Successful Veterinary Care of a Tarantula

bryverine

bryverine

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Messages
890
cold blood said:
CO2 is used to put fish "to sleep".

Still most of the time a t is in critical condition, its not really aggressive or even mobile...and because they cannot feel pain in the sense we do, what's the point.
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I was referring to something I saw that people use to sex big centipedes.

Like So

I feel like I've read a bite report or two before where people got bit after trying to treat their injured tarantula. The T had just enough energy to flip out and sink in.
 
C

clive 82

Arachnoknight
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
204
Leonardo the Mage said:
I understand that an established fact in the hobby is that veterinary care can't help a tarantula. However, this may not always be the case. While some vets might take your money and say they did something, there are cases in which they might be able to care for an injured T. My own experience can serve as an example:

Approximately four years ago, in 2012, I had an adult female G. rosea who I would, on occasion, handle to show to guests. While I now know that you should only handle when absolutely necessary, Eleven year old me didn't. During the incident that necessitated the treatment, my younger brother dropped my 5" adult female G. rosea NCF. she fell approximately 3 feet and landed on her dorsal (back,) side onto stone floors. She wasn't ruptured as you would expect, but she was leaking hemolymph noticeably. I returned her to her enclosure immediately and soon after my father and I brought her inside her enclosure to my mother's office. As my mother is a veterinarian, she was willing to attempt to treat my T.

My mother has requested to be the one who describes the exact treatment she administered, so the following passages are hers:

"L. brought in his T. and she was leaking clear fluid from a laceration on her dorsal carapace and the fracture to her front leg. My veterinary forums were useless and none of my exotic pet texts cover spiders. I referred to L's copy of TKG3 and the prognosis was dire so we had nothing to lose. I anesthetized Caramel with Isoflurane by putting the large dog mask over her on the table. When she appeared to be immobilized I used Vetbond, a veterinary glue to seal her injuries. I then allowed her to recover from the anesthetic gas. She appeared to be in good shape and after this L. and I did follow up with a friend of mine who specializes in exotics who supported our treatment plan. Caramel is still a member of our family four years later."

Following this treatment, she did self-amputate her right pedipalp, but otherwise remained in good shape. She has since molted twice in the past four years, and is in very good health. She has almost entirely regenerated her right pedipalp, as can be seen in the following picture of her:
View attachment 217641

I think that this can serve as an example of what is possible as far as veterinary care for invertebrates. If you have ideas or an opinion on this feel free to share them. Please don't start on a tirade about handling, I have learned that it isn't safe in most circumstances. If you provide a veterinarian with information that can help them, such as the copy of the TKG3 I gave my mother, there's a chance that your T can be saved. Stuck molts, falls, and injuries from breeding may be treatable.
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A brilliant story. I'm glad your girl was ok. It just goes to show what can be done & how resilient Ts are. Your Girl looks lovely, I really must invest in a G. rosea.
 
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