Seeking Input From People Experienced W/ Respiratory Infection

[SquamishSerpents]

Skiploder, Have you read the entire thread? I appreciated your post in the IBD thread, because any new information is good information, however I think suggesting a virus at this point is premature. If you would like to post why it would appear to respond and then come back, I am open to new information, always. I'm sure anybody else who is reading this thread would also like to know this information. At this point it seems like you are trying to set yourself up to say "I told you so!" in the future.

I'm not sure why it's so hard to believe that a snake who has been improperly treated would still be sick. The vet "treating her" has no idea what he's doing, and RI's happen all of the time. Almost every breeder I know who has bred for a significant period of time has had to deal with an RI. Not sure why exactly you seem to think it would be OPMV when it "appears" to be a simple RI. If you could outline what exactly is leading you to believe it is a virus and not a bacterial infection, that would be appreciated.

Like I said, I asked for a culture. I have been calling around, trying to get a culture done. Do you really think, if a culture was available to me in the first place, I would have a) turned it down, then b) kept this snake alive for this long, battling with the "exotics vet" trying to treat her and c) spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars, trying to treat her. I paid $600 for her and I am WELL OVER that amount in vet costs, medication costs, xray costs, etc. Would you, personally, let JUST ANYBODY fill up your snakes lung with liquid, or would you prefer that they have education in collecting such samples?

This case, IMO, is LIKELY NOT OPMV. I'm not saying definitely that it isn't. I'm not saying for sure it's not a virus. I'm just saying that I'm not going at it that way, at this point.

I've known many people with recurring UTIs. It goes on for YEARS. Guess what? Those people take their antibiotics til they feel better, then they stop. Then they get their UTI back and wonder why. For anybody still wondering WHY, when you pick up a prescription, it has that little pamphlet that says in big bold letters KEEP TAKING THIS MEDICATION, EVEN IF YOU ARE FEELING BETTER, please do a quick Google search on antibiotic resistance.

But back to snakes. Every time my snake has responded to the antibiotics, THEY RAN OUT BEFORE SHE WAS BETTER. The first time the vet advised me to "wean her off" the antibiotics, (about 8 doses of Baytril,) she still had mucus. I was concerned about running out, so I asked for more. He said she was fine if she appears to have improved, so I should slowly give her less and less of a dose every day. That is when I questioned his knowledge on antibiotics

I mean, I honestly can't even go over this concept again. It's a dead horse. I can't even repeat myself in any other way, to get my point across.

Every single RI is not a virus. And it feels to me like you are jumping to those conclusions and trying to scare me into believing that it is a virus. If so, why? I am aware that OPMV exists, I have researched it to the best of my ability.

If I had a vet who know what he was doing, and treated her adequately, and THEN her RI didn't respond, THEN I would be worried. But that is simply just not the case.

Just in case you are wondering, she is under strict quarantine. The most strict that I can possibly provide, at this point. My only other option would be to quarantine her at my Mom's house, but with her smoking a pack a day in her apartment, I think that would do more harm than good.

She is quarantined in her own room. I don't touch her until the very end of the day, directly before I shower. When I do touch her, I use disposable nitrile gloves. I dispose of these gloves in a garbage bin separate from the snake room garbage bin. Same with any substrate that I remove from her tank. I do not touch door handles after I have touched her. I don't use any equipment that has been used for her, on any other snake. Even after disposing of the gloves, I wash my hands with antibacterial soap. I don't touch the faucet handles with my hands, I use my elbows. When I dry my hands, I use paper towel and dispose of it immediately. She has her very own ceramic water dish that doesn't get swapped with anybody elses. When I do wash it, I soak it in bleach, scrub it with paper towel and then dispose of it, and then I put it through the dishwasher and make sure to use the drying cycle.

Honestly, this is the very best I can do with regards to quarantining her.

Skiploder, I am not trying to be snarky. I 100% respect your knowledge and your opinion. I just want to know WHY you think this is a virus and not a bacterial infection?

Like I said. I will keep y'all posted on her progress.