Sending good vibes and prayers from Northern California!


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The steam treatment isn't a bad idea though as you pointed out it isn't a cure, it just helps to alleviate congestion and makes it easier for the snake to clear itself out by keeping the mucous soft. It's like when you're sick and you take a hot steamy shower, you usually end up blowing a lot of stuff out of your sinuses. Sounds disgusting but it helps with the stuffy head.

It did certainly seemed to ease his breathing last night, so I suppose it's regular sauna treatment for a while..... The mucus thread is disgusting -
you can see in the photo he was all snotty after he'd been hissing and wheezing - but I suppose it's better out than in!

Also I'm now pretty certain he has stuck eyecaps as well, as you can see in the photo above. Never had that before either - going to try running him through a damp towel after steaming - any hints there?

Now almost a week since his last bout of wheezing and he seems fine again. We have 3 more Baytril injections to go over the next 6 days, then I suppose we'll just see if it comes back or not.

I'm still giving him daily 30 minute steamy saunas, and handling him for an hour or more when I inject him every 2 days. He's reasonably active when I get him out, lots of tongue flicking and slow explorations. I'm hoping that making him move around (gently) every couple of days is going to help too - I imagine that sitting still in his quarantine tub allows mucus to pool in his lungs.

He refused food 4 days ago, but I'm going to try again tonight.

One good thing, one of the other vets at the practice came back off holiday this week and says that they can get cultures done at the government farm animal lab, so I now have a swab and nutrient agar tube on hand. If he does wheeze and produce mucus again I stand a chance of getting a culture done to ID the bacteria. Not sure what to do if it's not Baytril-sensitive though - the vet cant get Fortaz/Ceftazidime, but I might go and talk to my very understanding doctor....

In the meantime I think he needs a break from injections - for the first 3 weeks he was very passive, but this week he's objecting a bit to the needle. Maybe a good sign if he's reacting more, or maybe his sides are sore, even though I vary the injection sites as recommended. Only 3 more to go!

Do you have a compounding pharmacist available? They do more than just dispense pills, they actually mix up the medicines on-site. I had to use one when my dog was switched from phenobarbital to potassium bromide for seizures. The phenol was a small pill, the KBr was a liquid in a bottle that I put in his food.

Otherwise if Fortaz isn't an option I've had snakes prescribed Naxcel.

I'm not sure! But I can go and ask my regular pharmacist. I'll look up Naxcel as well, thanks a lot.

Good luck with your snake, sorry you're having so much trouble!

Thanks Toby, it helps a lot to talk it out over here though. :)

Well, while he hasn't bounced straight back to great health, yesterday was better than the day before and I'm hoping today will be better again.

I finished the 30-day course of antibiotic injections just over a week ago (and just in time, I think, he was beginning to object to them, and I know how grotty I felt when I had to take a long-term antibiotic course), and then I had to go away for 5 days. I left him, feeling a bit apprehensive, but hoping that 5 uninterrupted days might brighten him up a bit.

When I got back he was not looking great - lying very flat and lethargic, certainly not interested in food, and very jumpy when touched (unusual for him). I had decided that I was going to try getting his stuck eye-caps off with cotton buds and forceps, and, as he has now lost 400 gms (13% of his normal 3 kg body weight), force feed him egg yolk through a flexible pipette. These are measures I don't take lightly, so I was not feeling too cheerful as I got everything ready.

I was VERY happy when I opened his tub though, as I found he was already half-way through trying to shed. I abandoned my plans, and instead gave him a 30 minute soak followed by a towel bath, and managed to get his skin off, including eye-caps. His eyes are now clear and moving, and I think it's the first time he's been able to see clearly for weeks. He also passed a large amount of urate and a little bit of faeces as I was making him move around so that's a good sign too.

Today he has been actively moving around his tank, and drinking quite a lot, so tonight I am going to try feeding him again. Hopefully being able to see the food will make a difference. If not, he's getting egg yolk whether he likes it or not.

I'll update again tomorrow. Thanks to all for asking!

It sounds like he is on the right track! Fingers crossed