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Emergency!

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Phoenixphire55

New member
Ugh, my 20 inch long kingsnake was slithering up on the ledge at the top of his cage where the lid meets the screen, and my awful cat scratched him through the screen and cut him open. He slithered down and went into his hide area and I don't know what to do. The cut is probably about half a centimeter long and its right by his cloaca. What can I do? :(:(:(:(:(
 
Half a centimeter is not very long, is it deep? I think if it is not too deep you will be ok. Can you take a picture so we can see it?
 
Some people will tell you to put Neosporin on it. My vet so no, he thinks it makes the wound collect junk. Snakes are tough, I think you will be all right. Need to figure out a solution to the cat however. Do you have a gunnysack and a river near by?
 
You need to find out how deep it is. If it's just surface damage to scales then you'll be fine. If it's scratched the skin underneath, you might want to switch to a newspaper substrate (if you're not already using one) to prevent the wound collecting dust & grit as it dries.

If you think the cat has actually managed to stick a claw deeper into the snake, then you may be in trouble if he has internal damage. Trouble is, there's not much you can do about that other than keep watch. Cats' claws are notorious for harbouring bacteria.

Sounds odd, but keep sniffing the wound - if it starts to smell bad, then it's infected and you need antibiotics. Vet time.

A photo would help.
 
I concur with what has already been said, and I will also suggest that you clean the wound every day. A nice daily wash with a good rinsing can do wonders in preventing infection.
 
Susan said:
I concur with what has already been said, and I will also suggest that you clean the wound every day. A nice daily wash with a good rinsing can do wonders in preventing infection.
Click to expand...

Do you mind explaining more? Wash with what?? ivory soap and rince with water. Your in the field that why I ask.
 
well after taking my snake out and looking him over I can't find the wound anywhere. I may have been wrong when I thought the claw cut him open because I couldn't find any blood anywhere in the cage, I can't find a cut, and the snake is acting very normal, exploring his cage etc. I freaked out because when I saw the cat scratch the snake it looked like he was holding the snake there with his claw and the snake squirted out a straight stream of musk. Then when I grabbed the cat's paw away the snake fell back down to the substrate and it looked like his vent was open and I saw pink, however, maybe that was just what his vent looked like after squirting out a big stream of musk? Like I said, when I look for the wound I can't find anything.
 
Well I'm glad you didn't over react. Actually, when a snakes musks you his little who who does come out a little. That must have been what you saw. Good for you.
 
Phoenixphire55 said:
Ugh, my 20 inch long kingsnake was slithering up on the ledge at the top of his cage where the lid meets the screen, and my awful cat scratched him through the screen and cut him open. He slithered down and went into his hide area and I don't know what to do. The cut is probably about half a centimeter long and its right by his cloaca. What can I do? :(:(:(:(:(
Click to expand...

Ok change the cage bedding to paper towl. Put JUST water and hides. Then swab the wound with peroxide 2x a day for 2 weeks or until the wound scabs over. Also if you up the heat by 1 or 2 degrees it will heat better. Just make sure the hmidity does not go up
 
wade said:
Well I'm glad you didn't over react. Actually, when a snakes musks you his little who who does come out a little. That must have been what you saw. Good for you.
Click to expand...

Yeah... I'm VERY sure that this is what happened. When catching wild snakes around here, I see how wide they "open up" to spray musk etc. at me...

Glad that your snake is okay. This kind of stuff is exactly why I'm not a cat fan... LOL.
 
Actually kingsnake will often pop the cloaca. That means they pop small blood vesels in the colaca and will dribble bloods out of the cloaca
 
snakemaster24 said:
Ok change the cage bedding to paper towl. Put JUST water and hides. Then swab the wound with peroxide 2x a day for 2 weeks or until the wound scabs over. Also if you up the heat by 1 or 2 degrees it will heat better. Just make sure the hmidity does not go up
Click to expand...
I respectfully disagree with the peroxide treatment. It's not even recommended for human abrasions anymore. HO3 can destroy healthy tissue which can be a portal for infection. I'd be more inclined to recommend the above poster who suggested soap and water. Good luck with him!
 
Ok Lori, I did not know they reject that treatment. Kudos to you for updating me. I am gonna have to stop using/suggesting it.
 
Lennycorn said:
Do you mind explaining more? Wash with what?? ivory soap and rince with water. Your in the field that why I ask.
Click to expand...

Just about any soap would do. You don't have to go "all medical" with Betadine or Nolvasan scrub, an antibacterial hand soap is good, but not necessary, just something that will cleanse the wound and not be irritating. Ivory is just fine if that's what you have.
 
Susan said:
Just about any soap would do. You don't have to go "all medical" with Betadine or Nolvasan scrub, an antibacterial hand soap is good, but not necessary, just something that will cleanse the wound and not be irritating. Ivory is just fine if that's what you have.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply, I have Nolvasan, I use that for cleaning mostly.
thanks again.
 
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