Meds for an RI

Can you get meds for an RI without a prescription? If so, can someone provide a link.

Just so you know my snake is not sick, this is pure curiosity.

Prescriptions require someone with a medical degree to dispense them. ;) You can obtain some worming meds, but for most of the important stuff you need a vet. :D

So you are telling me that every time a breeder needs to cure a RI he/she will drop about $100 to see a vet? I find that hard to believe!

The normal person can't (and shouldn't) acquire meds without having their snake seen by a qualified herp vet. Breeders have a lot more experience and in most cases are able to get the meds they need from a qualified vet due to that experience. Baytril which I believe is the most commonly prescribed antibiotic for RIs is by prescription only and if given incorrectly can cause harm. Hope this answered your questions.

I don't think breeder's have problem's with RI's. There Husbandry is probably flawless , By the way this thread is gonna be a good one.

Anyone that spends enough time in this hobby is likely to encounter a RI. Breeding alone take a tremendous toll on these animals. Big breeder's, and their large numbers, are likely to have a good amount of experience with RIs. They also probably have a very good vet, and know them well. ;) I would imagine they have a deal worked out with them, and don't pay the same rates as the average schmoe. But of course that's just my thoughts on it.

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

Anyone that spends enough time in this hobby is likely to encounter a RI. Breeding alone take a tremendous toll on these animals. Big breeder's, and their large numbers, are likely to have a good amount of experience with RIs. They also probably have a very good vet, and know them well. ;) I would imagine they have a deal worked out with them, and don't pay the same rates as the average schmoe. But of course that's just my thoughts on it.

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Yeah! What she said too.. :)

I myself have just recently dealt with an RI with my Male rescue, the vet used 4 injections given everyother day of Baytril. The pricing wasn't bad either, only paid $15.50 per injection, I would imagine that breeders have access to these meds or get some kind of discount.

I was just about to post on here about breeders not having trouble with RIs. With the amount of snakes kept by breeders, statistically it would be impossible for them not to encounter RIs on occasion.


So the answer is a script is not needed with the correct contacts? Like with anything else its who you know, not what you know...

That's why it's good to have a vet or two in the family, or three in my case. Now if I just lived closer to them. *sigh*

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Originally Posted by bigboyslims

So the answer is a script is not needed with the correct contacts? Like with anything else its who you know, not what you know...

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Not true.

Anti-biotics needed to treat respiratory infections are federally controlled drugs and ALWAYS require a prescription unless you are obtaining them illegally.

If your snake has an RI it's very important to have the animal cultured before treating it with any type of anti-biotic. Different strains of bacteria are resistant to different types of anti-biotics and just picking a drug out of the air and giving it to your snake could do more harm than good.

Big breeders that have large collections of animals work with vets differently than people with pets. For example, instead of boxing up animals and bringing them to my vet, my vet comes to see me. I pay a premium for that, but given the value of my collection, it's worth it to me. For things like fecals, cultures, and scripts I pay less than the average Joe off the street with a pet snake, but I make up for it with volume, surgical work, etc that your average pet owner doesn't do ... so it just all works out.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

If your snake has an RI it's very important to have the animal cultured before treating it with any type of anti-biotic. Different strains of bacteria are resistant to different types of anti-biotics and just picking a drug out of the air and giving it to your snake could do more harm than good.
-adam

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Nailed it!

Also make sure you have a REPTILE vet, I got some Baytril from a loser vet who just wanted to charge me and he prescribed the wrong doosage, my baby tort died 4 days later. OD