Sick Snake?

[Muze]

Ok. I'm a bit stumped here since I am very familiar with normal lab values for mammals, but not for reptiles.

I took my YB female (1000+ grams) to the local vet that is supposedly very experienced with herps. I brought her in because I've had her for a month, and she has only eaten one ASF rat, has had only one BM (first day I brought her home. It was runny, but I thought she was just very stressed out), and has lost 245 grams. She has had a perfect shed, drinks water, & is not lethargic. But the weight loss really scared me. Mind you, I purchased this girl from a well-known breeder who first gave me a YB female with mites (& an aggressive disposition), and I gave her back to him. So, he gave me this girl in return. He offered to exchange her also, but I don't know what care she will receive if she goes back to him.

Anyway, the vet gave her Flagyl, took some blood, and told me to try feeding in 5-7 days. I tried feeding a week later. No luck.

The blood test came back with all normal ranges, except for Azurophils (monocytes). These were at 28%. She said they were slightly elevated & possibly meant my BP was fighting off an infection. The vet decided against antibiotic treatment because she said the snake did not seem sick.

My problem is: What is the normal range for these cells in BPs?
And, I am not sure about this vet since she kept telling me that the BP should be in a large tank (I have my adult females in CB70s, with an Ultra Therm UTH regulated by a thermostat, a hide, a water bowl with spring water. The temps are 81-83 ambient, 94-95 hot spot, humidity is 55-65%), and that belly heat was not good, but that heat from over the enclosure is best (radiant heat panels, etc.). And that I should cool down the enclosure in order to help her fight the infection. All of the opposite of what I've heard & currently do.

Any advice? Thoughts? All is welcome. I have 13 other BPs in perfect health, growing, feeding, pooping, etc. I know this one was just not kept in optimal conditions before I got her.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Find a new vet.

www.arav.org can help. Check the member directory.

Your current vet is not competent to treat reptiles...there's no excuse for telling someone to turn temperatures down when an animal may be ill. Low temperatures will make it harder for a reptile to fight infection.

Your BP should have a hot spot of 90F or very slightly higher, and the rest of the cage should be 80 to 83F.

[Muze]

Those were my sentiments exactly. I think I did find her on that list, through. It is an exotics only vet clinic.

I have an update, though. My girl took a p/k ASF rat tonight. Eagerly. I'll have to get her back on track with feeding, and then wean her off the ASF's.

[zoiexpieds]

Ok. I'm a bit stumped here since I am very familiar with normal lab values for mammals, but not for reptiles.

I took my YB female (1000+ grams) to the local vet that is supposedly very experienced with herps. I brought her in because I've had her for a month, and she has only eaten one ASF rat, has had only one BM (first day I brought her home. It was runny, but I thought she was just very stressed out), and has lost 245 grams. She has had a perfect shed, drinks water, & is not lethargic. But the weight loss really scared me. Mind you, I purchased this girl from a well-known breeder who first gave me a YB female with mites (& an aggressive disposition), and I gave her back to him. So, he gave me this girl in return. He offered to exchange her also, but I don't know what care she will receive if she goes back to him.

Anyway, the vet gave her Flagyl, took some blood, and told me to try feeding in 5-7 days. I tried feeding a week later. No luck.

The blood test came back with all normal ranges, except for Azurophils (monocytes). These were at 28%. She said they were slightly elevated & possibly meant my BP was fighting off an infection. The vet decided against antibiotic treatment because she said the snake did not seem sick.

My problem is: What is the normal range for these cells in BPs?
And, I am not sure about this vet since she kept telling me that the BP should be in a large tank (I have my adult females in CB70s, with an Ultra Therm UTH regulated by a thermostat, a hide, a water bowl with spring water. The temps are 81-83 ambient, 94-95 hot spot, humidity is 55-65%), and that belly heat was not good, but that heat from over the enclosure is best (radiant heat panels, etc.). And that I should cool down the enclosure in order to help her fight the infection. All of the opposite of what I've heard & currently do.

Any advice? Thoughts? All is welcome. I have 13 other BPs in perfect health, growing, feeding, pooping, etc. I know this one was just not kept in optimal conditions before I got her.

I am a vet tech at an exotic animal clinic, monocytes are components of white blood cells used to fight off infection, the normal levels for a snake are between 14 and 24% so it is slightly elevated which is indicative of her fighting off infection. She should be able to just give her an antibiotic injection, either of clavu.mox or azithromycin to help clear up the infection.

[icygirl]

What I have learned about the herping world is that, unlike most mammal vets, NOT all vets that claim to treat exotics really know what they are talking about.

Some useful sites for you to find a herp vet:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=56792 (the one on this site)
http://www.herpvetconnection.com (note: NOT all vets listed here will necessarily be good. Look for the ones with user comments in particular)
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist (same idea - look in particular for ones recommended by herpers)

A large tank with heat lamps is perfect for, say, a bearded dragon - but NOT a ball python. I suspect she may have been cut-and-pasting husbandry techniques from one reptile to another...