RI Treatment

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

What other drugs are available and proven to treat URI in Ball Pythons??

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Tylan works wonders with URIs!

Fortaz is my favorite, as long as the snake is over a year.

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"Baytril is a wide spectrum antibiotic used for many different types of treatment's in reptiles. I've used it to treat wounds, RI's and even to ward off infection from Belly Rot."

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I'm sorry Sir, but you are a contributing factor to why MANY RI's are Baytril resistant these days.
OVERUSE.
Not only overuse by the vets (as in this case) but overuse by the general public who;
1. should not be allowed to HAVE this drug in their possesion, and
2. don't have ANY medical training or experience.
The keepers who self-treat their ball pythons with Baytril for 'wounds, RI's and even to ward off infection' are completely irresponsible in my opinion.
If you care enough to rake in the cash you get from the babies they produce, then you should by responsible enough to treat them PROPERLY when they get sick.

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Originally Posted by mykee

I'm sorry Sir, but you are a contributing factor to why MANY RI's are Baytril resistant these days.
OVERUSE.
Not only overuse by the vets (as in this case) but overuse by the general public who;
1. should not be allowed to HAVE this drug in their possesion, and
2. don't have ANY medical training or experience.
The keepers who self-treat their ball pythons with Baytril for 'wounds, RI's and even to ward off infection' are completely irresponsible in my opinion.
If you care enough to rake in the cash you get from the babies they produce, then you should by responsible enough to treat them PROPERLY when they get sick.

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I'm glad you think so highly of me to think I'm

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a contributing factor to why MANY RI's are Baytril resistant these days.

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Don't forget I also got "Friends" canceled, Caused Gobal warming, invented the internet and..Yes I am BigFoot

Come off it, Baytril needs a prescription by a Trained and licensed Vet..So I have nothing to do with it's use or over use. I'm a humble Ball Python Breeder.

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The keepers who self-treat their ball pythons with Baytril for 'wounds, RI's and even to ward off infection' are completely irresponsible in my opinion

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And what about those who do so at the advice of the direction of their vet. Remember Baytril needs a prescription by a Trained and licensed Vet

If you want to whine and moan because you feel it is over used or improperly use I suggest you start with the veterinarian schools and Vet's themselves and leave me out of it..

We tell people to see their vet.. why?? Because they are the professionals..is baytril always the answer HELL NO! I've also used Fortaz, Neosporine, Chlorehexidine, and a few other things to treat wounds and other stuff.

Your vet should always take a culture and identify the organism when an infection is present. It's fine if they send you home with a good antibiotic while they wait for the results, but the results are necessary to make sure the snake is on the right meds.

Keep the cage warm--as high as 100F basking, 85 cool. That is hot, but it IS safe. It's the equivalent of giving your snake a low-grade fever, and it suppresses the growth of some of these organisms. Keep the humidity high. Soak the snake in nice warm water every other day, and then hang it upside down afterward--mucous may run out, so have paper towel handy. You'll find the snake appears much more comfortable after this treatment, and breathing is easier. Good hydration is best for ANY infection, and high humidity helps with this. It also helps prevent liver damage from the meds. When I have had snakes with RIs, I found that hanging them head-down once a day would help them clear mucous from their lungs, and they would breathe much easier afterward.

Keep sick snakes in strict quarantine, and be particularly wary of any RI that does not resolve with antibiotics within a week. Use bleach to carefully sterilize the rack shelf, bin, and anything the snake contacts. Wash hands strictly after touching anything around the sick snake.

If the appropriate antibiotic is prescribed for the identified organism, the snake completes the course of antibiotics and is still sick--suspect a virus. Keep the snake on a strong antibiotic (switch to another one that the organism was sensitive to), continue soaking, tube-feed if rapid weight loss occurs, and cross your fingers. Recovery may be hit or miss with a respiratory virus, and may take a long time. Some choose to euthanize to avoid the risk to other animals in the household, while others consider recovered snakes to be immune and to not pose a risk. It depends on the virus. Do your research!

Proper quarantine of new animals introduced to a large collection should be 12 months...not just 3. Some of the bad bugs can incubate for over 10 months, on record. Always be aware of the chance you are taking if you put snakes in with your collection after just 3 months, and take careful precautions with them for their first year--no feeding leftovers to other snakes, no transferring cage furniture or bowls, etc etc.
Chlorhexedine kills bacteria, it's great for that. It doesn't kill the bad bugs--use bleach to disinfect things contaminated by any suspect snake.

READ UP--with a growing collection I have so much invested it, I read up on these things extensively, from multiple sources. I don't want a tragedy in my collection, as some others have endured. Prevention is the best way.

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Originally Posted by rj1204

My vet swears that Nebulization of the meds works great. He said by the snake having to inhale the meds they go deep into the lungs and treat the source directly. The problem is it cost $20 per treatment so bringing her in for 2 treatments a day for 3-4 days is going to cost me $120+. I have said that the cost is not a big concern, but I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars if I can handle it on my own with a series of shots. Also, I know the stress is not good for her while she is sick either.

Your thoughts on nebulization (not sure of the spelling)?

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My vet and I love nebulization coupled with injections. If you have more than a couple animals, it's probably worth it to pick up a little nebulizer and put together a chamber easily. I picked up a portable one for less than $50, although my husband gets stuff at cost since he works there part time. Your vet can give you the doses for it, show you how to use it if need be, and you should be good to go.

Sounds like you're doing the best you can. Kudos!

So, today I brought my girl back to the vet. The herp vet was off when I originally brought her in so I got bad advice/exam before. The vet took a culture and gave me 5 Amakacin injections to give every 3 days. The culture should be back within 72 hours. Hopefully the new meds work but the culture should tell us what will work for sure. Thanks for all the advice guys.

Do you guys think my other 7 BP's can beat the RI out? I increased the hot spots to 93-94* and the cool spot side is 82. I guess I can only keep my fingers crossed at this point. I am going to get them hide boxes this weekend......only a couple shy girls have hide boxes since the only open part of the 34" x 18" tub is the front 18". The sides are melamine and back is pegboard.