neubulizing a snake?

[adizziedoll]

I called the vet because a new girl I recieved has an RI. This vet (who is AWESOME by the way) told me that besides upping the humidity, I can neubulize her with saline!?!?! I've never heard of this before, and she said that it could quite possibly get her through it.

Anyone else ever hear of this before?? I was just astounded, because I thought I had heard it all by now lol.

[Skiploder]

I called the vet because a new girl I recieved has an RI. This vet (who is AWESOME by the way) told me that besides upping the humidity, I can neubulize her with saline!?!?! I've never heard of this before, and she said that it could quite possibly get her through it.

Anyone else ever hear of this before?? I was just astounded, because I thought I had heard it all by now lol.

I had to do this once before with a sick anthill python. Snakes with advanced respiratory infections are supposed to benefit from nebulization therapy.

However, in my case, an antibiotic was prescribed which was then diluted in sterile saline and administered via a nebilizer that the Vet loaned out to me.

I guess the idea is that the nebulizer reduces the antibiotic into microscopic particles that can be inhaled directly into the lungs so that the medication is delivered to the site of infection.

Nebulizers aren't cheap, so perhaps your Vet can either loan one to you, rent it to you or even perform the therapy in the office.

I have seen forum postings where people have advised using humidifiers in lieu of nebulizers. Unfortunately, these do not reduce the particles small enough for them to be effective. This is one of the reasons that many people don't think nebulizing works.

Anyway, I had rescued a yearling anthill python with pneumonia that was given little to no chance of survival. Anthills are delicate to begin with. Our Vet loaned us the nebulizer and we administered antibiotics for 10 days with it. The snake pulled through and is still alive today.

I would clarify with your vet the following questions:

(1) Can he/she loan or rent you the nebulizer? If not, can they perform the procedure in-house?

(2) Are they recommending nebulizing with saline only? OR will an antibiotic be prescribed?

(3) Nebulizers are usually (and my experience is limited with this) prescribed to animals that are beyond oral or injected meds. Is your snake's infection that serious?

(4) If they are not recommending anything other than nebulizing saline solution and the infection is not that serious, would a humidifier or vaporizer do the trick?

[morti]

We had to use nebulizer therapy on a Papuan python that was in advanced stages of RI when we got her. The vet prescribed a complicated coctail of antibiotics to add to the salene in order to cobat her specific issues. This was prescribed in addition to the injectible and oral antibiotics that we used. It seemed to do wonders.

We bought our own nebulizer, and they are FAR from cheap, but the results were well worth it.

[adizziedoll]

I actually have a neubulizer because I am asthmatic, so that works out well. She said to put her in a tank and neubulize the whole thing.

I have an appointment next sat (she is on maternity leave), and seems to think that the saline could very well do the trick. If not, I will see her then and we will go from there, and decide whether we do baytril or whatnot.

I am glad someone else has heard of this, and thank you for the responses!

[slartibartfast]

We occasionally nebulize cats or small dogs with pneumonia, and it works very well. I have wondered about doing it for snakes. We most commonly use a mixture of an antibiotic, a steroid, and a bronchodilator in a solution of saline. I have seen straight saline used in the case of a very severe upper respiratory infection, for the purpose of softening the mucous so the cat could expel it more easily.

We use a regular human nebulizer and plug the tubing into a an adapter we have mounted to a rubbermaid tub. For those that don't have a nebulizer and don't want to buy one for a one-time treatment, Walgreen's drugstores rent them for a pretty reasonable fee...I think it was around $35 a month.