Pretty sure RI...

[gardenfiend138]

SO I am handling Diedra tonight and she starts drooling after about 10 minutes of handling. I immediately freak out and take her to my room to inspect her. She drooled when I put her on the table to look at her. I put her in a tub while I cleaned her tank and replaced the substrate with paper towels. I tried checking her mouth but I am too unsure of the proper force for restraining her and kept letting go when she struggled.. I handle her 2-3 times a week and always closely inspect her- she has never had any signs of wheezing, bubbling, and eats every Friday night like a champ. I always try and check her mouth when she realigns her jaw as this is the only time I can get a clear mouth shot, but now that I think if it the eating process may make the bubbles dissipate...I don't know. Anyway, the vet office opens tomorrow at 8, so I am going to make an appointment for the first time Saturday I can. She is about 850 grams, had her last meal this past Friday. She did seem to be passing urates more frequently than usually (3 times this week, twice in one day). Ambient temps have been a bit low here in SC lately, but temperatures have been fairly stable in her tank. Ill keep ya'll updated, but I'm pretty sure I am just going to have to deal with my first RI.

[mpkeelee]

She may have just gotten a drink and it could've been water and saliva mixed. U want to look for mucous. Listen to her breathing cuz any noise from her lungs all the way up will indicate an RI unless she has stuck shed in her nose, but that sounds different. Look for streaks of mucous on the walls of the enclosure from her rubbing her face.

[MoonlightBoas]

If your BP isn't showing any other symptoms of a RI, it's possible that she simply drank a bunch of water right before you started handling her. A few months ago, one of my Brazilian Rainbow Boas was drinking from his water bowl as I pulled out the tub. He immediately drooled the water back out. Hopefully it's something simple, but it's definitely a good idea to take your snake to the vet if you're concerned. Good luck.

[gardenfiend138]

Well, the fluid was very watery and not viscous at all. It had no noticeable smell either. When I took her out, she was half in her hid, half out, which means she very well could have, but it seems strange that it took her 10 minutes to work it up, it seems that it would have been more immediate? She has absolutely no wheezing, no abnormal behaviors (aside from the seemingly more frequent urate passings) i.e.- resting with head tilted up. I just read that "drooling" is a sign of advanced RI, even if no other symptoms are prevalent.
I have just never heard of this before--ever. I keep checking on her and there are no wet spots on the paper towels as of yet. Either way, the vet i go to is good about giving advice over the phone and is a very reputable exotic vet. Thanks for the replies though.

[MoonlightBoas]

Well, the fluid was very watery and not viscous at all. It had no noticeable smell either. When I took her out, she was half in her hid, half out, which means she very well could have, but it seems strange that it took her 10 minutes to work it up, it seems that it would have been more immediate? She has absolutely no wheezing, no abnormal behaviors (aside from the seemingly more frequent urate passings) i.e.- resting with head tilted up. I just read that "drooling" is a sign of advanced RI, even if no other symptoms are prevalent.
I have just never heard of this before--ever. I keep checking on her and there are no wet spots on the paper towels as of yet. Either way, the vet i go to is good about giving advice over the phone and is a very reputable exotic vet. Thanks for the replies though.

Hopefully all is well, but it's best to play it safe and take her to the vet. Please keep us updated.

[gardenfiend138]

I'm taking her in tomorrow morning...no appointments left, so it's going to be an emergency visit. That's at least 120 right off the top...part of me is kicking myself for taking her, because I'm 99% sure it was just water that she had recently drank, but I couldn't live with myself if it was an RI. I talked with some local herpers and they both said similar things have happened to them before with no negative future consequences...I'm still open to people's experiences with this! Thank you to those that have replied, I will update tomorrow when I get back.

[Inknsteel]

If you're thinking it was just water, don't rush out and pay the emergency vet fee. Just bump the temps up a couple degrees to be safe and watch him for the next couple days. If you see any more signs, make an appointment.

[Daybreaker]

Having delt with an RI for the past couple weeks and still monitoring the same snake, I would really recommend checking inside her mouth/throat. Here is a vid to show you how to do it, I don't think you'll harm her unless you're ridiculously rough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK0Uvln4lY0

Here is a pic of my girl's throat when she had a mild RI:



Her throat should be clear and open with not an excessive amount of bubbles or thick mucus.

[gardenfiend138]

Thanks for the link, I have seen that video before and that is the technique I was trying to use but I give in too easily :/ I'm going to try again tomorrow morning before I leave.
I thought I have read that there could be an RI without the common symptoms? Whaddya think, if the throat's clear then call off the vet?

[mpkeelee]

If u r worried about opening her mouth just wait til u have to give her injections. If u don't know how to do it and are worried go to the vet. I would bump temps up and make a normal appointment instead of rushing in and paying for an emergency when this isn't yet.