Hey all, we got some news that was very unexpected.
My poor baby Emilia is super sick, she was rescued from a local Pet Supplies Plus. We thought originally URI, took her to the vet, and found an abnormal GI Tract and blockage, the vet sent the x-rays to a place in Ohio. They came back today with news we were not expecting.
Emilia has an abnormal lung, it is super tiny, and barely working. I live in Wv and am 18, my boyfriend is working tirelessly to raise up a few thousand to get us up there, get her treatment or at least see our options, and stay a few nights depending upon the result. Ohio is like eight hours away, and Mili’s normal vet does not feel comfortable doing anything more.
Hopefully, we can get the money fast, we have no clue how long she can wait. This noodle keeps surprising us. I have no clue what to do, she will have to wait a good bit, a few thousand is so hard to come by. The vets cannot guarantee anything either, there are so many things she could have that is fatal. I am a bit upset not going to lie.
Do you know what her long term prognosis is? I don’t mean to bear ill advice but you may need to sit down with your boyfriend and discuss things realistically, like is she suffering while you are waiting to raise money? And is there any way that treatment will/correct a malformed lung? Will she be able to live with quality of life depending on whatever treatment she gets? Sometimes the best decisions are the hardest decisions.
Please don’t take this post the wrong way because I want nothing but the very best for you and her. I do hope your situation has the best ending for all of you!
I am sorry about the bad news! @caron is totally correct here, and she is also one of the nicest people on this community. As a hobbyist breeder I have had to on very rare occasions, as well as other breeders to humanely euthanize a very badly deformed baby snake. Sometimes through no fault of anyone they just are so badly deformed or health compromised they can not live long or might live awhile but have No quality of life, such can be the case with internal failing organs. Now I am not saying you have to choose now, but if the vet doesn’t see anyway to fix or reverse this lung issue(if it is a birth defect I don’t know what can truly be done) you may have to prepare yourself to choose. The bad thing with snakes is they have 2 lungs technically, but only one does the lions share of the work, the other is a lot smaller and weaker. This is a reason why respiratory infections can be so serious in snakes. I wish you luck, please keep us updated and do not worry about being judged here. We see how much you are trying to do for the poor little snake. Thanks for the update, information can also help others so it is a good thing to do.
@banereptiles Thank you so very much for those very kind words. I just try to put myself in other peoples shoes. But again, bless you!
And @haileybug as @banereptiles has said, you will be supported by this community no matter what you decide. That’s the goodness and beauty of this family…….
Me and Sam have previously talked about the possibility of the hard choice, we are just going to see what our vets say. I am ready to make that decision, I would hate for her to suffer all her life. Sam on the other hand is apprehensive and does not like the idea at all. I am sure that with the vets help and me, if this would be to come up, he will do the right thing. He just loves this little noodle so much, as do I, hopefully it is something bacterial that can be helped.
@haileybug It’s amazing to see someone do so much for an animal. Especially when it’s a little noodle!
These little guys are just left aside so often because people just don’t understand them and they may not be as ‘cute’ to others. Thank you for doing as much as you did already!
I agree with @banereptiles and @caron on what was said. It may be time to consider that quality of life. Sometimes we just can’t fix what’s wrong without making something worse, as much as we wish it didn’t. If it is indeed the normally larger more functional lung that is so abnormal, you really have to weigh the pros and cons. She may not even be able to handle the anesthesia as well because of the poor function.
If she DOES do well for the gastro surgery, her lung is still a concern. I had a dog with a similar issue. her lungs were just a mess ever since she was a puppy. She would come up with pneumonia at least once a year. This is a dog who never boarded at a kennel or went to parks. just enjoyed home 90% of the time. If you DO manage to get the funds and have the surgery done, make sure to start saving a buffer now so you’ll have some money saved up just in case she has a similar issue.
I really hope you can get some answers for her! She’s a pretty little gal for sure! Keeping my fingers crossed for you all!
I am catching up on things because there has been a lot going on with my family of late. I’m so sorry to read of Emilia’s lung issues. I know that you will do whatever is best for Emilia, and that’s simply beautiful. So many people treat animals as disposable objects. It’s even more common with herps and invertebrates. I believe this is due in part to their generally quiet demeanor. Emilia is so lucky to have landed with humans who care for her so well. Whatever happens, I trust that you’ll do what is best for her. I wish every creature were so blessed. You have the respect and the support of the MRC community. I continue to pray for Emilia, you and your boyfriend.
Any update? A mammal would have gone septic and passed from a GI blockage by now (within a day or two, depending on species). Hopefully either the surgery has been performed or she was alleviated of suffering by this point. If not I would venture to say you are likely out of time and need to make a choice right away, a reptile vet would be able to run some fresh diagnostics to try and get best guess as to whether it’s too late. You don’t want to take her to surgery without these rechecks, or you could end up paying for a surgery where they discover upon starting that nothing can be done. If she must be euthanized by a cat/dog vet, make sure they are aware of AVMA sanctioned practices for reptile euthanasia.
Sorry for no update as of late, a few things within my family have happened. Anyway, we haven’t had the time nor money to get Mili to Ohio yet BUT she is seeming to be doing better. She has gained weight and is growing slowly, almost as if she knows that we found out what was wrong. A strange thing honestly. This is the good news, but her blockage has turned into looking like impaction.
I am getting ready to call our local vet, hoping to get a new set of X-rays to see if it is impaction or not. We are praying that our little girl is alright but knowing her past issues it would make sense.
Honestly, this doesn’t sound like impaction at all. Is she eating? Has she been passing urates or feces? The fact that she’s gaining and growing makes a GI issue like impaction far less likely.
I second this! Unless she has passed both feces and urates this is an urgent situation. Definitely do not feed her. If you can’t get her to a vet soon, you could reach out to reptile rescue groups and humane societies that might be able to take her on and pay for her veterinary care. (edit: I’m a retired dog/cat veterinarian, if that gives my opinion any additional weight.)
Unsure, we were only told Ohio. I tired calling Dr. Lammie yesterday but she was busy, I will call back in a few moments and get back to you on that hopefully.
Thanks! She passed urate this morning, giving me some hope! I am calling Dr. Lammie again right now, hopefully she can point us in the right direction.
Hopefully either the surgery has been performed or she was alleviated of suffering by this point. If not I would venture to say you are likely out of time and need to make a choice right away, a reptile vet would be able to run some fresh diagnostics to try and get best guess as to whether it’s too late. You don’t want to take her to surgery without these rechecks, or you could end up paying for a surgery where they discover upon starting that nothing can be done. If she must be euthanized by a cat/dog vet, make sure they are aware of AVMA sanctioned practices for reptile euthanasia.