Treatment Duration!

[2kdime]

Crittervet, I salute you

Interesting to hear of the subq recommendation. Ill have to mention that to my vet.

I too despise Baytril, but have used it in the past with success. Just like you though, not my first choice.

[CritterVet]

I think Mader talks about it in his latest edition of Reptile Med. and Surgery. If your vet doesn't have a copy, makes a great x-mas present.

Baytril is quite the double-edged sword. It can be a life-saver in some situations, but in the wrong hands it can do so much harm.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

My vet treated my 07 pastel recently for RI. He just says raise the temps well. Low temps = low absorbtion of meds w/possibility of meds building up to deadly levels in the body. High ambient temp with 92 max hot side. Raise humidity to about 65/70%. A culture and mouth/sinus exam. 3 Shots of baytril at one every 3 days.

He has done it exactly this way for my 03 when she was sick years ago and she never got sick again. My Pastel was treated a month ago and is now acting and looking completely normal again and is eating well again.

Im still keeping the temps on the high side for him to be sure its good and gone before he gets put in the rack system in about another 6 weeks.

[Zach]

my male BP has RI right now and im putting baytril into a pinki every day for 14 days and then feeding them to him...so the pinkis like a pill pretty much lol

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Dr. Del has good questions -- did the vet do a culture and what is the antibiotic prescribed?

I use ceftazidime 20 mg/kg IM every 3 days until I get culture results back, then adjust antibiotics depending on the results. Vets that do not see a lot of exotics may not have this antibiotic on hand, however.

My vet only does the every 3 day dose for a total of 3 doses to lower the chances of necrosis. Ive only had 2 snakes treated that way so far and no problems have come of it. BUT im definately going to aks him about this other drug you brought up. My exotics vet has seen many many exotics and is known as the best in my area but if there may be something he doesnt know or tried, im all for expanding his learning.

[CritterVet]

What is most important is that the vet do a culture & sensitivity. The sensitivity results will dictate which antibiotic is the best to use in a given case. If the snake is showing signs of a respiratory infection, I'd do a tracheal wash for a culture sample and start the snake on ceftazidime while I wait for the culture & sensitivity results to come back. Ceftazidime is broad spectrum and safer than Baytril (IMO), that's why I use it as a "first line" antibiotic. If the culture results came back and showed the infection to be resistant to ceftazidime but susceptible to Baytril, I would switch the snake to Baytril at that point.

Keep in mind that respiratory infections, indeed most infections in captive reptiles, are related to husbandry conditions. An otherwise healthy, properly kept reptile should not get a respiratory infection. If multiple snakes in a collection are getting RIs, it's time to really analyze the husbandry and figure out what needs to be tweaked.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

[QUOTE=Keep in mind that respiratory infections, indeed most infections in captive reptiles, are related to husbandry conditions. An otherwise healthy, properly kept reptile should not get a respiratory infection. If multiple snakes in a collection are getting RIs, it's time to really analyze the husbandry and figure out what needs to be tweaked.[/QUOTE]

Yes im fully aware of this point. My pastel did not get sick until i moved his enclosure and gave him a different heat source for the top of the tank. He still had a UTH but i put a lower wattage emitter on top. It was to only be temporary until i could move him to a rack but he started showing subtle signs of being sick before i could move him. So i took him to the vet right away & raised his temps and humidity. He responded well and looks fine now. Im keeping him quaranteend for another month or so but his temps are stable now.

I knew it was my moving him and making that subtle change that did it to him. He was completely healthy for the 2 yrs prior. Never going off feed even during breeding. Believe me. That was a lesson learned.