Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have taken in a Leo with RNS, & have made a nebuliser using a mist fogger to try to clense the nasals of the secretions using F10,(dosage as prescribed by vet, 1ml : 250ml).

Q, Has anyone tried any "off the shelf remedies" using a similar set up, ie airborne misting under controlled environmental unit.

Q, Did they work??

I know that we as humans would use a Menthol to aide breathing but thought that something along the lines of a childs remedy may be worthy of a trial.

BTW, it's been on high heat for 2 weeks with little improvement hence the above trial.

graham(UK)

I have administered Gentamicin Sulfate Solution to skinks using a nebulizer at the direction of a veterinarian. I did this at home for a period of ten days, twice a day for the first few days, one-half hour each session. I had already lost two skinks (out of a group of eight) due to a respiratory problem before we were able to get a sensitivity culture done to find out what medication would work. After I started nebulizing them, I did not lose another skink. I would definitely use this method for medicating my tortoises if the need arose.

Was the medication purchased over the chemist counter or directly from the vets?

At what doseage did you use, ie X ml per Lt water or drops per Lt etc.

Thank you for your input.

graham(UK)

I purchased the bottle of Gentamicin directly from the vet (please remember it was the appropriate medication for the specific type of pneumonia my skinks had--I'm not trying to recommend it for all types of respiratory problems). The strength of the medication is 100 mg per ml. I was to use .5 cc Gentamicin and 9.5 cc saline solution for a total of 10 cc liquid in the nebulizer. I would run the nebulizer until the liquid was all used up and then I'd turn the unit off so that additional clear air was not pumped into the medicating enclosure. I would leave the skink in the enclosure until the mist had dissipated so that it would receive as much benefit from the medication as possible.

As a side note, I found the nebulizer units to be pretty expensive. A portable not-very-good unit ran $99, with the more substantial units being several hundred dollars. I bought one on eBay for $12.00 that normally sells for $350. It has the name of a patient (I assume) etched on its side which is why I suppose there aren't a lot of people bidding on this type of thing. It was perfect for my needs, however.

Hope this helps.