Well i took billy to the vet......

because he was making a wheezing sound. Well he used the stethoscope and listened to his breathing and thought that he had a ri but then he took his temp and finished checking him and whatnot and said that its not a ri its just allergies that might have been triggered by the sudden change of humidity. So i have to give him nutri-cal 3-4 times a day and gatoraid. He said that it could lead to a ri so i really have to monitor the temp and stuff and if it doesnt get better ill have to take him back so he can have a test done. After he had his temp taken the poor guy curled into a ball for a while i think he felt kinda violated.

:confused: Are we talking about a ball python? I've never heard of taking a snake's temperature that way. Nor have I ever heard of a snake having allergies. And why would "allergies" be triggered by a humidity change? And I've only ever heard of offering something like gatorade to a severely dehydrated snake...not one that potentially has an RI. (And what is nutri-cal??)


I'm no expert and maybe someone who knows better will chime in and say "Oh yeah, my snake had allergies" or "Here's why the vet took the temperature of an ectothermic animal." :confuzd:

Personally, I'd be looking for a new vet.

I'm a fairly new snake owner myself...so I can't say much about it, as I've never had to take my snake to a vet (I've had him since February)...but your vet's advice sounds suspicious. Is he a herp vet? Or is he a regular vet who was willing to see your snake, in spite of not having much experience with them?

I've never heard of a BP having allergies, either...

I have heard offering Pedia-lite to them to help rehydrate them but not Gatoraid I'd be affraid that the sugar would interfere with them some how. interesting

Snakes don't get allergies and please find a new vet. There's no reason to ever take the internal temp of an extothermic animal because their body temp is affected by other sources and not sources of infection as with mammals.

Also PLEASE do NOT give him the Nutri-cal. It contains alot of oil that can adversely affect your snake's digestive tract. It has nothing he needs and it is only used when an animal(a mammal...) isn't eating and is losing weight.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

I have heard offering Pedia-lite to them to help rehydrate them but not Gatoraid I'd be affraid that the sugar would interfere with them some how. interesting

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That's true, too.

Seriously...except for listening to the snake breathe, I'm afraid there's nothing about your report, hon, that sounds remotely like something a competent herp vet would say or do. I hope things work out for you, but please consider looking for another vet. An untreated RI will only get worse. Gatorade won't make it go away. :(

Here's a couple of links to help you have a better chance of finding a good herp vet near you:

http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

There's no reason to ever take the internal temp of an extothermic animal because their body temp is affected by other sources and not sources of infection as with mammals.

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I'm amazed that any vet would take the temperature of an ectothermic animal. :O Wasn't that covered in Junior High biology??

thought it sounded a bit odd i have no idea were else to take him though

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Originally Posted by ~Kaitlin~

thought it sounded a bit odd i have no idea were else to take him though

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Judy gave you links above...If it is a RI, without proper treatment (not the crap you were given), then the animal will die.

Well i think ill take him to evansville its like 35 minutes away but oh well should i like keep him in like a box or something for the trip

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Originally Posted by ~Kaitlin~

Well i think ill take him to evansville its like 35 minutes away but oh well should i like keep him in like a box or something for the trip

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Take an old pillowcase and turn it inside out...put the snake in that and tie it closed. Then put that in a box. Pad the box with newspaper or old towels to keep the snake from getting shifted around as the car moves.

he wont like suffacate will he

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Originally Posted by ~Kaitlin~

he wont like suffacate will he

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Nope. Pillowcases are breathable...Good luck!

thank you

wow... How did such a person get board certified? Heck, I'm not even in Vet school yet and I'd take this "doctor's" medical advice about as seriously as I would a hack-shop surgeon from a third world country over a itchy foot...

Wow. After getting advice from your new vet, you should get a refund from the other...

no kidding that was my allowance now my mom has to pay for the next one

just curious, how much did he rip ya for? i be going back and getting my money back.

it was 25 dollars


The good news is i called the doc from evansville and i wont have to go there she travels for house calls and is in my town every wensday morning so i guess thats what ill do thatll cost 42 just for the exam but oh well

I would like to acknowledge Kaitlin for taking responsiblity for her snake and taking it to the vet when she suspected a problem! Wish more keepers would do that! :sweeet:


Sorry about the vet that you went to though and glad that you've found one who is more qualified!

why thank you


i just wanna make sure he is alright

Since you have to wait until wed. Please make sure that your temps and humidity are "spot on" so that if he does have an RI it won't get worse.

yeah ive been like checking every 30 minutes to a hour making sure its not changing

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Originally Posted by ~Kaitlin~

yeah ive been like checking every 30 minutes to a hour making sure its not changing

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Unless there is a change in the weather or the conditions of the room the snake is in, his environment won't change in 30 minutes. I would check every few hours. If your setup is stable and everything is automatic (good thermostat) then the only thing I would do is to listen to him to see if the wheezing gets worse.

I'm not sure (others please add comments) but I would assume that you should not handle him very often. Until his vet appt.