cloaca problems w/ snakems? :(

[snakems]

I am not sure whether or not this fits the "urgent care" description but I may (as usual) just be worried.
Since the last cat "attack" snakems went through, if thats what you could call it (seeing as there wasnt much time for the cat to ACTUALLY attack, as we all know it doesnt take long for something like a cat to injure one of these little guys) she had musked, which obviously was expected. I inspected her immediately after and couldnt see anything wrong with her at all. I was beyond happy for this because I was horribly worried that something had happened again :(
it smelled pretty gross for a bit because she had musked and I noticed that at the cloaca she was protruding quite a bit (white) (nothing secreting from it or anything but what looks to be pretty much the opening of her at the cloaca.) But this is how she was when I first caught her almost a year ago when she was musking, until she calmed down. It almost looked to me like she had been injured somehow (at the time she was found) but my father assured me that's just how it looks when she's musking, and it did in fact close up within a few minutes and she very rarely musked since, unless she's been super startled somehow. But when she HAS it always has looked like this until she calms down again, so I was thinking that was just because she was so scared from the cat and I wasnt worried.
ANywayyy.... I have noticed that since this has happened it hasnt really closed up. :(
this has never happened before, and its not that she is continually musking or anything because it doesnt smell. It has always been smooth all the way down her underside even past the cloaca provided that she has not been upset & the slit has been pretty much hidden other than the fact that of course it looks a little different from her other ventral scales which I know is normal. Is there something wrong with her? :(
I really dont know if anyone know what I am talking about or if anyone's had any experience with anything like this with their snakes. This is the best I can explain it I think. Im not an expert so this is the best I could do lol
Shes moving fine and seems to be ok other than this odd looking area where it seems to never have closed up. I am just a little worried about her and I dont know if it will get infected or something if it doesnt close up and it WAS somehow injured, though there was never any blood or anything visable when I put her back in her tank at the time.
thanks for reading... I know its all over the place! I'd really appreciate any input you think you might have! :):confused:

[gregmonsta]

A picture would help ... she may have had a prolapse ... is there still any tissue protruding from her cloaca?

[snakems]

:( thats what it seems like
:(
is this really bad if it is? :( I will get a picture up as soon as I can manage! it will be easy to take a picture of, its quite obvious. Though she doesnt seem to be acting any different at all since. she's gone to the bathroom maybe three times since and it doesnt look any different or anything. right now my computer cannot handle uploading pics. I may need to restore it :(
But yes it looks like there is smooth whitish flesh coming out of the slit. its all uniform though and like i mentioned this is how it always looks when she is musking. Just this time it didnt close back up :(
thank you very much for your input!!


A picture would help ... she may have had a prolapse ... is there still any tissue protruding from her cloaca?

[DrKate]

If she does in fact have a cloacal prolapse and it's been that way for several days, it's not necessarily a cause for panic, but it does need to be replaced. The very best thing you can do is take her to a vet who sees reptiles. They will know how to replace the prolapsed tissue, and they may even put a suture in to help hold it in place. If you can't do that, you can try replacing the prolapse yourself but it may not stay in.

Whichever you decide to do, you should get her cleaned up and safe right away. Put her in a warmish bath for 5-10 min to let her rinse off and make sure there's no debris stuck to the prolapsed tissue. Then gently pat her dry and transfer her to a small tank or tupperware box lined with damp paper towels. You don't want to keep her on damp substrate long-term because that can cause skin problems, but for now you want to keep that tissue from drying out. She can have a water bowl and a hide of some kind in there, too.

If you want to try replacing the prolapse yourself, ideally you should get a latex or vinyl glove and some KY jelly or other similar lube. You might need a helper to hold her still. Turn her over and hold her near the vent, put a little KY on your gloved fingers and use the flat of your finger to gently push the prolapsed tissue back in the same direction it's coming out (i.e. parallel to her body, not straight down against her underside). If it doesn't go in easily, stop. It would really be best to take her to a vet rather than risk making the tissue swollen and irritated.

If it goes in, keep her on damp paper towels overnight. If it stays in after that, she can go back in her regular enclosure and just keep a close eye on her. If it comes back out, again the best thing you can do at that point is go to a vet.

You sound pretty worried, which is totally understandable. It's not always possible of course, but if there's a herp vet in your area, taking her there is probably going to be the fastest way to get peace of mind and give Snakems the best long-term outcome.

EDIT: Sorry, I just had to add, just in case... When I say KY or other lube, I mean the plain stuff that your vet uses to take a temperature on your dog, or you doctor uses when they need to examine you in that area. If what you happen to have around is any of these fancy "tingling sensation" products, that would be a bad idea for Snakems. I most certainly don't want to cause any embarrassment, but thought it was prudent to clarify. :o

[snakems]

thank you VERY much for the info!! Im going to get pictures up soon and if it stays this way i will do what you've instructed. haha no worries I would never even attempt to use any of the "varieties" of lubrication offered nowadays ... ha.
thanks again for all of the info and the time you've taken to respond!

[mustang]

picture+vet=happy snake and curius me

[gregmonsta]

You can rub some cooking oil on the tissue ;) it's another good way to stop it drying out.

[Snake lover 3-25]

yeah... meadow has a similar problem.... but it is only out a millimeter or so and has been this way since somewhere in march or april...