Skin Improving after Parasite-related Dermatitis! (with pics)

[d_virginiana]

For those of you who don't know, for the last three or four months my two year old female flame Harley has been battling with some very severe dermatitis that we finally found was due to a parasitic nematode normally only found in mammals.
Apparently this parasite keeps the skin from producing certain chemicals that help 'hold it together' for lack of a better term. You know that glossy coating on most garters' belly scutes? Gone. Her entire body felt like it was scaleless. This caused some pretty severe scale damage (especially on the sides, where the scales bent when she curled due to being so weak) and movement difficulty.
WELL; finally some big improvement! Starting about two days ago, I noticed her belly begin to change color, and a sort of shine start to appear again. This has coincided with continued improvement of the back and side scales as well (still damaged, but they are shiny and appear to be getting sturdier) as well as movement that is pretty much normal.

Before I post the pictures:
Yes, there are lateral folds in her scales. This is due to how soft they were when the infection was in full swing; not a retained shed (vet confirmed) I have been keeping a very close eye on her, and her eyes have not gone blue, but she has a shed box in her 'hospital tank' just in case. The scales were just literally so soft they would bend right in two when she moved and have continued to do so throughout this whole ordeal.

No, this is definitely not an infection, despite the yucky color. There is no swelling, sensitivity, or negative behavior change (she ate two pinkies and three fish last night). Additionally, this color change happened uniformly. I believe her body has finally recovered enough to try and put up a new layer of skin for her first actual shed since this began.

Harleyskin1.jpgHarleyskin2.jpgHarleyskin3.jpgHarleyskin4.jpg


I know she's not completely out of the woods yet, but I'm hoping this is a big step in the right direction. She is a very special snake; even the vets always comment on how cooperative she is.

[guidofatherof5]

You must have reading my mind(I know, short story) I've been wondering how she was doing.
Glad things are improving. How's her eating been?

[Selkielass]

Im so glad she is improving!
You, or the mods should link this thread to the previous one so that readers in the future can see the whole story- actually discovering the parasite causing this still amazes me. Great discovery and hats off to you and your vet.

She's become quite a big gal- no wonder moving was deforming the softened scales.
Im looking forward to your next update.

[d_virginiana]

You must have reading my mind(I know, short story) I've been wondering how she was doing.
Glad things are improving. How's her eating been?

She's been eating like crazy. Houdini is being finicky right now (he's still eating well enough, but I have to guess what food he wants every time) and she gets all his leftovers as well.
I've been letting her 'meet and greet' with my new male through the glass since they're both in quarantine. He can't seem to figure out why she's not impressed by his courtship routine through the wall Apparently she's pretty attractive even with a skin condition.

[d_virginiana]

Today's update: She's definitely getting ready to shed. Her face has started to go blue, and I'd expect her eyes to go within the next day or so. The skin on her back looks drier, but more connected; like it's getting ready to come off all at once like a proper shed.

One interesting thing though. When I was cleaning out her tub today, I noticed a very strange looking 'poo'. It was grey/green and very dense compared to normal. Also, it was formed into two solid lumps. Should have snapped a picture, but I had her out and there was no camera handy. My first thought was that they were slugs, but I figure that's not very likely in a two year old that's never mated?
My theory is that maybe her body is removing a lot more nutrients from the food than normal. She did essentially manufacture an entire outer skin in the span of a few days, so I guess that could be a possibility? Regardless, if anything starts looking bad I have access to a good exotics vet.

She's still acting normal, but I'm expecting that this will probably be an assist-shed. By the looks of things though, it should be less traumatic than the last one. I didn't realize at the time, but the degradation of her skin had already begun, so instead of being able to get the shed started and go from there, I had to remove the shed from each scale individually; took almost three days.
I really need to find the links and put this whole saga into one thread...

[guidofatherof5]

Today's update: She's definitely getting ready to shed. Her face has started to go blue, and I'd expect her eyes to go within the next day or so. The skin on her back looks drier, but more connected; like it's getting ready to come off all at once like a proper shed.

One interesting thing though. When I was cleaning out her tub today, I noticed a very strange looking 'poo'. It was grey/green and very dense compared to normal. Also, it was formed into two solid lumps. Should have snapped a picture, but I had her out and there was no camera handy. My first thought was that they were slugs, but I figure that's not very likely in a two year old that's never mated?
My theory is that maybe her body is removing a lot more nutrients from the food than normal. She did essentially manufacture an entire outer skin in the span of a few days, so I guess that could be a possibility? Regardless, if anything starts looking bad I have access to a good exotics vet.

She's still acting normal, but I'm expecting that this will probably be an assist-shed. By the looks of things though, it should be less traumatic than the last one. I didn't realize at the time, but the degradation of her skin had already begun, so instead of being able to get the shed started and go from there, I had to remove the shed from each scale individually; took almost three days.
I really need to find the links and put this whole saga into one thread...

They produce eggs whether they've mated or not. A 2 year old is very capable of producing ova (got it right this time Stefan)

[d_virginiana]

They produce eggs whether they've mated or not. A 2 year old is very capable of producing ova (got it right this time Stefan)

Interesting. I bet that's what it was then...

Would she be able to successfully mate later in the season then? I'm going to put them together as soon as she sheds regardless, but I would like to get a litter from them in the late summer (and he's made it very clear that the will is there on his part at least).

[guidofatherof5]

In most situations waiting until the next season is best. Some snakes do double-clutch but it's not the norm. I would also keep in mind her situation. Much of her energy has been spent fighting this illness. I would say she needs time to recover. You also want to make sure she's doesn't pass this skin/scale issue to him.
Just my thoughts.

[d_virginiana]

True... Regardless, I need to get her out of that quarantine tank soon. It's really not suitable as a permanent habitat. It was just necessary because any and all poo had to be cleaned out immediately to avoid re-introducing the parasites. I may have to play hopscotch with my tank arrangement soon if they can't live together.

By now, she shouldn't be contagious. It's been several weeks since the end of her treatment and she is still improving, so that's an indicator that her system is clean (any eggs that survived or were reintroduced after the last dosing would have grown into adults, and would be continuing to cause problems by now). I don't think that it is very easy for reptiles to get these parasites; there was about a month when I didn't think it was anything other than a bad retained shed that I didn't use any 'quarantine' type procedures, and nobody else got it (I've been watching closely for signs of this, and everyone else is healthy). But definitely better safe than sorry in this situation.

Assuming this shed goes well, the only reason I'd be keeping them separated would essentially be birth control (I'm still not 100% sure what I saw was a slug, but it's either that or her body is processing food very differently due to creating new skin. I guess I'll know once she goes again). At what point do you think it'd be safe to let them live together? Her weight has actually increased, so I'm just going by her skin health (not great) and behavior (normal) right now...

[kueluck]

Even with the skin condition she still looks beautiful. Good thing she's in capable hands, and thanks for the ton of info on this.