Re: IBD confirmed in my boa... what should I be expecting?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bcr229
Do you know exactly which virus was found in your boa? While arenavirus is the one that causes IBD, nidovirus and ophidian paramyxovirus (aka FERLA virus) cause similar symptoms, and in the past symptomatic snakes were diagnosed with "IBD" before more specific blood tests on live critters became available.
Update #2: we now have definitive answers: University of Florida confirmed my vet's IBD diagnosis via PCR, and that Satin is positive for the arenavirus. This will not change our treatment plan since we were already treating her as confirmed. It does raise many questions on how she got it or when she was exposed, as for the last almost decade I am the only person I've known that's had a snake. I'm not sure we will ever know the answer, but I hope somehow Satin's saga helps someone as it's possible she could have been asymptomatic for YEARS before this manifested.
Her bloodwork is normal except for her WBC count (the ones that handle inflammation specifically) is still somewhat elevated - since she had a major infection we are not sure if they are elevated due to the bone growth in her spine, or if the infection is still lingering. We'll be rechecking a CBC in 4-6 weeks to see if we can find a pattern.
Re: IBD confirmed in my boa... what should I be expecting?
IBD is a matter of concern to all of us. So, I'm sure we all really appreciate the updates.
Re: IBD confirmed in my boa... what should I be expecting?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bogertophis
xFenrir- thanks so much for updating & sharing your experience with this. So many wonder how long a snake might harbor such infections & how long they should quarantine their newly-acquired snakes for- your experience suggests it may be much longer than what most people assume to be safe. So much we still don't fully understand. And I'm sorry for what your Satin is going thru but it sounds like at least you have good veterinary help there.
Our vet has been amazing - I will always stress to new owners the importance of having a reputable exotics vet within reachable distance!
The course of action seems to just be watch and wait. We'll be doing 6 month follow ups for the foreseeable future unless something changes. It is scary to think that no matter how careful you may be and how perfect your precautions are, illnesses like this can still sneak right under the radar until it's too late.