Vetinary Books

[srozell]

I would really like to learn how to treat my own snakes for most, if not all of the possible snake ailments I may see during the course of my life.

I realize that this will probably mean going back to school, but I'm wondering if anyone can reccommend some good books to help me get started.

[SatanicIntention]

I hope that you realize that treating an animal for an ailment/disease/injury should really only be done by a qualified veterinarian. Only he/she can correctly and legally diagnose a health problem AND properly identify what medications are to be used and what aren't.

Also, unless you make a VERY good friendship with a local vet, prescription medications are difficult at best to obtain. Antibiotics such as Baytril(enrofloxacin) are not to be used lightly or haphazardly, and it is also incredibly expensive. Around $60 for a 30ml bottle of injectable 100mg/ml solution. Sometimes medications have to be compounded by a pharmacist. This is expensive and only a vet has connections to be able to do this.

I am a veterinary technician, and I, by myself, cannot diagnose an illness, perform surgery, write prescriptions or dispense medications without being in a veterinarian's direct or indirect(same building, different room) supervision. I do know how to recognize different illnesses and can suggest my findings to the veterinarian, but cannot diagnose the illness by myself. It is illegal for me to do so.

Yes, you can treat some of the minor injuries by yourself with home remedies, but what would happen if your snake suddenly had a neurologic episode? Or started having a hardening or a mass in its intestinal region? What if the snake came in as a rescue and had scale rot, blister disease and a raging respiratory infection, and on top of that had a massive load of internal and external parasites? How could anyone go about treating that by themselves, not to mention diagnosing what types of internal parasites the animal had and knowing what medication what appropriate. To be able to correctly identify parasites, even to the tiniest protozoa(crypto, coccidia and giardia), you will need a microscope that magnifies at least 100x(oil immersion). We use one that costs around $1800 apiece.

Getting an education to be knowledgeable on general animal care and treatment is one thing, but wanting to get an education so you will never have to take the animal to the vet isn't acceptable. Veterinarians are there for a reason, and the cost is minimal compared to the life of an animal.

That's just my two cents and $5 deposit.

[frankykeno]

Fact of life, if you have animals...you have associated vet costs. Whether you have only one snake or a huge collection, it's just the way of it and as it should be.

I've seen Adam with his large collection and his years of experience, consistently encouraging people to seek vet advice/treatment. I figure if someone like Adam says "see a vet"...I see the vet (why reinvent the wheel right?) I figure over time and experience with a larger number of snakes I might be able to indentify that a problem is brewing that at this point I might miss the first signs of, but I'll always rely on a trusted herp vet to determine what's going on and how to appropriately deal with it.

Just my thoughts...


~~Jo~~

[srozell]

Please note that I never mentioned trying to make do without a vet. I want to learn so that I can understand the physiology of my snakes better, and understand the types of symptoms and conditions to keep an eye for.

[cassandra]

I have no clue about books, but I did see this really cool looking poster (which I can only assume is accurate since I have no idea) on (general?) snake anatomy.

For a larger image, go to the webpage above:


If I had the wall space, I'd get it, hehe. =)