Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have raised the temp in the inclosure to no avail. He is just under four foot and still eating like there is no tomorrow. He is hissing, spiting, coughing, gasping, and blowing small amounts of snot out of his nose. He is not yet gaping his mouth nor does he have excessive saliva around his mouth. I can not afford a visit to the vet right now and it would help me out alot if some could tell me how to cure this or at the very least curb it for a few weeks.
Thanks

well im not as experienced as the other blood keepers on this site but whenever my blood gets a "runnynose" i just raise the humidity and keep my snake nice and warm. usally it goes away within a day.

Hey,
Mild RI, can be treated in the usual way by increasing the temperatures and humidity in the enclosure, but from the sound of what you have described it doesn't sound mild to me. I would beg borrow and steal to raise the funds to get the pet into the vets office forwith. The condition might show some inprovement with the perfunctory treatment given, but that is more than unlikely given the severity - and despite its appetite. You might want to try using some over the counter meds like tetracycline sold at most pet shops under the aviary section (birds). It is a water soluble med and disolves readily in water. The recommended dilution for this drug should be 25-50 mg/kg twice a day, for 2 weeks. This can be administered using a rubber catheter and small 5ml syringe. You might also want to try using a vics vaporizer to increase or help to open the air flow or breathing passage. If you have a hot spot you can place a covered container with a small amount of vics vapor rub and small amount of water into it and place it over the hot spot and allow it to vaporize (nebulize), while increasing the humidity.

This is the cheap way, but not garuanteed to work, but worth the try. It is a method that has worked for me in past treatments but it all depends again on the severity and general condition of the animal in question. Good luck!
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In the theater of my life, this pickle has no goal!!

Do not try tetracycline because it will just cover up or mask the problem. If you cannot afford a vet then give the animal to someone who can. This is one thing that really pi%%es me off. DO NOT GET AN ANIMAL IF YOU CANNOT TAKE CARE OF IT. Now the snake is in peril because it's unchosen owner cannot or will not afford the bill. Guess what? Pay your rent late, stop buying beer and go hungry for a day or two. Do what you have to do. Or give me the animal, I will properly take care of it, at the very least take it to the doctor.
The only guidance there is, or sure-fire way tio get rid of an ri and keep it away is take the animal to the vet.

Hey Amy,
What do you mean by masking the problem? Are you a vet, had any medical experience, just curious. The efficacy of Tetracycline for such things as RI, and mild cases of mouth rot, are well documented and have been treated quite successfully when other drug types weren't available or at the time were not attempted. At the very least the drug will not mask any thing because the end result of the Tetracycline can be seen in two ways, 1. It will either work, or 2. It will have no effect on the infection at all. The use of other drugs for this kind of condition: Amykacin, Baytril, Excenel, are well documented and have proven to be obviously more effective in the treatment of such maladies, but to say that Tetracycline will mask the infection is unfounded. Please elighten me. And no offense! Just curious and my opinion. - Angel
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In the theater of my life, this pickle has no goal!!

Oh sure, in the past I have tried the cheap routes... such as tetracycline, which is meant for fish, and the ri in a snake or in a bird ALWAYS comes back within a month or less. Am I a vet? Unfortunately no. I have been told by my avian vet exactly what I am telling you. Not to mention antibiotics are perscribed according to the animals weight and condition. How the he** do you know how much his snake needs? Or any snake for that matter? All tetracycline does is it will make the animal's snot go away, sure, for a day or two... then what? You are left in exactly the same condition, if not worse, when you began the treatment.
In my experience, and the exeprience of my vet, you need to go with a real antibiotic such as Amakacin especially if the animal is as sick as you say it is. Raising temps may work for an animals with a "sniffle", but certainly not for one that is progressed in the illness. C'mon man, you know that. Giving false meds to an animal will make the owner THINK the snake is getting better and in overconfidence and cockiness, the owner may think the animal is healed when it just gets worse. To take the cheap and easy route IS NOT THE WAY to go. You will get bitten in the ass every time.
When you take an animal into your home,you are responsible to care for it as if it were your child. If your kid was very sick with a respiratory infection, or perhaps bronchitis, wouldn't you take him to the doctor? If the answer is no, then you shouldn't have children or animals.

Hey Amy,
I just want to add my two cents or thoughts to your comment about how I arrived at the weight and measure of the drug (Tetracycline), that I suggested for administering to the snake in question. Measurements and or weights are given not by second guessing, but however, by studies conducted by researchers qualified to conduct such studies. I used the prescribed weight and dosage accordingly, to answer the aforementioned hyperbole - "How the Hell", you posted under this heading.

Before vilifying or denouncing my suggestion, you should have read my post a little bit better, and perhaps even paid it better attention. I gave a specific weight and dosage based not on my own research, but rather on the research of some albeit, well known veterinarians and researchers respectively: J.E. Cooper and O.F. Jackson, and Fredric L. Frye. I my self worked for many years very closely as a vet tech and worked with and treated many an ill animal as a tech in New York vet clinics, and also, the Animal Medical Center. I don't assert to know it all nor do I place grandiose importance, on my own experience and abilities as a keeper, but can guarantee that my reasons for offering opinions and or suggestions when I do, is solely based on my many years of experience.

There have been some amazing inroads made over the years since the days when I first started working with reptiles and the quality and choices of treatments have certainly garnered some well deserved respect.

I understand it when you feel the need to voice your disdain or disapproval, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. I am not by any means trying to disqualify your thoughts and or opinions. There is and will always be differing opinions no doubt, but to say that your way is better! or that his way will not work!, is right out arrogant. Again, in my response to the herp in question, I made reference to a few drugs that are with out question better and more efficacious at treating such maladies or illnesses in reptiles etc. How do we then know how to treat a snake or other herp say with Amakacin, or Baytril etc. How do we know what dosage or weight to prescribe or administer to the patient, easy, the doses are preordained and have been figured out for us, as the studies and the lab testing have all been done by those that are qualified to do so. Well, I hope you see my point of view. And no hard feelings. Just felt the need express my feelings on the subject just as you felt fit to voice yours.

- Angel
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In the theater of my life, this pickle has no goal!!

Once again, I guess it is a matter of opinion. You treat your animals as you wish... as you see fit in your experience... you certainly don't sound like a moron, and perhaps you have had good results from otc drugs. I, on the other hand, will always go to a veterinarian. In my experience, that is the only way.

Neither do you !! There will always be circumstances where an experienced vet will be needed, but experience does come in handy on more than some occasions. That is all I am trying to suggest.
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In the theater of my life, this pickle has no goal!!

Amy,

I totally understand where you are comming from on this matter, but you are taking this to another level. This forum is to HELP people with the problems they have with their pets not to insult and put them down.

I'm not even the owner of the snake and I myself took serious offence to your response.

I do understand, people, every single day, buy animals they have no clue about and just dump them into a tank or cage and take everything the extreme opposite and do nothing to help it. It happens EVERY DAY! And you are very right that people should not buy animals that they have no clue about.....but....

This person is here seeking help and guidance. Although they may have not known the initial care requirments, something went wrong and it is their fault that something did, but then again animals like people are not immune to everything. They get sick just like us under even the best provided conditions.

At least they are seeking help and asking for advise at how to keep this animal from getting worse than it already is until they can get some money to take it to a vet. At least they are not ignoring the fact that the animal is sick and just leaving it there to die so that they can go and buy another one.

Give people a break and realize that these forums are to help people and not to put yourself ahead and above other who know less than you. You are an experianced keeper (I hope), who has the knowledge to educate people with their mistakes and you should take that to your advantage and use it the right way instead of being ignorant and ignoring the fact that someone is actually seeking help.

Just my .02 cents. I mean not to offend you in any way just to make you realize that your response and the way you delt with this situation was absolutly wrong.

My advise to you bloodnerd, please ASAP take the snake to a vet and don't neglect it and wait. Try your best to do what you can, do what Angel said to do and hopefully you will get some resaults.

Lu

Lu,
You are so right with this response and I do apologize to anyone who took offense. But the fact still remains that even the dumbest person knows to take an animal to the vet when it is sick. Most of these people ask for help to treat their animals so they WONT have to take it to the vet and spend the money, and that , to me, is WRONG. These animals are in our care and depend on us to keept hem healthy. Animals get sick... hell, my animals get sick, they all get sick. If you are a nwebie to the hobby and are "tweaking" with the art of keeping bloods... you are going to make mistakes... fine. I am sure most of us have, I know I did. My first blood had a bad respiratory infect and almost died because I didn't keep her humidity high enough. Crap happens. HOWEVER, when you do make these mistakes you have to take care of it and get it right. There are just too many people not willing to treat their animals and letting them suffer. That makes me very mad. The animal is sick, take it to the doctor. Their are no 2 ways about it. Do not try and find the chap way out. Unless you are the Barker's or someone woho knows what the hell you are doing... really doing... take him to the vet. This cannot be stressed enough

Hey,
Amy is right on several fronts - when an animal is in need of medical attention there should not be, at least in my experience any if's or but's about whether to take the herp in to the doctors; particularly when there exist a lack of experience with treating mild cases or severe ones if you will of some malady of any kind. There is no argument there. However, there are going to be instances where there might present a situation in which there is going to be a kid, or adult with this kind of scenerio, where the person or persons, are not going to have the requisite funds to administer to the needs of the patient in question, and we are going to have to figure out the best solution if you will, to try to assist if we can and impart what ever knowledge we can to remedy an already out of control infection or injury.

It is with out a word, the onus of the individual owner of the herp what ever that may be, to own responsibly; no one is questioning that. However, if we don't allow for the occasional room to lend the necessary information that might save the life of an animal then we have not done our job; and there is no doubt in my mind that I would really dislike hearing that some ones animal died as a result.

When we chose to own an animal, we have to consider very carefully, the myriad aspects to the task that go along with keeping herps, and other critters for that matter and the duties that go along with the job. Always always!!, be prepared to deal with a situation when confronted with it, and if not, be prepared to take it to some one that has the experience and expertise to deal with it - like the VET!

Angel
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In the theater of my life, this pickle has no goal!!

Thank you for the help, but I did get a friend to loan me some cash so I could take my animal to the vet. In case any one wanted to know how I let my snake get in this predicament.

First off I am a high school student and have owned bloods for four years. This is the first bit of trouble I have run into. I went on vacation for a week and my dad flipped all the breakers except for the kitchen. I was unaware of this so all my preparations and triple checking were futile because no inferred bulbs or heat pads we on along with the humidifier, fogger for the dart frogs, and space heater. When I got home from my trip I found my seventy-five gallon aquarium with eels and grouper dead and rancid, my two male and four female bloods with the sniffles, and thankfully my dart frogs were fine. I immediately got the room cooking so to speak and every one recovered within two days except for my youngest (2 and change) male.

Most of my money goes to ten or twelve jumbo rats a week, maintenance to try to keep them happy, and a vet visit is just not in the budget sometimes (especially when some one runs into the side of your car in the student parking lot and the runs like the coward he is). I care a great deal for my animals and I put every penny I have into their well-being.

Thank you to all who give me feedback including Amy. Amy I can see why I pissed you off so much and my intent was not a quick fix but to make my snake feel better until I could sell the shirt off my back so I could get him to the vet. Thanks for your concern for the animal. I appreciate it very much.

I’ve had some power outages in the winter that scared me silly about the health of my herps. And one power outage in the summer that left me with a chest freezer full of rotting rodents, but someone else cleaned that up before I got home!

Sorry about those fish. Hope your blood python pulls through okay. Even without sudden mishaps in temperatures, they are not the easiest snakes to keep respiratory-problem free. Those who have kept blood pythons and have never experienced a respiratory problem have either not kept very many of them, or not kept them for very long. IMHO.

Good luck,
Joan

N/P