My luck is terrible

[Skiploder]

I did not misunderstand your point; on the contrary, I focused my attention on all of them equally. Did you read my post, or just skim through it? Regardless, I understand now that you decided to focus on one thing.

I didn't have the money for a culture(it was $120) nor an x-ray($180). They did request that I pay for one, but I couldn't so they opted for amikacin. They didn't mention anything about feeding, as far as I can recall. They did mention potential kidney damage, but said I didn't have to worry because it was only 1 unit every 3 days.

So from all the worry here, I gather that I was under-informed. Am I right in this regard, then?

Digestion requires, among other things, water, and it requires the production of uric acid which is work that the kidneys need to do.

A sick snake on a medication that can stress the renal system means that you need to do everything possible to ensure that your snake does not suffer kidney damage during treatment. One of the safest ways to insure that is to fast your snake. You have started down a road that is going to be very difficult for your snake - a harsh medication and being stabbed with a needle every 72 hours. There is a good chance that the stress of all this may change it's drinking habits or make it prone to other ailments. That is why it is imperative that you allow for those changes and also make choices that guarantee that you will only be doing one round of medication.

Additionally, any antibiotic will deplete the good bacteria along with the bad, impairing the bacteria in the digestive system that aids in the processing of food.

While I do not understand why the vet would have wanted to do an x-ray, it would have been wise to allow him to do a culture. Not only would this have pinpointed the bacteria responsible, but also which antibiotic it would be most effective in treating it. Such a culture may have shown that a less hard-core antibiotic could have been used - it may have even shown that no infection was present.

It would have also guaranteed only one round of treatment.

If your snake indeed has scale rot and an URI, then something in his environment is off and it's not low humidity - I can guarantee you that. However, from the pic of the rot and the description of the one symptom you posted, I'm not sure he had either. The fact that your vet would pinpoint the cause to a non-cause is concerning.

Snakes can click for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with bacterial infections and depending on the animal, you may see some fluid/saliva when you open their mouths. If that saliva is near the glottis, it may appear bubbly during respiration.

So a few extra $$$ on a culture may have saved the money for the antibiotics and 30 days of jabbing the animal with a needle filled with a strong medication.

Were you under informed? Some vets will both insist on a culture and also take the time to explain to you why it is a critical step in the process. I would only do business with vets that ensure that you fully understand the importance of this step.