Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey all , would really appreciate any help with this.
500 gram female pastel, perfect beast in every way.
3 days ago i notice a mucous splash on the side of her tub(open topped rack), check her out and sure enough she's got a little puffyness in her throat , and a barely discernable wheeze. probably from the a/c.
seven other balls and ten other snakes are all fine , go figure...

i've heard that this can go away with heat and humidity so i put her in a closed tub , sprayed her , gave fresh h2o , and three days hence , it seems much worst. yikes ! i havn't had a case of this since 1985 , and i really forgot what to do next , short of the vet thing , which at best , will be monday morn.
what can i do to alleviate her situation , at least temporarily ?
is anyone out there going to white plains show this weekend that i can get some drugs from ?
thanx in advance for your time , ck

I prefer to treat myself, but for RI's I would take her to the vet. This is all the more true because it (the RI) is getting worse.

With this said:

I would not mist, I would make sure the cage is very dry in fact.

I would elevate the heat to 95 degrees days and 88 at night and eleminate drafts from the AC.

You need antibotics to treat RI's. I believe the vet needs to do a culture to determine the stain of bacteria causing the infection, gram pos. gram neg???

You can try a shotgun it, but I think it isnt a good idea, by the time you may figure out the correct antibiotics the snake will be dead.

I agree with zefdin on all but one point ,I would raze the day temps too 100 - 90 and night 95-80 and take to the Vet ASAP. Thanks David of DS Reptile Rescue

Take it from an old Respiratory Therapist with many years experience treating patients in the intensive care unit with respiratory infections and various other respiratory illnesses that the conventional wisdom of reducing the humidity to "dry up" the secretions is exactly what you do NOT want to do. Reducing the humidity will only tend to thicken the secretions in the snakes respiratory system and make it that much harder for it to clear them.
Important components of an effective treatment regimen for treating respiratory infections are as follows:
1. CATCH THE INFECTION EARLY!
2. Raise the temps for the entire cage to the mid to upper 90's. No gradient, as some snakes will seek out the cooler end if given the choice - for some reason the sicker they are the more they seem to seeck out the cool end. It is almost like they are "giving up". The higher temps allow the snakes immune system to work much more effectively. If caught early. often just raising the temps will allow the snakes imune system to beat the infection.
3. Administer appropriate antibiotics at the appropriate dose. Yes, it is always better if you can get a culture, BUT you should NEVER delay administration of antibiotics to a very sick snake waiting for cultures to come back. A good vet will culture and then start treatment immediately. Especially if the vet is sending the culture out as it normally takes 48 hours for results to come back. If it turns out when the culture comes back that the antibiotic is not the most effective against the particular organisim the antibiotic can be changed at that time. Don't try and treat yourself unless you know what exactly what you are doing. The proper dose is very important. The antibiotics used to treat reptiles tend to be quite toxic expecially to the kidneys and MANY snakes ultimately succomb to the effects of overdosing or secondary kidney failure.
4. Make sure the snake remains properly hydrated. I almost always administer fluids to any snake that I have started on antibiotic therapy. Proper hydration significantly reduces the negative impact on the snakes kidneys from the antibiotics normally used to treat RI in reptiles. Proper hydration also helps keep the secretions in the respiratory tract hydrated so they can be more easily be removed (coughed out) by the snake. Maintaining proper hydration of the sick snake and not allowing it to become dehydrated is actuallyprobably one of the most important things you can do to increase the viability of a really sick snake undergoing antibiotic therappy. I also maintain proper humidity levels in the cage for the same reason.
Hope this helps!
Grant

Thanks for the advice. I wouldnt treat for an RI myself, I would only raise temps prior to getting the snake to a good vet.

Just a question though?

I thought you would want to lower the overall humidity so the tub isnt a big, wet and dank petri dish for bacteria? I thought a nebulizer would be used to break up mucus and that fluids and electrolytes can be administered via tube directly to the snake to prevent dehydration.

Luckily, I've never had to deal with an RI in my snake (fingers crossed).

Hey Also, what humidity level do you normally keep your tubs, tanks set at? I run my setup with humidity levels of 45-55% and spike it up only occasionally or when a snake is in shed. I sometimes wonder if running high humidity on a regular basis may cause RI's?

Thanks.

~Alan

i managed to get her to a vet today for some baytril.
wish me luck.
ck