Is it my fault?

[Shamri]

Struggling with the loss of my 8 yo ball python, Atticus. I found out when we brought Atticus to the vet that he was actually a she, which explains her size. She wasn’t a giant by any means, but she was around 1900 grams and probably 4.5 feet long… anyhow, I noticed signs of respiratory illness one day and brought her in. She had never been sick before but she was a very well-behaved lady during her visit. Pretty sure the vet tech was in love She was still very active and we started her on oral antibiotics per the vet’s advice. She seemed to get better at first, then worse. Then she had a bowel movement, which I thought was a good sign. She refused to eat, but I Figured that was normal under the circumstances. she was showing some signs of distress continually, like elevating her head. She then started to look like she was going into shed. Her scales were at first flaky, and then a bit dull as you would expect. We finished a 10 day course of doxycycline. We didn’t give it to her every day - the vet said we could skip days if she seemed stressed. So it took us about two weeks… the day after her last dose, she was wheezing more, and when I went to check on her, she was so limp and lifeless. I rushed her to the e-vet, and they had to do an ultrasound to find her pulse. It all seemed so sudden. They recommended euthanasia, as there was very little hope for her…

I’m so heartbroken. I wonder if I did something wrong. She seemed to get worse when we started treatment.

RIP baby girl… I probably loved you more than you loved me, but that’s okay. I hope you know that I tried my best… but if I could go back in time and do better, I would.

[Bogertophis]

Oh....I'm so sorry for your sudden & very sad untimely loss. I don't think you did anything wrong*, & while maybe a necropsy could provide better answers, there's no guarantee that it would. Rest in peace, sweet Atticus.

*I can't promise that your vet did nothing wrong- it's unusual to give antibiotics orally to a snake- they're normally injected. I also haven't seen Doxycycline used for snakes, but maybe someone else has? It's possible that the drug used wasn't effective for the RI she had, but instead had side effects that contributed to her passing. Did they do lab work to determine which drug would be effective to treat her before starting her on the Doxycycline? Again, I'm so sorry.

Did your vet specialize in herps & exotics?
For future reference, this can help you find an experienced herp vet: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

[Armiyana]

I've seen oral doxy used a couple of times but usually only after a culture was done and if the injectibles aren't recommended. Or if the owner balks at bring the pet in for injections or doing them at home...

Sadly because of the metabolism, oral antibiotics can take a very long time to actually do anything when it comes to reptiles. Tube feeding oral antibiotics is definitely a better mechanism than just the actual liquid, which can cause more trouble if the pet inhales instead of swallows.
I have seen a few people actually manage to pill snakes in the past though and that was interesting

Edit: also without a culture, a broad spectrum antibiotic would be almost useless if the infection was fungal in nature, which can happen. In that case, it would only protect the snake from secondary infection from opportunistic bacteria.

[Caitlin]

God, I am so sorry this happened.

I am not a veterinarian; I was raised in a family of vets and worked my way through undergrad and grad school as a vet tech in exotics and laboratory settings. So it is very possible another member here will have better info than I do.

You clearly kept her successfully for many years. Still, after losing an animal I think it's always a good idea to take a close look at husbandry - it's not hard to have some critical element (temps, humidity, environmental stresses) slip out of control for a bit, and sometimes that's all it takes for the opportunistic bacteria, fungus, or viruses that are always present in the environment to take advantage of the situation. That said, I don't think you should blame yourself - you got her to the vet and followed the instructions you were given. The fact that she refused food is normal for snakes undergoing antibiotic treatment or who are struggling with a respiratory infection.

This is the hard part - please know that I am not being critical of you. I have lost beloved snakes myself. Reptile vets don't generally regard oral antibiotics as ideal for RI, though they are used sometimes. Ideally you'd want the vet to take a culture via a lung wash or tracheal swab to determine exactly what type of bacteria were involved, and then prescribe an antibiotic known to be most effective against that specific type of bacteria. I have to admit I have not often heard of doxycycline as the first choice antibiotic for RI. These days you'd typically see RI treated with injections of Ceftazidime (Fortrum), Cefotaxime (Claforin), or somewhat less often, Enrofloxacin (Baytril).

So in future - and I do hope that you find yourself willing to invite another snakey friend to your family someday - you might consider establishing a relationship with a reptile specialist veterinarian, or at least have one available that your regular veterinarian can consult with. None of this means that your snake got bad treatment, but I will admit I am a little uneasy about what you describe. She wasn't my snake, though, and you know your own veterinarian, so I don't want to jump to conclusions here. I just felt like I should share this info for your consideration.

[Caitlin]

Sorry, my post wouldn't accept this edit:

Editing to add: I felt like I should offer some explanation about the reluctance to prescribe oral antibiotics for snakes. It's because of snakes' unique digestive system. Snakes are designed to go for long periods of time without eating; their digestive systems are designed to go 'quiet' for long spans of time between meals. Because of that, they tend not to absorb oral antibiotics very efficiently, so injectables are best unless the keeper just adamantly refuses or is unable to give injections at home.

[Homebody]

First, my condolences. I know how you feel. I lost my BP 7 months ago and it still hurts. Second, your question, "Is it my fault?" Your actions were reasonable, responsible and loving. I don't think you should blame yourself. This experience, painful as it is, will only make you a better keeper. I think another herp would be lucky to have you, so I hope you won't let this deter you from continuing in the hobby.