Zeus is my pastel. He came to me with 4 other snakes (my lesser Titan, my 2 het albinos Arya and Anya, and my normal Cleo) after another 'breeder/collector' was changing his breeding plans. Shortly after I got them home, Zeus, Titan, and Anya all showed signs of RI. They all went to the vet, were cultured, and prescribed Baytril, which should have taken care of the RI according to the results of the swab. After the round of treatment, Titan and Anya improved, but Zeus didn't. Zeus was then prescribed Amikacin. After that round of antibiotics, he improved for a little bit. But then I heard the rattle again. So back to the vet we went, and Zeus was put on yet another round of Baytril. Again he improved for a bit, but then the RI came back quickly and with a vengeance.

That leads us up to today. My poor buddy Zeus is just getting sicker and sicker, and nothing is helping him. He's not eating so he's wasting away to nothing. I don't know if he can take another blast of antibiotics, especially after already having 3 rounds, considering the shape he's in. We've done everything the vet has directed, taken the suggestions of other breeder/owners, and - believe me when I tell you - I keep my snakes in immaculate condition. Besides those 3 snakes, none of my other snakes have ever been sick or had a problem (thank god).

I'm afraid I'm watching my beautiful boy die. I'm not sure what to do at this point and it's breaking my heart. Maybe I'm just looking for something to assuage the guilt I'm feeling. I just hope he keeps fighting the good fight and we find something to make him better, although I think I'm losing him. RI's are no joke.

Here's my buddy, Zeus: