

[mumofsnakelover]

Just wondering why no one has thought of Luke warm salt water for sterilization the salt will act as a drying agent and dry up the cut/wound a lot quicker than betadine. I was told by my dr not to use betadine more than once on a wound as it can start to eat the good tissue. So we have no beta dine in our house and only use salt water for wounds and cuts. Savlon is supposedly the same it keeps the wound moist and to promote healing you need it to dry out. I nursed a cat with burnt paws with honey bought from the chemist and salt water I would fill a bowl and let him stand in the water, which he was happy to do as they were so bloody hot, then put the honey on did this every day for about 5 weeks and his paws healed up.

 

[longqi]

Just wondering why no one has thought of Luke warm salt water for sterilization the salt will act as a drying agent and dry up the cut/wound a lot quicker than betadine. I was told by my dr not to use betadine more than once on a wound as it can start to eat the good tissue. So we have no beta dine in our house and only use salt water for wounds and cuts. Savlon is supposedly the same it keeps the wound moist and to promote healing you need it to dry out. I nursed a cat with burnt paws with honey bought from the chemist and salt water I would fill a bowl and let him stand in the water, which he was happy to do as they were so bloody hot, then put the honey on did this every day for about 5 weeks and his paws healed up.

If have used salt water before but it can annoy a snake if up near the eyes and I was trying to keep it as calm as I could
Only using the savlon for one more day to try and kill off any unseen infection
Then I'll concentrate on the honey for a few days I think
Have crushed up some cuttlefish but will only get that if and when it feeds again
Dont want to tube or syringe it unless I have to because of probably stressing it out
R&R now and hope for the best

 

[sookie]

Sounds like you have done you can mate.he seems to be a fighter,slithering around for who knows how long with his head looking like that......him gotta be tough.and you have given him all the human help you can.all i could think of was the goold old aloe vera plant.

 

[longqi]

It is still drinking and a scab is slowly forming
[maybe still a bit damp in centre but edges look hard/crusty; but I'm not touching it again unless I have to]
Urinated well so moved it into another similar box
Still very alert
Heres hoping

 

[Kyro]

That looks nasty. Fingers crossed for you that all the effort pays off longqi, he's certainly in good hands now.

 

[cement]

It is still drinking and a scab is slowly forming
[maybe still a bit damp in centre but edges look hard/crusty; but I'm not touching it again unless I have to]

Thats exactly what you want.

 

[Fantazmic]

Longqi you must keep us updated if it starts to scab up and heal as Cement said it would........and we must see photographs if it fully heals......poor thing...imagine the shock of losing the skin off the top of your head like that !!

 

[longqi]

It appears to be scabbing up nicely on edges but still mushy in the middle
Im not disturbing it at all now except to put more water in the drinking bowl
Will definitely keep you posted
but next few days dont expect much to change

 

[Renenet]

Will be hoping for some good news. Poor snake.

How's that cranky monster you got a few weeks ago coming along, Longqi?