Provent-A-Mite problem-----PLEASE HELP!

There's also the possibility no one has mentioned yet--that the mites transmitted a disease to your snake, and it picked that moment to start showing symptoms.

Reptile Relief has more reported reactions than PAM, used correctly. I've seen bad reactions reported on various forums, though usually with lizards.

I would recommend rinsing the snake off thoroughly, and then soaking it in clean warm water, and making sure water bowls are uncontaminated.

Nervous system problems caused by a chemical are not necessarily permanent. If it was a chemical reaction, give him time, and see if he recovers on his own, don't have him put down right away. Check with a vet before you make any decisions.
You will want a professional opinion.

I would quarantine this snake, if you have other reptiles. Treat all bins with PAM--in spite of the potential bad reaction, such a thing is VERY rare, and if the problem is a disease transmitted by mites, such as IBD, killing the mites is your first priority.

First of all, thank you all for your advice and well wishes. It is certainly what I needed at this time. I just got back from the vet. He did bring up the possibility of the mites transmitting IBD to my BP, but said that the symptomatology was different than a snake with IBD. He said it is most likely a reaction to the permethrin in the Provent-a-mite. He gave me a muscle relaxant called Methocarbamol (Robaxin) to ease his seizures. I have to give this to him orally 4 times per day. He also said to give him LOTS of warm baths to rehydrate him and to soothe his muscles. After his first dose of the medicine and a nice long soak, my Pleepleus is noticeably better. His tremors are greatly reduced and he seems relaxed. The vet also said that the neurological damage is most likely not permanent...but I have to give him time to metabolize the poison in his body. The vet said he normally treats mite outbreaks with Ivermicin sprays, which he claims are much safer than other treatments. Any opinions on that?

If I know my Pleepleus...he is a little fighter and I know he can pull through this. Once again, I greatly appreciate all of you who replied with advice and well wishes. This is truly the best herp forum on the internet! :)

Sorry for the late add...But P.A.M. actually is safe to put directly on the snakes...This was from the maker of the product himself (side note, he's a super nice guy)...They used to have it on their older version...You don't spray directly, but you can spray a towel and then rub down or let the snake slither through the P.A.M. treated rag/towel...

Just a quick morning update....

He seems to be having less and less tremors with every medication administration and soak. When I first take him out of the tub, he still has the tremors...but by the time his treatment is over he is calm, relaxed, and tremor free. I really don't know how beneficial the soaks are to his health, but I can absolutely tell that he is enjoying them and they have a calming effect on his muscles. I suppose they are also doing a good job of keeping him hydrated. One further concern I have is that he was such a fantastic eater before this whole ordeal...that I hope he picks up where he left off when this is all behind us. I hope the stress of the situation doesn't rein his appetite. So far...so good. :please:

Hi,

Just to double check - you didn't spray P-A-M onto the waterbowl then fill it with water did you?


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

Just to double check - you didn't spray P-A-M onto the waterbowl then fill it with water did you?


dr del

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No I didn't.

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Originally Posted by lmartelli77

If you don't think it was the PAM, what could it possibly have been? The Reptile Relief? The main reason I don't think the Reptile Relief is the culprit is because it is safe for use on the snake.

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Although it has been answered at other places in this thread, I will comment that I do use reptile relief as well, and wipe it directly on the snake as you did with no ill effects. I wish I had a better answer for what happened to your snake, but I don't. Lastly, while I will not argue with your vet over the use of Ivermectin for mites, I can say that PAM has gone through rigorous testing, and it is a great product to use for the eradication of mites, and has proven time and time again to be very successful when properly used.

Good luck with your snake,

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Originally Posted by muddoc

Lastly, while I will not argue with your vet over the use of Ivermectin for mites, I can say that PAM has gone through rigorous testing, and it is a great product to use for the eradication of mites, and has proven time and time again to be very successful when properly used.

Good luck with your snake,

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Thats why I used it...lol. I read all the good things about it on this forum. I've come to the conclusion that I probably will never know exactly what happened, but I will take this as a learning experience and be thankful that the result wasn't much worse.

The only thing I can think of is that I could have possibly been a little heavy with the application of both products. Either that, or there was some kind of reaction between the two products. Regardless...I'm not going to bad mouth either product because I don't think it is justified and i still am not 100% what caused the problems. Perhaps I was a little premature to assume it was the PAM, but I was pretty freaked out at the moment....lol.

Glad to hear that your ball is doing better.
Might I suggest to avoid this from happening again should you get mites a second time, is to ditch the PAM and pick up some Nix. You can do a search on the forums for the product.

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Originally Posted by alohareptiles

Sorry for the late add...But P.A.M. actually is safe to put directly on the snakes...This was from the maker of the product himself (side note, he's a super nice guy)...They used to have it on their older version...You don't spray directly, but you can spray a towel and then rub down or let the snake slither through the P.A.M. treated rag/towel...

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The emails I had with Pro Products were very specific that in no circumstance should you let PAM fumes or liquid come into contact with your snake. I think they may have been suggesting you could treat a towel, let it dry, and THEN let your snake slither through it. I am sure it was taken off their labels because peopel got confused and used a PAM wet towel on their snakes and had damage or deaths.

Either way what you were told contradicts the information I had just recieved from them and also some emails posted from them in other locations on the net.

Anyone reading this I would not use PAM in any way contrary to the manufacturers directions on the current retail can.