Confused if my BP has RI or not! Help?

[tomjones456]

Since about 3 days ago, my BP has been wheezing/breathing like she has a cold.. she did it too much so i got worried and took her to see the vet. The vet looked in her mouth and didn't find any mucus, but she did hear clicking. She also noticed heavy breathing, which i thought was only because she was stressed, but she said she shouldn't be breathing so hard. She diagnosed my BP with early stages of RI and gave me oral antiboitics to inject every other day.

whats my problem?

I told garrick demeyer what was going on, (breeder i bought from) and he said this:

"If she's eating, I don't think she has RI. Snakes with RI don't feed"
"If your vet isn't very familiar with reptile care in general and ball pythons in particular, it is probably a misdiagnosis, especially if she didn't culture the saliva to see what kind of bacteria causes the infection."

i honestly question this certified herp vet's knowledge because i showed her my albinos pink belly, and she said " shes not going into shed, and albinos have see thru skin and "it's probably vessels". she also said albinos would be very pale and white, with completely hazed over eyes.."

so im trying to figure out.. does she have RI or not? im very confused! should i continue to give her the oral injections?

[ewaldrep]

Not sure here, but I would probably follow the advice of the vet. I know my BEL has light scales and his belly is always kind of pink but it is more pronounced when he is going into shed. I had to deal with one RI and my girl would eat when offered but I stopped offering because she was getting shots every three days and I didn't want to stress her out too much. If you are really concerned and want a second opinion you could seek another vet or request a culture for a more definitive conclusion.

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Not sure here, but I would probably follow the advice of the vet. I know my BEL has light scales and his belly is always kind of pink but it is more pronounced when he is going into shed. I had to deal with one RI and my girl would eat when offered but I stopped offering because she was getting shots every three days and I didn't want to stress her out too much. If you are really concerned and want a second opinion you could seek another vet or request a culture for a more definitive conclusion.

[tomjones456]

bump.,

[satomi325]

You should be patient.
You have a few threads asking the same thing and were given pretty good advice.

We all suggested waiting until your snake sheds. Don't give her any meds yet. If you give them prematurely to a healthy snake, you'll be building up her resistance to it's effectiveness. And the next time you use the antibiotics when she's really sick, it might not work.

If you're worried, bump up your temps to 95.


Your vet is correct that *some* albino animals have see through skin.
But as snakes have scales covering their skin, you wouldn't be able to see the vessels.
What she described is often seen in animals that have exposed skin. For example, In albino rats, you can see their vessels in their ears and tail.

I've seen my albino shed hundreds of times. The eyes hardly change. You can barely tell he's in shed. He does get a little dull, but that's about it. His eyes doesn't get milky or opaque like other morphs. It just says red all the time. In shed, it gets a little lighter, but that's it.

Overall, Garrick is a good guy. I would trust him.
Just wait till she sheds.
And unless your vet took a culture, there is no way for her to truly diagnose an RI. Especially if she's not showing any of the other symptoms (mucous, bubbles, star gazing, etc)

[tomjones456]

You should be patient.
You have a few threads asking the same thing and were given pretty good advice.

We all suggested waiting until your snake sheds. Don't give her any meds yet. If you give them prematurely to a healthy snake, you'll be building up her resistance to it's effectiveness. And the next time you use the antibiotics when she's really sick, it might not work.

If you're worried, bump up your temps to 95.


Your vet is correct that *some* albino animals have see through skin.
But as snakes have scales covering their skin, you wouldn't be able to see the vessels.
What she described is often seen in animals that have exposed skin. For example, In albino rats, you can see their vessels in their ears and tail.

I've seen my albino shed hundreds of times. The eyes hardly change. You can barely tell he's in shed. He does get a little dull, but that's about it. His eyes doesn't get milky or opaque like other morphs. It just says red all the time. In shed, it gets a little lighter, but that's it.

Overall, Garrick is a good guy. I would trust him.
Just wait till she sheds.
And unless your vet took a culture, there is no way for her to truly diagnose an RI. Especially if she's not showing any of the other symptoms (mucous, bubbles, star gazing, etc)

sorry about the multiple threads. i accidently made the other one in the general section, so i made this one

[Dracoluna]

Honestly, this isn't a yes or no question. Without a culture and identifying the possible bacteria you're dealing with, giving antibiotics is just a gamble. Maybe they'll work or maybe they'll just help build more resistant bacteria. If the vet didn't at least take a swab and try culturing, I wouldn't be giving any antibiotics, especially with him heading into shed. Speaking of which, shed can cause the funny clicking sounds. Had it happen to me and it's scary... If it is an RI and you see your snake getting worse, get it in for a culture to ensure you are using the proper antibiotics. The wrong ones will end up doing more harm than good and won't help your snake get any better which means more vet visits, bills, and stress for your snake.