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  1. #41
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Buttercup View Post
    Thanks for all of the info. I really do appreciate it! I feel like I responded to you but don't see it. Tired, stressed,& kinda losing track of my posts.

    Re the photo, we only had him out of his enclosure for a few minutes. Daughter brought him over & I quickly snapped a couple of photos on my phone. He went right back to his tank. At that point we had him for about 2 months. That is how he looked upon arrival. We assumed he was a healthy boy.

    Can you please elaborate on how he doesn't look healthy in the Santa pic? Now, I am very curious. Vet did suggest that its possible he came to us already ill... Post or message me, plz. Super interested in your thoughts. Thx!

    He was shipped to us as you described.

    No lab work. Prescribed Fortaz, said had good results with it/ball pythons/septicemia in the past. He also prescribed Carafate to add to the "food" (Emerald IC Carnivore) for GI support.


    1
    I think you initially missed this post, no big deal...lots going on in thread and real life too.

    Initially I assumed you took him (like to a mall or pet store?) to see Santa (photo op); sorry if this was a home pic, but it never hurts to learn the best way to transport.

    I said he didn't look that healthy in the photo just because he's on the thin side, not much muscle tone showing. It's just my gut reaction from 35 years of living with snakes-not so much I can specifically point out to you, so don't feel bad about not seeing something. We ought to be able to trust breeders to sell us healthy snakes, but sadly that doesn't always happen. The more you look at snakes & live with them, the more you can pick up on, even in photos, but especially in person.

    I have no experience with Carafate, so no opinion on that. Fortaz may well be the right thing, but without lab work, it's a guess that may or may not be right for whatever this snake is dealing with. As I said, IF it's the wrong drug, it won't help, & can make him worse just because of the delay getting the RIGHT drug, and because of the side effects that most antibiotics have on a fragile snake's body. Keeping my fingers crossed for him.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 02-15-2020 at 03:37 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  2. #42
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    ...
    Fortaz may well be the right thing, but without lab work, it's a guess that may or may not be right for whatever this snake is dealing with. As I said, IF it's the wrong drug, it won't help, & can make him worse just because of the delay getting the RIGHT drug, and because of the side effects that most antibiotics have on a fragile snake's body. Keeping my fingers crossed for him.
    That's why I asked if any lab work was done. Often it's not, some vets ask & some don't (some assume you won't like the price or are just confident -?- about their 'guess').

    The potential harm can come from doing a whole course of one antibiotic, then having to do another with a different one...but I am NOT suggesting you stop in the middle of giving Fortaz now...just helping you (or others reading) learn for "next time", what the options are at the outset.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 02-15-2020 at 04:04 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  4. #43
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    I'm truly sorry, as I'm sure others here are, to learn of your snake's untimely passing. I hope you don't mind that I'm sharing what I learned from our PM's...it's just
    that I know it hurts right now for you to talk about your loss, & after being on forums for years, it's always tough to wonder what the "rest of the story" is when the
    OP doesn't update the thread. You & your vet tried your best to do what you could, but from where I stand, the deck was always stacked against you...I believe it's
    likely that she was never healthy from the start...I'm so sorry for your loss, I hope she now rests in peace, & that you never again have such bad luck with a newly-
    cherished pet. I also hope that perhaps in time, you'll be ready to try again. We've all "lost" snakes, it just goes with the territory, & while it's never easy when
    any pet passes away, I also think that my life was better for having known them, as I'm sure yours is too. Time heals...
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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    bcr229 (02-28-2020),Caitlin (03-02-2020),EL-Ziggy (02-28-2020),Luvyna (02-28-2020)

  6. #44
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Thx!
    I appreciate your help.
    We are still wanting answers we won’t ever get. Very frustrating.
    The seller says all her pythons remain healthy, our buddies siblings, too. Idk.
    Oh, well. My daughter wants another one but is afraid she will lose another one. Too sad
    Thx, again.

  7. #45
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Update:
    So, sadly we put our boy down.
    We did everything possible.

    Our vets say it was likely he was ill when he got to us, we’ll never know.

    We are aware it could have been due to our inexperience. Dreadful thought.

    No snakes for a while. Sad.

    I now hate seeing balls listed as perfect starter pets on nearly every reptile site. Really?

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    Bogertophis (02-29-2020)

  9. #46
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Buttercup View Post
    ...I now hate seeing balls listed as perfect starter pets on nearly every reptile site. Really?
    I've always disagreed with that advice- the main reason BPs got that reputation is because they're calm snakes that seldom bite, & they don't get too big. What they don't
    explain is how hard it is to get the higher temps. & humidity just right, and just how frustrating it is when your BP won't eat. (they usually eat pretty well when young, but
    typically do some fasting when they're adults) BPs are not in short supply either, so pet stores can buy them cheaply & re-sell them for a good profit...when those shopping for a pet constantly see a certain kind of snake readily available, it implies they're the best choice; often, they're the only choice, at least locally, but they're not the easiest, that's for sure.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 02-29-2020 at 03:54 AM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  10. #47
    BPnet Veteran Moose84's Avatar
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Stewart_Reptiles View Post
    Feeding issues are were most likely husbandry related based on your statement (baby in 40 gallons tank) which is typical with new owners. It became a vicious circle and was not addressed soon enough (should have been addressed withing the first 2 to 4 weeks)

    An adult can not a baby and no if their husbandry are met, babies and juvies are eating machine.

    Vet likely overreacted because most vets do not understand those animals and what triggers them and think the magic solution for everything is antibiotic and force feeding rather than promoting normal feeding behaviour by making necessary husbandry changes.

    that reinforces my belief that your vet is not experienced with BP (this alone is enough to kill an animal that has been weaken because of being of feed for too long). Your vet does not understand the toll a snake digestion process takes not to mention the stress associated with force feeding let alone every other day.

    I am still not getting where the septicemia comes in what were the symptoms?

    Do you have a thermostat in your enclosure? Is your substrate damp?
    Unfortunately Deb is 1,000% accurate here. Not sure how a vet would diagnose sepsis without doing blood work to include cultures.. What it ultimately sounds like here is this animal was kept in less than desirable conditions and then was stressed to the absolute max with force feeding and antibiotics. If sepsis was indeed the case a culture should have been performed to treat the animal appropriately..

    Not every vet "does exotics" as they claim unfortunately.. I recently took our K9 in for an ear infection. They have seen him his entire life. New vet there and asked what other pets are in the house. I informed her that we only had snakes and they were in a dedicated space that's not near where the dog goes. She told me, "I do exotics too. I love snakes.. I just don't do poisonous. Total turn off. We are lucky to have a Dr. Stahl within 30 minutes of us who SPECIALIZES in exotics.

    In closing this probably isn't what people wanted to hear but maybe it can save another animals life and save someone else quite a bit of money..

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  12. #48
    Registered User MamaRhea's Avatar
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Buttercup View Post
    Update:
    So, sadly we put our boy down.
    We did everything possible.

    Our vets say it was likely he was ill when he got to us, we’ll never know.

    We are aware it could have been due to our inexperience. Dreadful thought.

    No snakes for a while. Sad.

    I now hate seeing balls listed as perfect starter pets on nearly every reptile site. Really?
    I just read through this whole thread this morning, and am just unspeakably sad to see this update. I am so very sorry for your loss. I know you did your very best, and I am sure the vet was well meaning, and sometimes things don't go the way we want them to. I do hope you guys find the heart to try again. Starting with a strong healthy animal will likely make just a world of difference. I know this this forum is just a VAST resource for all things reptile, and I am quite certain someone can point you in the direction of a reputable breeder that can supply you with a healthy snake if you ever decide to try again. Just make sure you thoroughly sterilize the enclosure and everything in it first, as I am sure you already knew.

    I wish you and your family the best of luck in your future reptilian ventures <3

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  14. #49
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Thank you! We feel the snake wasn’t healthy when we received him.

    New snake owners. Learning. Snake was not eating. Studied & read lots of info about that.
    He ate once & threw up. Never ate again. She brained. She put kfc box w mouse, etc, etc, etc...
    She tried it all. The snake didn’t eat. :/ He starved. We did correct humidity/temps/water.

    Just you know the extent we cared about him, we went to vet & spent a lot on meds & feeding etc. hoped he would recover. Feeding. Injections. Loved that boy.

    Can u ask? Daughter (17) wants a ball but she is afraid of receiving another ill snake. Suggestions?

  15. #50
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    Re: Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

    Im so sorry for your loss.

    Perhaps after youve grieved and decide you are ready, a corn snake would be a good choice if you are unsure about another bp.

    Sent from my LM-X220 using Tapatalk

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    Bogertophis (03-15-2020)

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