Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got Junior to the Vet as soon as they opened this morning. The Doc went through more than a dozen cotton swabs before clearing his mouth of all the dried blood and whatever else was in there (no pus). Once he cleared epiglottis (sp?), he was breathing much better but still a bit wheezy. He palpitated his entire body to see if there were any signs of clots (resulting from internal bleeding) and found nothing out of the ordinary. We're still not sure what the cause was/is but we're treating his mouth with Silvadine cream (twice daily) and have upped his humidity a bit. All substrate has been removed and he's on newspaper for now. He'll be soaked daily. I take him back next Tuesday and hope to get more answers then. Right now, the Doc said his mouth is such a mess that he can't get a clear view as to what's going on in there and, by next week, it should be clearer for another look. There was talk of treating him with antibiotics but, at this stage, he didn't want to stress Junior OR his kidneys. We'll have to wait until next Tuesday to find out what's going on. Until then, please send Junior as much positive thoughts for recovery as you can. Thank you,
~Loraine

good luck and keep us updated on his recovery

Will do. Keep those positive thoughts coming his way, though, okay?
~Loraine

Did the vet tell you to increase humidity? When I've had snakes with respiratory problems heating them up and drying them out seemed to work better for me. I'm by no means a vet or have any formal training so please don't take my word for it. I had a carpet with an RI and had to give him shots every day for 14 days. The normal course for that med (which name I can't remember) is 7 days, but my vet in San Diego said pythons for some reason can be harder to treat than most snakes for RI. I also rinsed its mouth out every day with diluted providine. The vet though it would help prevent stomititis. If the vet suggests baytril injections get a second opinion. Baytril shots leave a nasty scar and can injure the surrounding tissue severely. I also had a woma that I got from a friend that had an RI. Lots of money later I thought the problem was gone and sold the snake. The problem came back on the new owner and caused lots of problems for him as well as my reputation, so even if it goes away keep a close eye on it for a long time after recovery. Good luck with it. Womas are great snakes.
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Joe

" If the vet suggests baytril injections get a second opinion. Baytril shots leave a nasty scar and can injure the surrounding tissue severely."

Joe...see the discussion elsewhere on Baytril. That only happens when too much drug is injected at one site. I've used it quite a bit with no problems after learning how to deal with that issue.
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1.1 Blackheaded pythons
1.1 Woma (Juvie female)
2.1 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
1.0 Angolan Juvie
1.1 Savu
1.1 Juvie Bloods
1.1 Juvie Balls
1.1 IJ Carpets
1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.2 Macklotts
1.1 Papuan Olives
1.0 Jungle Carpet
2.2 Scrubs (on breeding loan)
0.1 Jungle/Diamond cross
0.1 child, CB
0.1 wife, WC

Yes, one of the things he wants us to do is up his humidity (which we've done). He also talked about treating him w/antibiotics but, at this point, didn't want to risk 'shocking his kidneys.' We're taking him for a follow up Monday morning and we'll see where things go from there. No sign of wheezing lately but he still isn't 100%. Keeping a very close eye on him. Thank you for the input!
~Loraine

hope you make out better than I have. I had one of my womas get sick - RI symptoms...practically before I could blink twice, several other womas were showing symptoms. The affected snakes were not all in the same rack, and all were isolated as soon as symptoms showed. Heat did no good. Had tracheal cultures done, and started them on Baytril (while awaiting results). Finished the normal course, with no improvement, before results were forwarded to me. Interestingly, Baytril was the recommended treatment. When I mentioned the lack of results, my vet conferred with (??), and was told I should continue with Baytril, but at an accelerated dosing. (2x the dose for 5 consecutive days, then continue every other day for 7 doses). No effect. Finally, I had one of my females put down and opened up (she was clearly septic and suffering). Her trachea was loaded with blood, and samples were taken both from the trachea & lungs, as well as various organs. the tracheal/lung samples came back sensitive to Amikacin, so that was started...and finished, with no effect. Luckily, I managed to prevent some of my colony from being infected, but I am rapidly losing hope for the ones that were

One course of action that has proven out well for stubborn infections when you see bacterial resistance to both Baytril and Amikacin is to use a combination of an aminoglycoside and a cephalosporin antibiotic concurrently. They exhibit a synergistic effect and produce an ultra wide and potent spectrum of bactericidal activity. Any toxic effects are not amplified and are the same as when the two are used separately. The best combination I have seen is Fortaz used concurrently with Amikacin. Both must be dosed at the full dosage as would be used if they were given individually. One should not half dose each just because you are giving two antibiotics together, or you will be under dosing both and not get the proper serum concentration for either one to work effectively. Also, it would be interesting to know if any cephalosporin antibiotics were in the group of those antibiotics that were tested for susceptibility?

Kelly

Kelly...your knowledge is impressive
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1.1 Blackheaded pythons
1.1 Woma (Juvie female)
2.1 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
1.0 Angolan Juvie
1.1 Savu
1.1 Juvie Bloods
1.1 Juvie Balls
1.1 IJ Carpets
1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.2 Macklotts
1.1 Papuan Olives
1.0 Jungle Carpet
2.2 Scrubs (on breeding loan)
0.1 Jungle/Diamond cross
0.1 child, CB
0.1 wife, WC

I'm real sorry to hear this! I hope this isn't what's going on with Junior. I'm trying to keep positive for him but he started wheezing, again, today. Monday morning can't come soon enough for me! I'll keep you all posted on his progress but, please, keep those positive vibes coming his way! Thanks,
~Loraine

What an ordeal. Sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope your remaining animals will get better. RI's are a major pain. Amycacin is the drug I couldn't remember in my previous post. It worked for my snake, but the infection came back when I shipped it several months later.
Good luck,
Joe

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Joe

Thanks for the support. I know I said Junior's follow up was Monday....actually, it's Tuesday morning. My fiancee is taking him in and will be bringing in some of the replies we've gotten here. Hopefully, they might help the Doc determine what might be going on with him. Again, I'll keep you all posted but we still need those positive vibes from you all. Thank you!
~Loraine, Dan and (most of all) Junior