Autopsy of snake completed

[BlindSnake]

I'd be asking for a cash refund on the herp and go to a reputable dealer. Your more likely to get a beter quallity animal at a better price. Im sure that wasn't the only herp in the shop that has worms. The replacement will most likely have a worm infestation, to what degree is a guess.
In the 11 days you had the herp, did you touch, feed, change water bowls or substrate with your other herps without steralizing before and after?
Chances are you might have spread them to the rest of your reps.

 

[horsesrule]

Yeah i did touch other enclosures, bowls etc. So now i am going to have to worm all my animals and to be on the safe side worm myself to although i wash my hands frequently when cleaning enclosures etc.

The thing is the seller i went through is a reputable dealer one of the most reputable in Aus. I am sure thats why they are covering the vet autopsy costs.


I am considering asking for a refund though instead of a replacement.

 

[learning]

just wondering if feeding it frozen rats is any different to live? dose freezing it kill the eggs? i was under the impression that only cookin will kill the worms and the eggs. which obviously is not an option. but im not an expert it's just a question?

 

[junglepython2]

Wild caught is another option.........

 

[Jason]

just wondering if feeding it frozen rats is any different to live? dose freezing it kill the eggs? i was under the impression that only cookin will kill the worms and the eggs. which obviously is not an option. but im not an expert it's just a question?

freezing kills the eggs aswell. alot of intestinal worms are tollerant to a large pH range to cope with the changing acidity of the GIT but they aren't adapted to temps below 0. having said that its possible there is an exception.

I can see worms easily being transmitted via touch. if you make contact with the cloace of an infested snake you may likley have eggs on your hands and if you then handle a food item or handle another animal you could possibly transfer them.

 

[sengir]

Not all shops are bad, some take pride in looking after their animals. Sadly in this case it was certainly a bad thing to happen and there is a sligth chance it could happen to anyone. I am glad they are covering all costs associated with everything horsesrule.

 

[Khagan]

This has got me curious.. Should snakes be wormed then even if there is no sign of worms? I recall reading in a topic awhile ago that you shouldn't bother unless there is signs for some reason i now forget, but now this has got me wondering...

 

[Ramsayi]

i got my autopsy today for my diamond which died yesterday, and the same was infested with worms prob through rodants and also infected the bowel which caused the death, such a horrible thing, i got my python through a private seller on herp trader 4 months ago

Which vet did the autopsy?

This has got me curious.. Should snakes be wormed then even if there is no sign of worms? I recall reading in a topic awhile ago that you shouldn't bother unless there is signs for some reason i now forget, but now this has got me wondering...

You can easily test or get a vet to test the animal for worms and only treat if positive.If it aint broke don't fix it.

 

[pepper]

It's great the pet store is paying for the autopsy. I would be asking for a refund and then buy from a breeder that is known on here.

Also why would a pet store cool a yearling they are wanting to sell over the winter months? Sounds strange to me.

 

[daniel1234]

Interesting thread, sorry about the snake.
At the risk of being flamed, how do you test to see if a snake has worms, and what do you use to worm them?

 

[gelusmuse]

I will be honest i am not an expert but from what i understand only snakes that come in contact with the faeces of an infected snake can catch them.

But im sure there is plenty of experts here who can clarify.

Also from their feed (rodents etc.) and from the handlers if they have faeces on their hands or under the fingernails. Essentially they can be spread easily. Personally I worm my rats, my snakes and wash my hands between each snake.

I'm glad you are able to get a replacement.

I use Reptile Science Wormrid and Small Animal Worm Rid from
http://www.vetproductsdirect.com.au

Ivermectin is good also but can be hard to get a vet to make up appropriate doses and small amounts.

 

[wokka]

Rather than filling animals with drugs just in case, it may be better to have their faeces tested to see if it is necessary to worm animals. A healthy animal can tolerate a small worm burden and should only be effected in conjunction with a stress such as cooling. The worms may well continue to metabolise at lower temperatures allowing them to overun the "cool snake" with a slower metabolism.
It seems unfair to flame the petshop for notknowing there wer worms in the animal.

 

[pythons73]

So Wokka,would worming your collection be more harmful,than good.isnt it the same with dog,cats worms,worm the animals and ppl that live in the same house,to make sure you get on top off the situation.Wouldnt it be save than sorry.

 

[JasonL]

There are many different types of worms, some do more harm than others, some spread easier than others too, some worms need to be spread via a host animal. Feeding skinks is the easiest way to catch worms. Almost all wild pythons would carry worms of some type or another.

 

[gelusmuse]

Rather than filling animals with drugs just in case, it may be better to have their faeces tested to see if it is necessary to worm animals.

I'm not sure periodic worming should be described as' filling animals with drugs'. However, I think people need to have a protocol in place to either worm periodically or have faeces tested.
I would recommend that, in addition to a quarantine period with new snakes, they should be wormed on arrival regardless of source.

Out of curiousity, what does it cost to have faecal testing done?

 

[horsesrule]

Which vet did the autopsy?



Dr Peter Cameron.

 

[horsesrule]

After this incident i have decided to worm my entire collection including all snakes, lizards and if need be turtles.

I dont what these little bugger worms anywhere in my house and its worth the cost to have peace of mind.

I am certain everyone of my other snakes is clean but i am gonna do it anyway for the peace of mind.

 

[Lozza]

Did he say what type of worm it was? As Jason said some are more harmful than others and some are more contagious.
Unless you worm them, it is rare to find worms actually in the faeces (unless it is a very bad infestation). It is the eggs that get discharged, which in many worm species are mircoscopic, therefore needing a microscope to detect them. It is really only the large worms eg. tapeworm where you can visibly see proglottid sections in the faeces. When doing a faecal test, I assume they would check through the faeces for eggs.

Many worms can be caught through soil as well - eggs can live in the soil for months.

 

[cjpossum]

It did deficate the day of death though (i believe maybe just before it died and i found it) as i noticed it when the snake had died. There was no worms visible in the faeces but to be honest i never examined it in great detail. I did however notice a stench that was not like normal snake faeces smell.

I am going to worm all new snakes immediatly from now on. Thing is i dont think in this case worming it immediatly would have saved it anyway based on what the vet said to me.

BE CAREFUL with worming (just incase someone else hasnt mensioned it)

I asked the same question to a very sucessfull breeder and said BE CAREFUL, and this is what he said

QUOTE:-

My advice is that if you are having NO problems, then don’t fiddle with your snakes. If they are captive bred they should have no parasites. All the treatments for worms, protozoa etc have some impact on a snake. If they have parasites like heart worm etc, you can kill the snake when you kill the parasite. My advice is that you watch their feces – if they have tapeworms or pinworms you will see them pass the odd one occasionally.

In the old days, our fridge looked like one from a vet clinic because nearly everything was wild caught and problems were abundant. These days I don’t go near any of these chemicals and unless you know you have a problem or you know for a fact that the snakes are wild caught and full of parasites, I really wouldn’t meddle with them …

End quote

I probably will get knocked for this

I now get the snake poop tested from time to time and if anything arises, treat it then.

Worms are passed on by direct contact, how I know is I had a Woma who had worms when I got it and 6 months of regular Vet visits and treatments and controled temps during winter and it didnt survive... All other snakes I have are OK.

Cheers

 

[wokka]

So Wokka,would worming your collection be more harmful,than good.isnt it the same with dog,cats worms,worm the animals and ppl that live in the same house,to make sure you get on top off the situation.Wouldnt it be save than sorry.

Wild animals can and do tolerate worm burdens. As we domesticate animals we gradually break down their natural tolerance and increase their dependence upon environmental and physiological modification. I dont know how far we have modified captive reptiles, but I believe they are closer to wild than are most dogs and cats. Unecessary exposure to drugs is not to be encouraged. You could just as easily give doses of antibiotics to animals in case they have bacterial diseases.
There are documented cases were worming farm animals breaks down resistance to worms and makes the animal dependant .
It is common practice to examine faeces for worms and their eggs and sometimes mocroscopic assistance is required.