One of the many hats that Dr. Mertz wears is that of the Cold Blooded Vet. This is a well-deserved title, and comes from the fact that he sees an incredible number of reptile patients every year. A popular type of reptile pet is the boid family, encompassing boas and pythons. The picture below is of one of the boas that came in recently with a relatively common problem called blister disease.

Blister disease, also known as vesicular dermatitis, is an infection common to boids that exhibits as blistering and lesioning of the skin. It is quite painful, and also commonly fatal without treatment. It is caused by the snake lying in its own urine in a warm environment. It takes only 24-48 hours to occur, so pet snakes need to be handled or at least carefully observed daily to ensure that their habitat is healthy and safe.

Treatment for blister disease is a course of systematic antibiotics for 45-60 days and water therapy, which means running water over the snake for at least five minutes a day. Salves, ointments, and creams are all ineffectual and slow treatment. It takes three to four sheds over the course of about five months to see even partial healing. Like many snake diseases, this is preventable with proper husbandry. It is incredibly important for reptile owners to be aware of their snake’s environment and be regularly checking to make sure nothing has gone wrong.