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  1. #1
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    Healing from RI question

    What is the healing process for a ball python that has been fighting a respiratory infection for months? My snake is finishing off a 30 day treatment with amerikacin.( 2 pryor months of Fortaz injections that were ineffective which is when a culture was done.) Has shown a lot of progress but still shows signs of breathing complications. The vet said that I should finish out the rest of the injections (3 doses) and keep an eye on his progress after the treatment. He seems to think that the infection is mostly cleared up but at this point my snake has scar tissue in his lung that could be the cause of the audible clicking/puffing. I was told to bump the humidity up to allow for miostening of his lung/mouth in order to cut down irritation and allow for healing.
    My main concern is how serious Is potiental scarring in the lung and how recovery is going to take place? Does my snake have to "cough" up the crud in his lungs or does it dissipate and heal?

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran RedRabbit's Avatar
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    Hmm ... I am going to speak as an MD, mixed in with the tidbits I've learned about BPs, but obviously I am by no means a veterinarian so take all of this with a grain of salt. A respiratory infection, whether in humans or snakes, can occur in the upper respiratory regions (nasal passages, trachea) or in the lungs themselves. In your snake's case, it sounds like it was affecting the lungs - or rather, lung (singular), as BPs have only one functional lung. (I believe what's left of the "left lung" is vestigial, at best.) If he responded to treatment with the antibiotic amikacin, then we also assume the source of infection was bacterial, rather than viral or fungal. The "clearing up" of the infection would mean that the bacteria itself is eradicated, and the acute inflammation caused by the infection is in the process of being reduced.

    Your vet is probably advising the increased humidity to promote continued healing of the inflamed areas of the lung - though I would also caution not to overshoot with the humidity either, which might just promote recurrence of different bacterial/fungal growth. However, if scarring of the lung tissue has occurred, that would be irreversible, so you may still hear the clicking even after your snake has recovered as fully as he can. The scarring will mean there are portions of the lung that are no longer functional for oxygen exchange, meaning reduced capacity for overall oxygen intake - I guess an equivalent in humans would be pulmonary fibrosis, in its various forms. This may also lead to the heart needing to work a bit harder to pump blood through the scarred part(s) of the lung. However, the good news is that snakes have overall lower oxygen requirement than we do (I believe their oxygen demand mainly increases during digestion and, of course, sustained physical activity). If the area of scarring is not especially large, and since your snake is in being cared for in captivity and will not need to physically exert himself too much, there's a good chance that he'll be okay and can just keep doing his thing.

    Do note that snakes do not have diaphragms, and thus are incapable of coughing to expel mucus/discharge. If there is excess fluid in the lung, it will just need to reabsorb over time as the inflammation goes down.

    If there are any herpetologists or vets here with considerably more expertise, please do chime in for correction/clarification! I'd be very interested to learn more as well.
    Last edited by RedRabbit; 12-15-2018 at 01:59 PM.

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  4. #3
    BPnet Lifer dakski's Avatar
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    Re: Healing from RI question

    My two cents as an "experienced" keeper (over 20 years keeping reptiles of various kinds (snakes, turtles, and lizards) and species (skinks, bearded dragons, geckos, etc. as well as BP's, Boas, and corn snakes) who's dealt with RI's 2X. 1X 20 years ago when I fostered a wild caught BP who had been mistreated and had a mild, but chronic, RI, and needed injections of antibiotics, to cure her. Most recently, I acquired a male juvenile carpet python who got lost by fedex in shipment. He had a full blown, life threatening, RI, within 2 days of being with me. It took 10 injections of antibiotics over 30 days and then 21 days of daily nebulizer treatments of antibiotics, as well as some rest after all that, to kill the bacteria, for the symptoms to clear up 99%, and for him to start eating again.

    He is now 99% symptom free and eating regularly.

    I have been told it can take a while for the symptoms to completely disappear. He now shows zero signs of an RI, but if he over-exerts himself, he will slightly pop/click. Having said that, there is no way, now 3 weeks out of any major symptoms, and 2 weeks+ removed from any symptoms without stress/strain, that the RI is coming back, or is back. Since snakes cannot cough or sneeze, it takes a long time for the mucus/gunk to dissipate. Additionally, a snakes respiratory system is not as separate as ours (upper and lower) is more of a continuous system. So, if one part is compromised, the whole thing tends to be. This can add to symptoms and prolong healing time. You also touched on scarring, which can also be an issue.

    The 1% symptom issue that I noticed the other day was probably my Carpet (Yafe) feeling good enough to exert himself and really breathe deep and push his system thus causing the last bit of gunk out.

    What I look for are other symptoms as well. He has been flicking his tongue consistently, a good sign. He has been eating, a great sign. He has been drinking and peeing, another great sign. When I hold him (which I am doing sparingly still), he appears calm and comfortable, with a calm and normal grip without overly squeezing or odd movements.

    Regarding humidity, I would keep humidity close to normal at this point. Maybe 5% higher, unless in shed, but not more.

    Yafe requires similar humidity to a BP. He likes about 60%. I've been keeping him about 60-65% since the RI. During the RI, to help things clear, I was keeping him closer to 65-70%, more like he was in shed.

    Bottom line, and I know I went on here, I think it can take a long time for everything to clear up. Give it time and handle and stress as little as possible.

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