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I have a three year old BCI who is 5 doses into a treatment for a RI. We are administering 0.2cc of Amikacin every 72 hours with daily 1/2 hour soaks in 87 F water. In addition we have bumped the enclosure temps and mist the enclosure with water 2-3 times per day to increase the humidity. The open mouth breathing and mucus/discharge around nostrils has completely stopped--in fact, she appears to be well on the way down the road to recovery. However, at the time that the RI was identified I also noticed that a small section of the snake's body seemed to be deflated in appearance as if the lungs have collapsed and the backbone almost makes contact with the snake's belly. This area is about 1/3 down the snake's body--the collapsed area is concentrated where the lungs are. Though this girl's health seems to be improving, the lung area is still quite flat. Has anyone else experienced this flattening with a RI? Is there anything else that I should/could try to improve this situation? Thank you in advance for any and all advice.
Phil

Has the deflated area englarged or decreased in size? I'm no pro but it sounds like part of her lung collapsed. This could be due to bacterial debris and build up-the pressure in the lung could have altered. I would watch the snake very carefully and have an x-ray taken to look for fluid and debris and determine what portion of the lung its in. Snake lungs are very long and have a bird-like gas chamber at the lower end of the lung. IF your snake is still breathing and getting around fine, then its probably the gas chamber collapsed, not the actual oxygen absorbing lung tissue or "tracheal lung" as its called.

Hope this helps...

Thank you so very much for the reply. I, too, have thought that she might have a collapsed lung but I do not have other experience with RIs and associated complications. Yes, she is still very much alive and does seem to move about without difficulty. She used to spend a great deal of time on the warm end of her enclosure but now seems to prefer to remain in the middle somewhere. Also, she used to spread out on the warm end but is now in the more typical "heat conservation" position of a gravid boa. I am pleased to report that she generally seems to be more "full" in that lung area . . . I hope that this suggests that she is clearing the debris/fluid that may be present. Is there anything that I can do to help her to clear the bacterial debris from her lungs or is this something that her body will naturally do with time? Also, if the problem is a deflated lung, will this resolve itself after the infection clears and the bacterial debris/excess fluid? Again, many thanks for your reply.
Phil