A few days ago, I found a garter snake in the garden. Upon examining it, I realized that it had been paralyzed from about four inches behind the head. There are two clear puncture marks on either side of the snake's spine, so I'm thinking that it was probably the result of my dog having bitten it.


I was hoping that it would be, perhaps, some sort of temporary injury which would soon heal, maybe the result of reduced pressure experienced as the swelling subsided; however, as stated, it has been several days, now, with no sign of improvement. Additionally, it appears as though the snake has no sensation of feeling behind (posterior to) the wound, as I can touch it's body behind the wound, and it will not respond in any way.





As I approach it, the snake frantically tries to escape by writhing back and forth, using the small section of its body located anterior to the wound that still functions normally.



So, to my question: Do reptiles have the ability to regenerate spinal chord tissue, or is this snake permanently paralyzed? I am asking such a question because I am aware of the fact that many lizards can regenerate their "dropped" tails, so it seemed at least a remote possibility that such a capability might exist within the reptilian central nervous system; I doubt it, though.


Well, anyway, I thought it might be worth a long short, as remote as it seems to me. My guess is that the best thing to do for the poor animal is to simply put it out of its misery. I hate the thought of it just lying there, slowly starving to death.




Killing things is not exactly my favorite thing to do, so I would rather help the animal, if it were possible to bring it back to health. However, if my guess is correct, it will probably be the best thing to just end its suffering.



Thank you for your time and effort, in helping me with this situation.