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RI and Shed Issues

Sarah, I'm curious to see the culture results. I worked in a large hospital lab for years, in the Microbiology-Bacteriology dept. most of those years, reading culture plates, ID'ing bacteria and fungi (including yeast), and reporting out antibiotic sensitivities. We'd get cultures sometimes from the local veterinarians. Which would perk up our day, since animals normal fora is different, and pathogens are different.
I wonder where the culture plates are incubating.

And people DO care. :D
 
Sarah, if you need help, lemme know.

I'll pm you my phone number

if nothing else, I can come hold him for you or help with the shot.

What vet are you going to?
 
Thanks guys, I might take you up on that Darcy!
I went to Animal Care Unlimited, it is off Sawmill. And I saw Dr. Burton, he seemed to know what he was talking about.

Eric when I get the results back I'll let you know--they said that they will be able to tell me if it is resistant to the antibiotic I'm giving him.
 
I was going to recommend them... lol

They see all kinds of exotics.

lemme know when you have to give it next, we'll see what we can do there.

You could also try OSU, but it would probably be more expensive.
 
An Update and Pics

I still haven't heard back about the culture, but I went ahead and offered Circ a slightly smaller mouse. He took it like it was the last mouse on earth, and he was the lucky snake to find it. Though mid way through nom, he got spooked and drug it in his tube--where he finished sucking it down. After he gulped that mouse down, he had a really pronounced lump under his chin--what was one of the most alarming symptoms I saw that made me bring him in. I don't think it was the mouse, since the lump was smaller then the mouse, and it had already passed.

I took some pictures, even though the quality is SUCKY cause I fed him in isolation--not wanting to stress him out by trying to drag him out of his tube (which is usually impossible). Anyone have any ideas what this might be? The vet said mucus build up could be it--but I'm not sure.
sickcirc002.jpg

sickcirc004.jpg

sickcirc005.jpg
 
It is a funky bump, cause it goes away once he's picked up or after he moves around for a while. It is only when he is sitting for a long time that it develops. I didn't want to get him out to try to get a better pic.

His heat is at 96--which is pretty warm, but he'd been at the high end of his range when he got sick, and the vet said to move the temps up more. He'll get his next shot Monday early.
 
Well at least he ate which is good- the bump could be mucus which means it should clear with the medicine- sorry wish I could be more helpful.:(
 
Danielle, I appreciate the comiseration--it is hard having a sick pet. I don't think it is possible to tell what it is--and if it goes away I wont care. He has never skipped a meal with me--I like to think that is a good sign, and he's put on good weight, hasn't lost any with the sickness.

I just am worrying that lethargy is the symptom of an advanced illness, but usually going off food and losing weight happen first! It is hard to know if my other snakes are sick, because they all eat too!
 
Has the vet seen the lump? I _think_ Maize411 had a snake that had a lump there, but I don't remember ever finding out what it was...
 
I told the vet about the lump, but it had gone away by the time we got to the vet. It only develops after the snake has been sitting. It is soft and squishy, which does make me think mucus or fluid build up.
 
I think with the other snake, salivary gland obstruction was mentioned. Did the lump appear during the whole respiratory infection thing, or sometime before?
 
Well Circ didn't have that many of the "typical" symptoms of an RI, besides when I picked him up he'd make a noise like a chirp, but he never made that noise again when I'd hold him, just when I picked him up.
The two things that made me take him to the vet was the bulge under his chin and he became very lethargic. He is still eating with gusto, he hasn't lost any weight, but he is still lethargic and has that bump. But I'm not surprised that the meds haven't had that much of a chance to work.
I don't know about the salivary gland, but the vet did stick a probe down his throat to do a swab, I hope he'd have seen something then if there was a localized inflamation or sore. Because the swelling goes down on its own, I don't want to try draining it, just hoping the antibiotics can kill off any infection so he can heal!
 
I'd imagine it's something more than a blockage if his white cell count was elevated. :( I'd bring in a fecal for them to check as soon as he poos.
 
I just gave him his next dose, he is more active now, but I think I got it in. There seemed to be too much left in the needle afterwards, but the vet said there would be some that wouldn't come out.

One bad sign was that he is rasping more then he was ever before--but there was no lump at all. Perhaps it has moved throughout his throat and not build up. He is not really lethargic now, in fact he tried to escape his tub, whereas before he just sat there.
 
Oh I wish you the best of luck! I have never had to go through a bad RI and it sounds just awful!

Maybe, like some things, the rasping is a sign that things have to get worse before they get better. Keep up the good work and just don't give up on him!
 
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