Spotted Python tumor

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miss_mosher

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Hey guys, just thought I would share some pictures of a not so common occurrence.
Last year, I noticed that one of my older Spotted Pythons had developed a noticeable lump lower-body. This old girl is always extremely viscous, and suddenly I was able to handle her with my bare hands (and they were undamaged!) so she was definitely sick. Took her to the vet and they proceeded to remove a tumour and kidney after multiple tests of unsure diagnosis. She stayed in the small animal hospital for a week, was tube-fed, passed a stool (some waste had built up from fast tumour growth) and drank water by herself before coming home. It was uncertain if she would survive for much longer. However, she took her next feed normally, had a perfect shed, and has since gone back to her normal behavior of just not liking me (handling has been improved since the ordeal). From memory, stitches stayed in for a total of six weeks.
Unfortunately I was so caught up with continuous monitoring for a few months after the operation that I didn't think to ask for the X-ray and ultrasound photos, so I just have a few dodgy pics of the lump before removal, stitches and scar.
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Well done on getting her the right veterinary treatment, the scans/x rays would have been really interesting to see.

And she seems to have come through it okay, I guess like us they can function on one kidney. I'm glad she's back to her cranky self. LOL

How old is she?
 
Yes I'm kicking myself now that I didn't think at the time to get the copies, it's been over a year so I really don't want to hassle the vet after such a long time :p

She is about 13 now, been in the family for about 11 years. She was the first owners breeder.
Vets original thoughts were either an abscess or tumor, so we didn't find out for sure until she was operated on to have it removed. It's amazing how much it had already spread.
An expensive, but interesting procedure!
 
What an inspiring story. Not only have you put in time, effort and money to help treat a long term captive python, but you did this for one that isn't a typical tame one. That is remarkable. The world would be a much better place for captive reptiles if all reptile keepers were lead by your example! Enjoy your spotted python :)
 
How long did she have the lump before it was removed? I have noticed a small pea size lump on a snake of mine wondering if I should get it looked at.
 
She was fed about a fortnight before the first picture, and the tumor was removed a few days after the picture was taken. Before the feed, I didn't notice any lump, however she is not entirely active unless she's up for her next feed so I may have missed it.

This lump was soft to touch but wouldn't budge from its spot or change shape with pressure. I originally thought it may have been a case of constipation, however it was her unusually passive behavior that was alarming.
 
Our very first snake was a bredli, which we took from a "broken" home. It had a lump that the previous owner assured us was"nothing to worry about". After a while when it hadn't gone down, we took it to a vet, who after a biopsy, prescribed antibiotics. The lump still didn't go away, but it didn't seem to bother the python. Then one horrible night we watched it fall off its pole, and thrash about and die, all in the space of a minute or two. We paid for a necropsy, just to make sure we hadn't done anything wrong. There was a tumour that had spread internally and wrapped around its heart.
So yes, the RIGHT vet treatment is important. We were very disillusioned that the first vet didn't pick it up.
 
That would have been so terrible to witness!
I always go by these two things when trying to decipher if a vet trip is necessary - if there is a change in behavior, or if they are showing signs of pain. You would never pick it with a new animal though!
 
Maybe we might now, being more experienced, but back then it was our first snake, and despite doing all the research and reading, there was still so much to learn as we went.
 
That is such bad luck as a first snake :(
I've had snakes for about 14 years, I can honestly say that I have so much more to learn and still feel like I am a 'beginner.'
 
It's lovely to hear of dedicated owners, well done! And she's still a cranky one, so back to normal. :D

Pinefamily, what a sad story, would have been awful to see it happen. :(
 
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