I am starting to get really frustrated...

[Albert Clark]

Ok, the vet supplemented your bp's treatment with Fortaz that's probably why the Baytril was prescribed like that. IMO, you should give it time to eradicate with the higher temps. Check in with him though. Tazicef is the generic for Fortaz. Strong combination!

[Sauzo]

Oh I also forgot to add, if you talk to the vet, he/she might want to switch antibiotics to something like Fortaz. Depends on the vet. Like I said, mine did 2 rounds of Baytril and if that didn't clear it up, then it would be a new culture time to make sure it isn't something new and then probably an antibiotic switch. You got to remember also, antibiotics are harsh for a reptiles system. Sure they work but they pretty much wipe out good gut flora too. You should be using a probiotic as well. For a snake, maybe sprinkle some on her rat or mix some with some water and then inject it into the rat. I give my snakes probiotics every few months as just a "boost". Same with my beardie. Its good your snake hasn't lost its appetite. That is a big plus bonus.

Oh woops, guess I missed the Tazicef part. Ok so now I wonder why your vet prescribed 2 antibiotics after a culture was already done. All that is going to do is create a bacteria that will be resistant to both Baytril AND Fortaz. Usually its just one antibiotic and if that doesn't cure it, then you always have others to fall back on without creating a super bacteria. Oh well, guess your vets knows best as I'm not one

[BrianDallek]

So snakes get sick slow and they heal slow, so it may be just some lingering noises. That said keep a close eye on it. One thing I would like to address is this comment: "(im assuming you had a culture done in the first place to determine the exact bacteria it was and to make sure the Baytril was most effective on it)". Now I know he wasn't getting on you, but cultures cost about $100 and if the RI isn't real bad then most vets will give Baytril or Tazicef a shot before the culture because most of the time this works and can save you some money. I went through this with a snake came to me with a RI. I wrote about it in the thread below. Please read the whole thread to get the full picture. And the snake that had the RI is still in perfect shape today, close to a year later, with no signs of sickness and has grown over 800 grams. Research Tylan some and ask your vet about it, couldn't hurt.


http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...the-cure-TYLAN

[bcr229]

Oh woops, guess I missed the Tazicef part. Ok so now I wonder why your vet prescribed 2 antibiotics after a culture was already done. All that is going to do is create a bacteria that will be resistant to both Baytril AND Fortaz. Usually its just one antibiotic and if that doesn't cure it, then you always have others to fall back on without creating a super bacteria. Oh well, guess your vets knows best as I'm not one

Baytril and Fortaz target different types of bacteria, gram-pos versus gram-neg. I've had both prescribed simultaneously for my BP's with RI's.

Since the combo tends to knock out everything including beneficial gut flora, using a probiotic after the course of treatment is complete is also a good idea.

[Sauzo]

So snakes get sick slow and they heal slow, so it may be just some lingering noises. That said keep a close eye on it. One thing I would like to address is this comment: "(im assuming you had a culture done in the first place to determine the exact bacteria it was and to make sure the Baytril was most effective on it)". Now I know he wasn't getting on you, but cultures cost about $100 and if the RI isn't real bad then most vets will give Baytril or Tazicef a shot before the culture because most of the time this works and can save you some money. I went through this with a snake came to me with a RI. I wrote about it in the thread below. Please read the whole thread to get the full picture. And the snake that had the RI is still in perfect shape today, close to a year later, with no signs of sickness and has grown over 800 grams. Research Tylan some and ask your vet about it, couldn't hurt.


http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...the-cure-TYLAN

Oh I know they are expensive. $83 here but you need to make sure its bacterial and not viral or fungal as Baytril wont do squat for the last two and you will just be causing even more stress to an already immune compromised animal. My vet put my beardie on Baytril before the culture came back just as a precaution because its a wide spectrum bacterial antibiotic. I mean you can try antibiotics with no culture but imo that's like closing your eyes and throwing a dart a dartboard. Sure you can hit the bullseye but chances are you wont.

[Sauzo]

Baytril and Fortaz target different types of bacteria, gram-pos versus gram-neg. I've had both prescribed simultaneously for my BP's with RI's.

Since the combo tends to knock out everything including beneficial gut flora, using a probiotic after the course of treatment is complete is also a good idea.

As far I knew, both Baytril and Fortax worked on gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Maybe I'm wrong but i'm just a stickler for getting a "diagnosis" aka culture done as I personally like to know what exactly im fighting. But yeah that cocktail probably works good on snakes. I've been lucky and haven't had to deal with RI in snakes, just my beardie and it was a rough month or so since the Baytril upset her stomach and since Baytril also dehydrates the animal, I was having to feed her baby food mixed with probiotics every day by syringe dropping drips on her nose for her to lick off as well as giving her oral Baytril daily...oh god it was a nightmare.

[bcr229]

As far I knew, both Baytril and Fortax worked on gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Maybe I'm wrong but i'm just a stickler for getting a "diagnosis" aka culture done as I personally like to know what exactly im fighting. But yeah that cocktail probably works good on snakes. I've been lucky and haven't had to deal with RI in snakes, just my beardie and it was a rough month or so since the Baytril upset her stomach and since Baytril also dehydrates the animal, I was having to feed her baby food mixed with probiotics every day by syringe dropping drips on her nose for her to lick off as well as giving her oral Baytril daily...oh god it was a nightmare.

Yeah Baytril is really hard on their kidneys too. I think that's another reason it's recommended to keep the humidity high if the snake has an RI and is on Baytril, to help keep the critter hydrated.

[BrianDallek]

As far I knew, both Baytril and Fortax worked on gram positive and gram negative bacteria.

My vet told me that Fortaz covers a bigger spectrum than baytril, but also everything that baytril does. She said it works better for snakes.

[Sauzo]

Also as far I knew, Fortaz was only administered through injections while Baytril was oral OR injections. My vet asked if I wanted Fortaz for my beardie when she had RI but it was only injections and since I didn't feel comfortable doing that, she gave me Baytril orally for her.

[pbyeerts]

Is your BP coming in to shed? As the nasal passages begin to dry, the snake can make a whistle or other sound. I took Ginger in for a check up for this.

Cheers,
pamela