Very serious and sad topic... euthanize

My advice still stands. If the vet has just thrown one random antibiotic at this RI, with no culture or sensitivity, then that needs to be done. If you have multiple sick snakes, effectively no quarantine, and it's spreading then it really needs to be done ASAP.

I would say f10 fog........ IF I was a vet ;)

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

I would say f10 fog........ IF I was a vet ;)

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I second that, I've had good luck with it!


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First off, if no culture was done, its time to find a different vet. Second, baytril isn't the only antibiotic. Another common one used on snakes is Fortaz. And without doing a culture, you have no idea if its bacterial, fungal or virus. I would never euthanize an animal unless it was a terminal illness. Also RIs can take a while to kick. And if it got better, than came back, you probably have a husbandry issue. Most reptiles can kick slight bacterial RI on their own with proper husbandry. Bump the temps up to put their own immune system into overdrive and you should have temps bumped anyways while using antibiotics. If you are set on euthanizing, then a vet is going to be the best way. They can do it painlessly. But personally, I feel if you are willing to give up on an animal over something like an RI which is fairly common as a reptile ailment, then you really need to rethink if breeding is something for you as I'm pretty sure, this wont be the last time in your lifetime you will encounter a sick pet. Or actually I just thought, if you are really ready to give up, then put him in the local craigslist or talk to your local herp club and tell em you got a X type of ball python with an RI and you cant afford to care for it anymore and are just giving it up for free to someone who wants and can care for it. Better than sentencing the animal to death for a perfectly curable illness.

I'd take it.

There ya go, Viol8r will take it. Box it up, charge him the shipping fee and send it :P

"do your proper duty by your snake and have him properly euthanized. That does not entail sticking him in the freezer."

I have heard the freezer method quoted so often that i thought it was the prefered method. Luckily i have never had to euthanize a reptile (or even treat one for being sick) but if i did have to i wouldn't have any idea what the alternatives were.

Skip, can you enlighten us as to the alternatives, just in case any of us find ourselves in that regrettable position?

Decided to PM this instead - disregard.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Paul's Pieds

"do your proper duty by your snake and have him properly euthanized. That does not entail sticking him in the freezer."

I have heard the freezer method quoted so often that i thought it was the prefered method. Luckily i have never had to euthanize a reptile (or even treat one for being sick) but if i did have to i wouldn't have any idea what the alternatives were.

Skip, can you enlighten us as to the alternatives, just in case any of us find ourselves in that regrettable position?

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Pithing the brain is fast and painless to the animal - literally lights out. Done correctly it will hurt you (emotionally) more than the critter.

If I had to euthanize a pet, I would just take it to the vet. I couldn't do it myself. I had to have my dog put down due to cancer when I was a kid and the vet did it. It was a horrible feeling and that was having someone else do humanly. I couldn't imagine having to do it myself. Its one thing to cervical dislocate the rats I feed my snakes since im not attached to them but to a pet that I have had for years, couldn't do it myself.