Ongoing RI

[zina10]

Yes, health care is expensive. The prices you quoted are actually not that bad. The Vet has high college tuition to pay back. The vet hospital has overhead. They have to pay their employees, the rent or mortgage on the building, the expense of all the (VERY) expensive machinery. Not to mention ongoing bills such as electricity, etc etc.

Unless they have a "in house" lab (with more extremely expensive equipment) they have to send off certain samples to big labs. That is not free to them, either.

So yes, long story short, vets cost a good bit of money. Yet, I've never seen a "filthy rich vet" ever.

The truth is, if you want to have animals, pets, you have to not only think about the start up cost, or the cost of the animal. That is the least expense you will have. Housing, husbandry HEALTH care. That is where it gets expensive. The sad fact is, pets get sick or hurt. Even if one doesn't have much money, you have to have a "emergency" plan for EACH pet. And if you can't afford that, you should have less pets.

I know that sounds like I'm preaching or not sympathetic. Far from it. I've done mistakes as well, I used to have more animals then I should have. Vet bills hit HARD. My horses colic surgery cost $7000 !!!! Yes, $7000. For an older mare. With no guarantee that it would have saved her. Thankfully it did. And I love that horse. I had to scrape by, dip into emergency funds, etc. And if I didn't get the funds together (on my own, I might say, no go fund me or other business) I would have had her humanely put to sleep. You do what you have to do.

I'm not saying you should kill your snake. What I'm saying is do whatever it takes to get it the help. If its been an ongoing issue you HAVE to have a culture. Whatever was done before, obv. didn't work 100%. Like someone else mentioned, while the culture is run, the snake will still be treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic. But the treatment can and will be adjusted if needed after the results are in. Sell stuff, sell other animals to a good home, if need be.

Or...give the snake to someone that is willing to and can afford the treatment.

None of that is easy, it stinks. But what can you do ?

If you do nothing, you know where that will end up. And the longer you wait, the worse such a thing gets. It can get to the point where so much damage is done to the respiratory system, that it will be chronic. Or worse.

Again, I did not meant to preach at you. I'm just saying...the Vet isn't trying to hurt you. The snake needs treatment. Now, sit down and think about what you could do. And if you can't get it done, find someone that could .

After that, prepare for emergencies for your other animals, there WILL be other times when you will face them.