Q about urgency of vet visit for RI

[Steve-J]

I am sooo upset. I heard my girl (J.J.) making a very faint "clicking" sound this morning and started searching here, read all the posts and saw a (very good) video on how to inspect for bubbles with the mouth open looking at the nasal cavity. I waited til this afternoon to check (because she just had a large meal 1.5 days ago) and unfortunately there were tiny bubbles. . . I had noticed a change in her behavior since her shed ended on friday and I think it happened because I left a moist hide for her shed on each side (I am totally kicking myself now that I realize) because she didn't seem interested in the warm side hide, and I have been struggling with low humidity. Here's the question. I know I am taking her in as soon as possible, which can be on tuesday (if i take off from work) or on wednesday when I am already off work. there is also an animal 911 pretty close to here and they deal with exotics. I called and I can go in now but (here's where I am uncertain) they have someone who "has some knowledge of snakes, but is not the specialist" and that has me worried. I know of an excellent Dr for reptiles that is farther away and i would go there on tue or wed. so, 1. since this has just manifested itself, will another day or two be a big issue (I'm totally worried, so I want to go now) and 2. would it be better to wait to see someone who is more experienced and knowledgeable, even though my J.J. would have to wait a couple more days? I appreciate any and all opinions. . .


Also! I forgot to ask, I read that the usual antibiotics are Baytril, Fortaz, and Amikacin. One member here was recommending Fortaz. Is it a choice, or does it depend on the type of infection which one is used?

[llovelace]

Teus. should be fine. Does she appear to have any problems breathing?

[Steve-J]

Teus. should be fine. Does she appear to have any problems breathing?

I don't think so, she has been "stargazing" ( a term i've only read about on here recently) but not with her mouth open. and if I didn't look inside I wouldn't have seen any bubbles, she's not "wheezing" or anything. I don't mind the extra cost for the "animal 911" place i'm just not sure if I trust their person who is on call. . .

[dr del]

Hi,

Did she get all the shed off ok?


dr del

[Steve-J]

Hi,

Did she get all the shed off ok?


dr del

yes, I didn't think she was even using the humid hide, but on friday morning I found the rolled up shed intact in the humid hide on the cool side. I had also been putting a damp towel over the top (glass enclosure w/screen top) because I had low humidity last time. this was only her second shed for me, she is only 3 months old, 150g . I'm definitely not going to put a humid hide on the cool side next time, it's just that when I put in one on the warm side it had an opening on the top and I put it in when she was "in the blue" and it seemed like she didn't notice it, I was concerned that she needed more humidity so I put one on the other side too with a hole in the side. I think this is how she got the infection,but of course I don't know for sure. she is also in a new (larger) enclosure, she seemed fine when she first was checking out the new digs, then unfortunately she went into shed the same day I put her in, I'm hoping she's not too stressed out. does a day or two matter for getting her on the antibiotic? if so I will go tomorrow (the snake person is supposed to be there tomorrow).

[Homegrownscales]

If it's only clicking I would first bump her heat and humidity. Bumping the heat up a few degrees sometimes helps stop the Ri in it's tracks. You should still have her checked out though. The humid hide probably wasn't the source of the Ri. I wouldn't beat yourself up or anything. Stress, low temps, etc Can Jump start an Ri. Also double check her temps to make sure. Just in case. Good luck!

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[Skiploder]

The vet will determine the best antibiotic to use, so don't worry to much about that.

It is always better if they can culture the infection first. Too many antibiotic-resistant strains floating about these days. However, due to the snake's young age the vet may wish to forego a culture and start with the broadest spectrum drug.

Don't worry about humidity right now. Make sure your temps are correct and keep providing a humid hide. The hide will suffice for her humidity needs.

I know it's hard, but the best thing you can do right now is (1) make sure all of her husbandry parameters are correct and (2) leave her alone - no handling, no fussing about with her enclosure, etc. She needs to be relaxed and secure.

In the meantime, I would be surprised if the doctor you are waiting to see on Wednesday does not have an 24/7 answering service - most vets do. Check and see if he does, because the odds are that you can either speak to him or get an earlier appointment.

Make sure that you give the vet the pertinent info - the young age of the snake and the symptoms being key, and see what they recommend.

She may not even have an URI - they make all sorts of odd noises when stressed - clicking, sighing, wheezing, etc. The key is how often she does it and when she does it - is it with every breath? Does it only happen when you are holding her?

Secondly, the presence of tiny bubbles in the mouth can be misread - a certain amount of saliva is normal, and depending on how close it is to the glottis, some small air bubbles may also not be out of line.

As for stargazing, there is a big difference between stargazing that is associated with neurological issues and the normal pointless overhead staring some snakes do. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Steve-J]

Update: The vet put her on the Ceftazidime (Fortaz) but overall she looked very good with the exception of pale appearance to the inside of her mouth and the presence of mucous. the tiny bubbles in the upper interior nasal cavity did correspond to an RI. My thanks go out to Skiploder for the info and assistance. I'm watching temps and (as difficult as it is) not messing with the enclosure or handling, just letting her get better. BTW, I totally misused the term "stargazing" in the earlier post, now that I've read even MORE, what I should have said was "slightly elevating her head more frequently than usual".
Additional questions: is the humid hide recommended only when I see that she is going into a shed, or keep it around all of the time?
And
Should I keep her on her feeding schedule (she has been taking a meal every 5 days) even though she is being treated for the RI?

[Skiploder]

Update: The vet put her on the Ceftazidime (Fortaz) but overall she looked very good with the exception of pale appearance to the inside of her mouth and the presence of mucous. the tiny bubbles in the upper interior nasal cavity did correspond to an RI. My thanks go out to Skiploder for the info and assistance. I'm watching temps and (as difficult as it is) not messing with the enclosure or handling, just letting her get better. BTW, I totally misused the term "stargazing" in the earlier post, now that I've read even MORE, what I should have said was "slightly elevating her head more frequently than usual".
Additional questions: is the humid hide recommended only when I see that she is going into a shed, or keep it around all of the time?
And
Should I keep her on her feeding schedule (she has been taking a meal every 5 days) even though she is being treated for the RI?

If she'll eat, feed her. It won't hurt the antibiotic therapy. Just be careful that an injection isn't scheduled within 24 to 48 hours after feeding her - you don't need the hassle of dealing with a regurge/vomit while she's recovering.

Ceftazidime is every third day - right (ETD on the label)? If that's the case, I'd try offering her food no more than 12 hours after an injection. That gives her over 48 to get digestion under way before she gets another one.......

If she doesn't eat what's offered fairly quickly, don't tease feed her or mess around too much.

I'd recommend keeping the humid hide as a permanent fixture.