My casper has RI...help

Last week we noticed casper wheezing so we took him to the vet. He gave him an injection n gave us 22mg baytril for 11 days. we give him 11 mg in the morn n 11 mg in the evening. the baytril is pills that we mix with water. we give him a bath everyday. the vet said it would help. he stays 85-90 degrees. but the past two days he has starting opening his mouth to breathe n is still wheezing. the vet said there was nothing else we could do. i was wondering if somebody on here had advice. casper is like our kid n we really dont want nothing to happen to him. please somebody help?!

Why bath him daily? If that antibiotic did not work, maybe your vet should try fortaz, I can't believe he would say "there is nothing else we can do". Ask about the fortaz.

I don't know if that daily bath is actually doing more harm than good. Just give him the meds and let him be no need for that daily bath.

ok. what is fortaz?

Call the vet and take him back, he doesn't seem to be getting better, and ask the vet why the daily baths?

Fortaz is an antibiotic

do u have to get it from the vet? im new to ball pythons..im still learning.

Make sure your vet is a herp vet not all vets know much about reptiles. I had a hard time finding the right vet and even travel alot further to get to the right one. If your vet doesn't know about Fortaz I'd say start looking for another vet, most vets specialize in dogs and cats.

i live in tennessee n ive tried looking for herp vets online in my area n im having no luck at all. we really love casper and want to do everything that we can. does anybody know a site to where i can find a herp vet?

I don't think daily baths are necessary. He needs antibiotics, and boost up the humidity and heat a bit. I don't understand either why the vet would say there was nothing else to be done.

http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

Hope this helps!

Herp Veterinarians
Why your cat or dog vet is probably not whom you want to see with your sick herp... TN. CA - South. KY. NH. TX. CO. LA. NJ. UT. CT. MA. NM. VA. DC. MD. NY ...
www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html

thank y'all for all the help.. im on the phone callin vets now.

Hope you find one, and your baby gets the help he needs

yeah i do to. its just hard on cash right now. and everywhere i call says to bring him in.

you shouldnt bathe that snake because it would cause more stress on the snake.

keep that humidity normal in range and up the temps a bit
and get it to a real herp vet.

we have increased the heat. its about 85-90.

If you found a herp vet take him in , and try to work out a payment schedule

Ok. i appreciate y'all so much. should i increase his baytril from 22mg a day to 33mg? he weighs 4.8 lbs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by keelenswife217

the baytril is pills that we mix with water.

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How are you administering this suspension?

I've never experienced an RI with any of my snakes, but from what i've heard and read, the antibiotic has always been injected.

have to dilute the pill in water in a syringe n give it orally.half a pill with 1 cc of water

Quote:

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Originally Posted by keelenswife217

have to dilute the pill in water in a syringe n give it orally.half a pill with 1 cc of water

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Gotcha, that must be a pain in the ace.

he hates it but i hope its helpin him i just wonder if we need to increase his dosage

Quote:

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Originally Posted by keelenswife217

he hates it but i hope its helpin him i just wonder if we need to increase his dosage

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I would not increase the dose unless told to do so by a vet.

Watch Ralph davis's video on baytril, he just basically gives you a run down, on what to do and the dosage amount...

part1: YouTube - Injectable Solution ( enrofloxacin ) - part 1 - Injectable Solution ( enrofloxacin ) - part 1

part2: YouTube - Injectable Solution ( enrofloxacin ) - part 2 - Injectable Solution ( enrofloxacin ) - part 2

A vet can't give you Baytril or Fortaz (ceftazidime) without seeing the animal. It is a prescription drug like almost all antibiotics.
Ask your vet about Ceftazidime for injection, USP.
It is a broad spectrum, 3rd generation cephalosporin.
-Steven

thanks to everybody. y'all have helped so much.we have another vet appointment tuesday. he seems to be doin better.. hes active and isnt making as much wheezing noises.. but he still opens his mouth every now and then.

I hope everything is all right my heart is out to you man my bp is my g/f so to speak ....dont give up the battle Casper

Quote:

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Originally Posted by keelenswife217

we have increased the heat. its about 85-90.

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Are these the high and low temps?
If so, what were the temps before? Too cool of a living space could have helped this RI come to be.
Try to keep the warm side at about 92-94F and the cool side around 82F, with ambient temps of about 80-82F. This ought to help :)

Those are normal temperatures McKinsey ;)

For snakes with respiratory problems, keeping the temperatures between 95-96 on the warm side and 86-87 on the cool side with about 65-70% humidity will really help their immune system fight the infection. It will also raise their metabolism so the medication works faster.

I wouldn't let the temperatures dip below 83-84 on the cool side if you can help it. They need to stay where it's heated and humidified or you'll very easily have a suffocating snake(they are unable to cough).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Those are normal temperatures McKinsey ;)

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:frustrate D'oh!! What the heck was I thinking... ??! :fishslap:

Well, it IS Saturday night, put down the margarita :D Hehe

Update: casper started turning red on his belly n continued to open his mouth to breathe so we took him to a different vet last night. he said the baytril wasnt working. he gave him 4 different antibiotic injections n said to bring him back thursday. so hopefully thatll help him.

Just remember to keep the humidty low til he starts to clear up, yeah he may have a bad shed , but that is the least or your worries right now, I hope he gets better quick, Did you find a herp vet or was it a reg vet?

it was a herp vet.

Any update on Casper ??