Any home treatment for RI..

[CoolioTiffany]

Sadly, I don't have too much money to afford a vet. Today I soaked my King snake in warm water (was told to do so a vet) and he started breathing out of his nose all funny then he started to exhale out of his mouth then a minute after doing so he started open mouth breathing. Are there any home treatments I can do to help fight off this RI? So far I've noticed these symptoms:
Open mouth breathing, popping, bubbles in mouth, and strands of mucus when slightly opening the mouth.

I really REALLY care about this snake, and I would be heart broken if he had to suffer since I can't afford a vet right now.. So if there are any home treatments or anything I could get from the stores please tell me the name of it. I raised his temps to 85-90 to help fight off the infection, and he soaks in his water dish. Help

[rabernet]

Tiffany,

I understand money situations, but he NEEDS to be treated by a vet. It sounds like it's already an advanced lower RI. The longer it takes for him to get treated, the more scarring that his lungs are going to get, and yes, possibly even death.

I'm not trying to scare you, but give you a reality check.

I don't know of anything over the counter that you can give him - oral medications are not metabolized in reptiles as they are in mammals. So any medication should be administered by a shot.

Doseages would also need to be determined by a veterinarian to ensure that the doseage isn't harmful to the animal.

I thought you said your mom agreed to help out with the vet bills?

It sounds like your animal is in distress. Raising the heat will help, but without treatment, I'm very concerned about your KS.

[Muze]

He needs a vet. If you cannot afford a vet then maybe you should look into rehoming your snakes, downsizing your collection, etc. A vet fund is an absolute necessity when one keeps any type of animal.

[Muze]

Have you called the exotic vets in your area? You mentioned in your post that a vet told you to soak him in water? Was this as a treatment for RI or was this for shedding, etc.? & did he start blowing bubbles out of his nose after you soaked him? Could it be that he accidentally inhaled some water? Has he been feeding for you or refusing?

[CoolioTiffany]

Have you called the exotic vets in your area? You mentioned in your post that a vet told you to soak him in water? Was this as a treatment for RI or was this for shedding, etc.? & did he start blowing bubbles out of his nose after you soaked him? Could it be that he accidentally inhaled some water? Has he been feeding for you or refusing?

I guess the vet told me to soak him to help break up the mucus in his nose. I think he may be shedding, cuz he seemed kinda dull looking. He wasn't blowing bubbles out of his nose when I was soaking him. He was making weird noises through his nose when he exhaled, then he just started to open mouth breath. He kept racing through the water, so I think that was from the water getting into his nose. He has been one of my best feeders, and has never refused a meal. Today I'm going to feed him, and hopefully he'll take it.

[LadyOhh]

I guess the vet told me to soak him to help break up the mucus in his nose. I think he may be shedding, cuz he seemed kinda dull looking. He wasn't blowing bubbles out of his nose when I was soaking him. He was making weird noises through his nose when he exhaled, then he just started to open mouth breath. He kept racing through the water, so I think that was from the water getting into his nose. He has been one of my best feeders, and has never refused a meal. Today I'm going to feed him, and hopefully he'll take it.

While I am sympathetic to your situation, you have yet to comment on the fact that you NEED TO TAKE THE ANIMAL TO A VET.

No matter what you do at home, with an animal showing the signs you are explaining, you may already be on a path of losing that animal without a vet visit. And how bad would you feel then, knowing you didn't do enough to keep your loved pet alive???

A reality check is in order.

[Muze]

While I am sympathetic to your situation, you have yet to comment on the fact that you NEED TO TAKE THE ANIMAL TO A VET.

No matter what you do at home, with an animal showing the signs you are explaining, you may already be on a path of losing that animal without a vet visit. And how bad would you feel then, knowing you didn't do enough to keep your loved pet alive???

A reality check is in order.

I completely agree. If you were soaking him to break up the mucus (& I don't think this is the best advice) then this is not a case of inhaled water. This is most probably an RI & you do need to take him to the vet. I have spent over $400 on vet visits for my reptiles this year alone. I also have over 25, but my point is that it is just as necessary to have some money set aside for vet visits as it to have the proper temps/humidity, etc.

I would start off by calling a different vet than the one that told you to soak him. Find a vet that has experience with herps. And ask them how mcuh you think the visit will be. Expect an exam fee, a culture, and a fee for the meds.

[littleindiangirl]

Call a vet and ask. Some will do payment plans.

http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/#vetlist

http://www.arav.org

I hope this helps

[CTReptileRescue]

The animal needs to see a DVM
Bottom line.
There is absolutely no "Home Remedy"..
for this situation (IMO).. Again if you would like help finding a reputable herp vet in your area any one of us can help you.
It sounds like your lil guy is in some major distress.

What is great about reptile forums is that you can network and be friends with folks that have the same animal as you. But I can guarantee you that when you are looking for actual medical advice any good person in any type of forum will steer you to a reputable DVM.
I really hope your little one is does OK.
Please update us on how he / she is doing.
The bottom line is that it sounds like your animal needs medical treatment, (any good herp keeper will never diagnose over the web), they have no right too and will always respect that,
Please keep everyone updated
I truly hope everything works out well.
Rusty

[CoolioTiffany]

I know how serious this is and he does need to see a vet. Possibly on Friday my mom told me we MIGHT go see the vet. The vet said to soak him in warm water daily, but he also told me to make an appointment so he could check to see what my snake has by doing tests and seeing if he does have RI or not. My mom doesn't really know what could happen, and I thought she would know that owning a pet means taking it to the vet. When I said the antibiotics are the injection with a needle (from what I've seen on vids) she started saying, "Oh that's great, he probably doesn't even have RI I think it's just from the shedding.." She doesn't really understand, and if she can't help then I'll ask my dad and hopefully he'd help.

Today I fed him 2 large f/t mice, and he took both of them like every single time I've fed him. He loves eating, obviously lol. So I'm glad he took both the mice down, and I've raised his temps.