Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone . .
My roommate has a Mexican Black Kingsnake that has been breathing a little funny lately. I am more of a boa person, but we suspected an upper RI. She took him to a herp vet here in Los Angeles and she examined him and determined that if there was an infection, there were no visible symptoms other than the audible "wheezing" noise he sometimes makes and his loss of appetite. So the vet prescribed Baytril in the form of injections. I am concerned b/c my roommate told me that when they injected him at the clinic, it appeared that he lost control of the back end of his body and was "flopping around" for a minute or so after the injection. Is this normal? I have never seen this type of behavior following an injection before. Also, the vet never ran a simple fecal on the animal, but still charged $100 for the visit. Any advice?
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Nicole

0.1 Boa Constrictor
1.4 Leopard Geckos
2.0 Crazy Dogs

"Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions; they pass no criticisms."
~George Eliot~

Nicole,

A fecal exam is done to determine internal parasites, and is not performed to diagnose a respiratory infection. Vets usually charge $30-35 for an initial check for a first time animal, then add the cost of medication. So here in Ohio, taking a snake in for what your snake had would cost about $45. You might want to ask for an itemized bill.

As far as your snake thrashing around, in my experience snakes don't have much of a reaction to injections. It is more likely that the reptile didn't like being restrained and/or was uncomfortable in an unfamiliar environment and freaked out a bit. I doubt the reaction was caused by the medication.

Tim

Third Eye