Ongoing RI

So, to start from the beginning. My female pastel ball python got her first RI last winter, when my past roommates snake came in contact with her.... My roommate took awful care of her snakes and gave mine a RI, ever since she's had on and off ones. Maybe 2 times. I've been having good results with Reptaid. But I have no idea why she keeps getting them. Her tank is perfectly balanced with good temps and humidity. For now I can't do anything besides administering her reptaid. I get paid on the 30th, and I will be getting her Fortaz after that if her RI is still present. I'm having awful anxiety cause of this and worried she's going to die. If you have any tips for me please leave me a comment. I'm so worried I can't focus on anything else, not even wanting to see my family for Christmas. I love her so much she's my world and I'll take any suggestions until I can get her meds.


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For more information, she is 2 and a half years old, 2033 grams. Eats large rats once a week but hasn't eaten for 2 weeks.


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What are the temps and humidity?

Many times with RI it is suggested to bump them up a bit. Normal may not be what you need right now.

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Originally Posted by KMG

What are the temps and humidity?

Many times with RI it is suggested to bump them up a bit. Normal may not be what you need right now.

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I bumped her regular basking temp from 90 to 95. Ambient is 83. Humidity is 40 ish right now. I don't know if I should bump the humidity up top


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A bit more humidity may be a good thing.

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What signs of RI keep popping up?

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Originally Posted by KMG

A bit more humidity may be a good thing.

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What signs of RI keep popping up?

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Usually just whistling.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Medduussa

So, to start from the beginning. My female pastel ball python got her first RI last winter, when my past roommates snake came in contact with her.... My roommate took awful care of her snakes and gave mine a RI, ever since she's had on and off ones. Maybe 2 times. I've been having good results with Reptaid. But I have no idea why she keeps getting them. Her tank is perfectly balanced with good temps and humidity. For now I can't do anything besides administering her reptaid. I get paid on the 30th, and I will be getting her Fortaz after that if her RI is still present. I'm having awful anxiety cause of this and worried she's going to die. If you have any tips for me please leave me a comment. I'm so worried I can't focus on anything else, not even wanting to see my family for Christmas. I love her so much she's my world and I'll take any suggestions until I can get her meds.


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Just throwing this out there ... I successfully treated a Royal with RI a few years ago by using one of my mum's old portable nebuliser with some F10 . I've seen similar portable nebulisers on eBay for under £30 .


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It's not just an upcoming shed?

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Originally Posted by KMG

It's not just an upcoming shed?

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Nope :/


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Try humidity between 55% and 60%.

If there is anyway at all that you can swing it, you should try to find a vet that will run a culture on that RI.

Up until you know what exactly you are up against, treating her with different meds are shots in the dark...esp. since this has now turning into a somewhat chronic problem.

She needs to be hit with the exact meds that will kill the organism that is making her sick, and the only way to figure that out for sure is through a culture. You could call around to different vets
to see who does this, how much they charge and if they possibly take payments...

Good luck, its scary when your loved ones (2 legs, 4 legs, no legs) are sick..

I thought you had been to the vet but I forget who did what sometimes. If you haven't zina10 is 100% correct. Taking a shot in the dark is not going to work on a RI.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

I thought you had been to the vet but I forget who did what sometimes. If you haven't zina10 is 100% correct. Taking a shot in the dark is not going to work on a RI.

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Yes I did go to the vet, she was fine then. But now she started whistling 10 days ago but hasn't since, then today I heard a wheeze.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by zina10

If there is anyway at all that you can swing it, you should try to find a vet that will run a culture on that RI.

Up until you know what exactly you are up against, treating her with different meds are shots in the dark...esp. since this has now turning into a somewhat chronic problem.

She needs to be hit with the exact meds that will kill the organism that is making her sick, and the only way to figure that out for sure is through a culture. You could call around to different vets
to see who does this, how much they charge and if they possibly take payments...

Good luck, its scary when your loved ones (2 legs, 4 legs, no legs) are sick..

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It just seems like no matter what I do I'm hit with a wall, I talked to my vet on the phone and she said a culture could take up to 2 weeks for a result. My snake could be much worse by then. I'm unbelievably stressed and I don't understand how this is so expensive either, a lung wash is like 100$ plus meds but she also wants to give her a look over witch is 70$


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Medduussa

It just seems like no matter what I do I'm hit with a wall, I talked to my vet on the phone and she said a culture could take up to 2 weeks for a result. My snake could be much worse by then. I'm unbelievably stressed and I don't understand how this is so expensive either, a lung wash is like 100$ plus meds but she also wants to give her a look over witch is 70$

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Yes vet care costs money. The longer you wait the bigger the bills get.

Many vets don't wait for results, they take the samples to culture, push broad-spectrum antibiotics immediately, and then switch if needed once the results are in.

Yes, health care is expensive. The prices you quoted are actually not that bad. The Vet has high college tuition to pay back. The vet hospital has overhead. They have to pay their employees, the rent or mortgage on the building, the expense of all the (VERY) expensive machinery. Not to mention ongoing bills such as electricity, etc etc.

Unless they have a "in house" lab (with more extremely expensive equipment) they have to send off certain samples to big labs. That is not free to them, either.

So yes, long story short, vets cost a good bit of money. Yet, I've never seen a "filthy rich vet" ever.

The truth is, if you want to have animals, pets, you have to not only think about the start up cost, or the cost of the animal. That is the least expense you will have. Housing, husbandry HEALTH care. That is where it gets expensive. The sad fact is, pets get sick or hurt. Even if one doesn't have much money, you have to have a "emergency" plan for EACH pet. And if you can't afford that, you should have less pets.

I know that sounds like I'm preaching or not sympathetic. Far from it. I've done mistakes as well, I used to have more animals then I should have. Vet bills hit HARD. My horses colic surgery cost $7000 !!!! Yes, $7000. For an older mare. With no guarantee that it would have saved her. Thankfully it did. And I love that horse. I had to scrape by, dip into emergency funds, etc. And if I didn't get the funds together (on my own, I might say, no go fund me or other business) I would have had her humanely put to sleep. You do what you have to do.

I'm not saying you should kill your snake. What I'm saying is do whatever it takes to get it the help. If its been an ongoing issue you HAVE to have a culture. Whatever was done before, obv. didn't work 100%. Like someone else mentioned, while the culture is run, the snake will still be treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic. But the treatment can and will be adjusted if needed after the results are in. Sell stuff, sell other animals to a good home, if need be.

Or...give the snake to someone that is willing to and can afford the treatment.

None of that is easy, it stinks. But what can you do ?

If you do nothing, you know where that will end up. And the longer you wait, the worse such a thing gets. It can get to the point where so much damage is done to the respiratory system, that it will be chronic. Or worse.

Again, I did not meant to preach at you. I'm just saying...the Vet isn't trying to hurt you. The snake needs treatment. Now, sit down and think about what you could do. And if you can't get it done, find someone that could .

After that, prepare for emergencies for your other animals, there WILL be other times when you will face them.

I'd invest in a cheap nebuliser plus some F10 before I'd have it put down tbh

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Yes vet care costs money. The longer you wait the bigger the bills get.

Many vets don't wait for results, they take the samples to culture, push broad-spectrum antibiotics immediately, and then switch if needed once the results are in.

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Good idea.


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I don't think anyone is suggesting to put the animal down just because it has an RI. But if you can't afford a vet bill, you should have the animal's long term health and welfare in mind, and seek to find someone who can, even if it means you have to give the animal up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zina10

Yes, health care is expensive. The prices you quoted are actually not that bad. The Vet has high college tuition to pay back. The vet hospital has overhead. They have to pay their employees, the rent or mortgage on the building, the expense of all the (VERY) expensive machinery. Not to mention ongoing bills such as electricity, etc etc.

Unless they have a "in house" lab (with more extremely expensive equipment) they have to send off certain samples to big labs. That is not free to them, either.

So yes, long story short, vets cost a good bit of money. Yet, I've never seen a "filthy rich vet" ever.

The truth is, if you want to have animals, pets, you have to not only think about the start up cost, or the cost of the animal. That is the least expense you will have. Housing, husbandry HEALTH care. That is where it gets expensive. The sad fact is, pets get sick or hurt. Even if one doesn't have much money, you have to have a "emergency" plan for EACH pet. And if you can't afford that, you should have less pets.

I know that sounds like I'm preaching or not sympathetic. Far from it. I've done mistakes as well, I used to have more animals then I should have. Vet bills hit HARD. My horses colic surgery cost $7000 !!!! Yes, $7000. For an older mare. With no guarantee that it would have saved her. Thankfully it did. And I love that horse. I had to scrape by, dip into emergency funds, etc. And if I didn't get the funds together (on my own, I might say, no go fund me or other business) I would have had her humanely put to sleep. You do what you have to do.

I'm not saying you should kill your snake. What I'm saying is do whatever it takes to get it the help. If its been an ongoing issue you HAVE to have a culture. Whatever was done before, obv. didn't work 100%. Like someone else mentioned, while the culture is run, the snake will still be treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic. But the treatment can and will be adjusted if needed after the results are in. Sell stuff, sell other animals to a good home, if need be.

Or...give the snake to someone that is willing to and can afford the treatment.

None of that is easy, it stinks. But what can you do ?

If you do nothing, you know where that will end up. And the longer you wait, the worse such a thing gets. It can get to the point where so much damage is done to the respiratory system, that it will be chronic. Or worse.

Again, I did not meant to preach at you. I'm just saying...the Vet isn't trying to hurt you. The snake needs treatment. Now, sit down and think about what you could do. And if you can't get it done, find someone that could .

After that, prepare for emergencies for your other animals, there WILL be other times when you will face them.

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No I completely understand and I am taking that advice, may I ask what broad spectrum is?


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Broad spectrum antibiotics. It's a generic antibiotic that can hit a lot of different types of bacteria, but it's not as effective as an antibiotic, antifungal, or antiviral medication formulated for a specific organism. A vet will take the culture and send it off to the lab to find out exactly what little germy is attacking your snake, but getting results back can take a few days to a couple weeks, so most vets will start the snake on abroad spectrum in the mean time. Once they have the results back, the vet can switch to a more specific medication.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lizardlicks

Broad spectrum antibiotics. It's a generic antibiotic that can hit a lot of different types of bacteria, but it's not as effective as an antibiotic, antifungal, or antiviral medication formulated for a specific organism. A vet will take the culture and send it off to the lab to find out exactly what little germy is attacking your snake, but getting results back can take a few days to a couple weeks, so most vets will start the snake on abroad spectrum in the mean time. Once they have the results back, the vet can switch to a more specific medication.

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That's a good idea, I'll probably make my appointment today. Just waiting for my check currently to pay for this lol. I'll do anything for my snake she's my world it's just I'm at such a rough point in my life. Thanks for your guys help... I really appreciate all of it!


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lizardlicks

Broad spectrum antibiotics. It's a generic antibiotic that can hit a lot of different types of bacteria, but it's not as effective as an antibiotic, antifungal, or antiviral medication formulated for a specific organism. A vet will take the culture and send it off to the lab to find out exactly what little germy is attacking your snake, but getting results back can take a few days to a couple weeks, so most vets will start the snake on abroad spectrum in the mean time. Once they have the results back, the vet can switch to a more specific medication.

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That's a good idea, I'll probably make my appointment today. Just waiting for my check currently to pay for this lol. I'll do anything for my snake she's my world it's just I'm at such a rough point in my life. Thanks for your guys help... I really appreciate all of it!


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