Seeking Input From People Experienced W/ Respiratory Infection

Have you considered the possibility that it may not be a bacterial infection?

I have. If it were viral, it would not respond so well to the Baytril.

She's in strict quarantine, in any case, so I'm going to see how she responds to the treatment this time.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

I have. If it were viral, it would not respond so well to the Baytril.

She's in strict quarantine, in any case, so I'm going to see how she responds to the treatment this time.

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Let's see if the Baytril does the trick.

By trick I mean knocks it out for good. If it comes back in one week, two weeks or even ten, then maybe you need to think hard as to why an RI would respond to an antibiotic, go into a seeming stage of remission and then come back.

At that point, we can have a chat about ophidian viruses and why antibiotics appear to clear them up.

Skiploder, Have you read the entire thread? I appreciated your post in the IBD thread, because any new information is good information, however I think suggesting a virus at this point is premature. If you would like to post why it would appear to respond and then come back, I am open to new information, always. I'm sure anybody else who is reading this thread would also like to know this information. At this point it seems like you are trying to set yourself up to say "I told you so!" in the future.

I'm not sure why it's so hard to believe that a snake who has been improperly treated would still be sick. The vet "treating her" has no idea what he's doing, and RI's happen all of the time. Almost every breeder I know who has bred for a significant period of time has had to deal with an RI. Not sure why exactly you seem to think it would be OPMV when it "appears" to be a simple RI. If you could outline what exactly is leading you to believe it is a virus and not a bacterial infection, that would be appreciated.

Like I said, I asked for a culture. I have been calling around, trying to get a culture done. Do you really think, if a culture was available to me in the first place, I would have a) turned it down, then b) kept this snake alive for this long, battling with the "exotics vet" trying to treat her and c) spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars, trying to treat her. I paid $600 for her and I am WELL OVER that amount in vet costs, medication costs, xray costs, etc. Would you, personally, let JUST ANYBODY fill up your snakes lung with liquid, or would you prefer that they have education in collecting such samples?

This case, IMO, is LIKELY NOT OPMV. I'm not saying definitely that it isn't. I'm not saying for sure it's not a virus. I'm just saying that I'm not going at it that way, at this point.

I've known many people with recurring UTIs. It goes on for YEARS. Guess what? Those people take their antibiotics til they feel better, then they stop. Then they get their UTI back and wonder why. For anybody still wondering WHY, when you pick up a prescription, it has that little pamphlet that says in big bold letters KEEP TAKING THIS MEDICATION, EVEN IF YOU ARE FEELING BETTER, please do a quick Google search on antibiotic resistance.

But back to snakes. Every time my snake has responded to the antibiotics, THEY RAN OUT BEFORE SHE WAS BETTER. The first time the vet advised me to "wean her off" the antibiotics, (about 8 doses of Baytril,) she still had mucus. I was concerned about running out, so I asked for more. He said she was fine if she appears to have improved, so I should slowly give her less and less of a dose every day. That is when I questioned his knowledge on antibiotics

I mean, I honestly can't even go over this concept again. It's a dead horse. I can't even repeat myself in any other way, to get my point across.

Every single RI is not a virus. And it feels to me like you are jumping to those conclusions and trying to scare me into believing that it is a virus. If so, why? I am aware that OPMV exists, I have researched it to the best of my ability.

If I had a vet who know what he was doing, and treated her adequately, and THEN her RI didn't respond, THEN I would be worried. But that is simply just not the case.

Just in case you are wondering, she is under strict quarantine. The most strict that I can possibly provide, at this point. My only other option would be to quarantine her at my Mom's house, but with her smoking a pack a day in her apartment, I think that would do more harm than good.

She is quarantined in her own room. I don't touch her until the very end of the day, directly before I shower. When I do touch her, I use disposable nitrile gloves. I dispose of these gloves in a garbage bin separate from the snake room garbage bin. Same with any substrate that I remove from her tank. I do not touch door handles after I have touched her. I don't use any equipment that has been used for her, on any other snake. Even after disposing of the gloves, I wash my hands with antibacterial soap. I don't touch the faucet handles with my hands, I use my elbows. When I dry my hands, I use paper towel and dispose of it immediately. She has her very own ceramic water dish that doesn't get swapped with anybody elses. When I do wash it, I soak it in bleach, scrub it with paper towel and then dispose of it, and then I put it through the dishwasher and make sure to use the drying cycle.

Honestly, this is the very best I can do with regards to quarantining her.

Skiploder, I am not trying to be snarky. I 100% respect your knowledge and your opinion. I just want to know WHY you think this is a virus and not a bacterial infection?

Like I said. I will keep y'all posted on her progress.

You are assuming I was referencing OPMV (did the word ophidian throw you for a loop?), you were assuming that I didn't read your thread, you are assuming I give a rat's left nut about being right or proving a point, and you are assuming that I have the patience to read an infantile verbal tantrum like you just threw and then have any sort of rational discussion with you.

Odd that the vaunted F10 treatment doesn't work............if F10 is as effective as some claim, there should be no bacterial resistance to it...........

Now, if you'd like to stop with the hysterics, you can PM me with your email address. I can actually walk you through doing your own tracheal wash an how to send it to a lab. I can also walk you through effectively dealing with what appears to be the only veterinary option you have. If you decide to pass, my feelings won't be hurt in the slightest.

Sorry Skiploder,

I'm a bit on edge. All I'm saying is I've just had ENOUGH of this crap. I am so absolutely, thoroughly DONE with trying to figure this out on my own. It's been such a struggle. It's been 6 months of worrying, 6 months of waiting on responses from the vet, 6 months of trying to cram in visits to the vet office, etc. Lost wages, paying for exams and reexams, it just seems neverending. I've spent so much money on long distance phone charges trying to find somebody who can fix my snake, to no avail.

Some breeders would have simple euth'd the snake and not had a second thought. Fortunately for my collection, I am emotionally attached and not just financially attached to my animals.

It wasn't a verbal tantrum, and I really wish it hadn't have come off that way; I was simply wondering, what is it that is causing you to think it is a virus and not a simple bacterial infection that hasn't been treated properly? Your post is what led me to believe that you hadn't read the thread; how many instances do you know of, snake OR human, being on an incomplete course of antibiotics and being fully cured? I personally know of none. I've had my own personal experiences with antibiotics and I know that if you mess around, it can really screw things up! I am still battling compromised immune system due to antibiotics that I took years ago!

As for the F10, keep in mind that I started the F10 treatment directly as the antibiotic treatment was involuntarily stopped. So it's very difficult to say weather it is helping or not. Also, the whole F10 treatment was only made big when Brian of BHB made a YouTube video on it. Keep in mind, in that very video, he says the treatment will help an RI in it's beginning stages. He says if it is more severe, a vet visit is in order. Nowhere does he claim it will cure an RI that has been ongoing.

I'm not claiming to know everything, I'm not claiming to know of every Ophidian virus out there. And yes, you mentioning it in conjunction with the information you provided recently on the IBD thread, is what led me to believe OPMV is what you were talking about. Like I said, I am always wide open to information. I never stop learning, and I never want to stop learning. I never close my mind, especially if it concerns the well-being of my animals. I'm not trying to get into a pissing match, I just want to know what you are thinking.

I would greatly appreciate a walk-through, though I don't know if I'm confident enough to do it myself. Also what may complicate things, is I am in Canada. I am not entirely certain, but I don't think I am able to mail biological specimens.