Possible Treatment for Mantle Collapse
Jul 31, 2016 4:37:46 GMT
pearthesnail, Liguus, and 4 more like this
Post by barnaclesnail on Jul 31, 2016 4:37:46 GMT
I just wanted to share this with the forum, since there has been very little I've been able to find on collapsed mantle in terrestrial snails.
About 3 weeks ago, my 2yo helix lucorum, who I had in the tank with a few adult GALS, was inadvertently injured when my fulicas decided to have a snail orgy, and about four of them piled atop him
I found the poor little guy squished underneath their fat bodies - his mantle was swollen to about twice its normal size, but he seemed to be fine otherwise, so I didn't think much of it until the next day, when I noticed the mantle appeared to be slipping out of the shell. A bit of research confirmed it was definitely collapsed mantle, and I prepared for the worst.
I placed him in a 10 gallon tank without substrate, dabbing a drop or so of castor oil on the mantle, hoping to avoid infection. After about 3 or 4 days of this, it began to dawn on me that whenever I used the castor oil, the mantle seemed to look a bit less inflamed, and would temporarily retract just slightly more into the shell.
At that point, all I knew about the condition was that it killed the snail by causing the mantle to detach body/organs from the shell, and what its possible causes were. However, it wasn't until I started researching likelihood of survival that I came across a good aquatic snail site discussing the condition, and I suddenly realized *why* the castor oil was delaying the problem from deteriorating. Since the mantle is a muscle, and the injury that causes the problem is a tear, it occurred to me that treating the tear like any torn ligament might be helpful. I take castor oil for my knees, and know it is a very effective natural anti-inflammatory, so it made sense that if the inflammation causing the mantle to slip away could be controlled until the tear healed, there might be a chance of survival.
I was literally on the verge of placing this poor snail in the freezer that night, he was in so much pain, but I decided to try treating him not for mantle collapse, but a torn muscle, and started a castor oil regimen 3-4x a day. Basically, whenever I noticed even minor swelling, which was usually after he ate, the inflamed spot got "oiled". Another few days of this and a scar started to form over the exposed mantle. I was trying no to be too optimistic at this point, but he did seem to be getting better, and while that ugly scar tissue and raw spot were there for another few days, he really did seem to be at least not getting any worse. Then he went into the shell (but was technically not retracted) and didn't come out for about 5-6 days.
I was convinced this was the end.
Even so, I still continued with the "oiling" once a day, just at the rim of his shell, though I honestly thought there was no hope. Then about three days ago, he came out, ate his lettuce, rasped off the remaining scar tissue on his shell from when the mantle was hanging so far below the lip, and while still doing somewhat poorly, he has been out to eat every day since! Today, he came out early in the morning and has slept with his body poking a bit outside the shell. He seems very... sore and touchy about being handled, but otherwise, I haven't seen hide not hair of that swollen mantle in almost two weeks.
So. It may have been a fluke, or there may have been something to treating the torn mantle with castor oil to reduce the inflammation that seems to be the ultimate cause of death. I have never had a snail with this condition before, but I *do* recall a few fulicas here and there who had a bit of swelling in the corner, who I went on to treat with oil (again, for infection, as castor oil is anti-fungal/bacterial), and nothing more ever came of it after treatment. Whether it can be used as a legitimate treatment, I honestly don't know for certain. But if mantle collapse *is* a torn muscle, and the body eventually separates from the shell due to that uncontrolled inflammation, it's JMHO that a natural anti-inflammatory should be a help in such a situation. Probably, any such holistic treatment safe for snails might work in the same situation. I was considering willow bark, as well, and might still try that, just to ease any pain.
Anyway, thought I would share this story since it was so absolutely frustrating not being able to find much of anything re: mantle collapse outside aquatic snails. And I'd also love to know if anyone else had a snail who survived this, and how they are faring now?
About 3 weeks ago, my 2yo helix lucorum, who I had in the tank with a few adult GALS, was inadvertently injured when my fulicas decided to have a snail orgy, and about four of them piled atop him
I found the poor little guy squished underneath their fat bodies - his mantle was swollen to about twice its normal size, but he seemed to be fine otherwise, so I didn't think much of it until the next day, when I noticed the mantle appeared to be slipping out of the shell. A bit of research confirmed it was definitely collapsed mantle, and I prepared for the worst. I placed him in a 10 gallon tank without substrate, dabbing a drop or so of castor oil on the mantle, hoping to avoid infection. After about 3 or 4 days of this, it began to dawn on me that whenever I used the castor oil, the mantle seemed to look a bit less inflamed, and would temporarily retract just slightly more into the shell.
At that point, all I knew about the condition was that it killed the snail by causing the mantle to detach body/organs from the shell, and what its possible causes were. However, it wasn't until I started researching likelihood of survival that I came across a good aquatic snail site discussing the condition, and I suddenly realized *why* the castor oil was delaying the problem from deteriorating. Since the mantle is a muscle, and the injury that causes the problem is a tear, it occurred to me that treating the tear like any torn ligament might be helpful. I take castor oil for my knees, and know it is a very effective natural anti-inflammatory, so it made sense that if the inflammation causing the mantle to slip away could be controlled until the tear healed, there might be a chance of survival.
I was literally on the verge of placing this poor snail in the freezer that night, he was in so much pain, but I decided to try treating him not for mantle collapse, but a torn muscle, and started a castor oil regimen 3-4x a day. Basically, whenever I noticed even minor swelling, which was usually after he ate, the inflamed spot got "oiled". Another few days of this and a scar started to form over the exposed mantle. I was trying no to be too optimistic at this point, but he did seem to be getting better, and while that ugly scar tissue and raw spot were there for another few days, he really did seem to be at least not getting any worse. Then he went into the shell (but was technically not retracted) and didn't come out for about 5-6 days.
I was convinced this was the end.
Even so, I still continued with the "oiling" once a day, just at the rim of his shell, though I honestly thought there was no hope. Then about three days ago, he came out, ate his lettuce, rasped off the remaining scar tissue on his shell from when the mantle was hanging so far below the lip, and while still doing somewhat poorly, he has been out to eat every day since! Today, he came out early in the morning and has slept with his body poking a bit outside the shell. He seems very... sore and touchy about being handled, but otherwise, I haven't seen hide not hair of that swollen mantle in almost two weeks.
So. It may have been a fluke, or there may have been something to treating the torn mantle with castor oil to reduce the inflammation that seems to be the ultimate cause of death. I have never had a snail with this condition before, but I *do* recall a few fulicas here and there who had a bit of swelling in the corner, who I went on to treat with oil (again, for infection, as castor oil is anti-fungal/bacterial), and nothing more ever came of it after treatment. Whether it can be used as a legitimate treatment, I honestly don't know for certain. But if mantle collapse *is* a torn muscle, and the body eventually separates from the shell due to that uncontrolled inflammation, it's JMHO that a natural anti-inflammatory should be a help in such a situation. Probably, any such holistic treatment safe for snails might work in the same situation. I was considering willow bark, as well, and might still try that, just to ease any pain.
Anyway, thought I would share this story since it was so absolutely frustrating not being able to find much of anything re: mantle collapse outside aquatic snails. And I'd also love to know if anyone else had a snail who survived this, and how they are faring now?
