Cryptosporidia

Ever have a snake that had Cryptosporidia? If so, did it die from it? I have 5 Rosys that keep regugitating their food. I already tried flagyl to treat internal parisites. That seemed to work on 2 of the snakes. 3 are still puking though. I'm trying Zythromycin now and hoping that works. the vet is starting to think it might be Cryptosporidia.

Steve,

I'm assuming the ambient temperatures are right. If two of the snakes responded to Flagyl I highly doubt it is cryptosporidia.

Regards.

Yeah Steve how about an update. The treatment seemed to work on two, is that still the case? How are the others? Hope they are okay and that they didn't have cypto.

Steve,

How are the boas doing? Did you get a definite diagnostic from your vet?

Regards.

While regurgitation is a sign of C. serpentis you should also look for localized abdominal swelling or abdominal lumps, which is generally preceeded by regurgitation in cases of C. serpentis.
C. serpentis can be difficult to diagnose via direct smear or fecal float, as it is quite small and requires acid-fast staining and a level of magnification for a light-microscope to surpass 1,000x.
Also, gastric lavage would be the preferred method to accuratly diagnose C. serpentis, as the bacteria tend to take up residence within the stomach.
There has been some success in treating C. serpentis using Hyper Immune Bovine Colostrum, but early recognition and aggressive treatment to keep the infected specimen hydrated are a prerequisite for successful treatment using HIBC therapy..

Good luck,

Jeff Snodgres

EPIDEMIC, or Jeff Snodgres as I know him, is one heck of a good source of info. You may even want to contact him directly via e-mail or private message, and ask for his ph.# He has many many years of experience and an extensive, formal education in ALL things herpetological! And he's a real good guy too!

I had a snake die from crypto last year. BUMMER! I'd never heard of it till then. So I did a bunch of research on it, and Jeff hit the nail on the head. Tell your vet to do the tests he mentioned right away! Then tell him to either follow that course of treatment, or have him call Jeff.

If you follow our advice you might save them. If you don't,...well,...they will probably, eventualy succumb to the disease and die. Good luck!
T.