wobble head

Originally Posted by scotty77327

Just incase it's an ri i'm starting him on a regime of tylen any thoughts on this

Scott,
That's a bad idea.
Shotgun treatments without a verified illness are not in the best interest of your animal. Why go poking holes in him without cause.

The best course of action has already been provided here,
Isolate him from your other animals and watch him closely.

You mentioned in your original post that the head swaying is only exhibited when he is outside of the enclosure. Could it be that he is simply tracking, or is it a pronounced "back and forth" movement?

Isolate, and wait for a proper diagnosis before you start giving any form of antibiotics. Though they may help us at times, they also have their downfalls. If you use them every time you suspect something is wrong, then harmful entities will build a tolerance to such treatments, and the treatments cease to work. A well known fact.

Antibiotics are to help, not to cure. You really want the snake to use it's own imunosystem to combat the ailment, if in fact there is one. I only use them on the worst cases that come my way, and usually cease using them even before the alotted doses are all used up.

Another thing, I know Tylan has been used on snakes with success, but IMO you take a risk due to the ease of a miscalculated dosage. There is a such thing as harmful doses of antibiotics. Tylan is designed for Beef and Swine, much larger animals than Boas. Be careful when using this stuff.

The fact that he is OK mostly, and acts like this when you bring him out, leads me to believe you may be chasing shadows. Worrying too much. We are all guilty of it at times. I say just take it to the vet when you get the chance, and let the vet prescribe any treatment that may be needed.

Either way, I hope it all works out for you and the snake. Keep us posted as to the progress.


Rick

Very good points made by all . Hopefully i am just overreacting . Although i have 7 kids
my boas are just as much my kids also . I have a call into the vet they said they are going to have her call me . I'll keep you posted .
Thanks for all the help Scott

Well, I didn't have enough time to go into details when I made my initial post...good to see that some of the blanks were filled in, lol.
Rick: you said that you usually stop antibiotic treatment early (before the scheduled doses are used up). That is actually a bad idea as well - the duration of therapy is designed to ensure that the pathogens are killed. Not completing the course increases the risks of requiring further treatment, and of resistance.
Scott: aside from what was mentioned above, most of the injectable ABX (well, all of the ones I have dealt with) are nephrotoxic in reptiles. The decision to treat in such a manner is not without risk to your animals, and should not be taken lightly. If you don't know what you are treating, or even if there is anything to treat - you shouldn't be doing it.
I hate to say it, but this thread is actually a good example of the what I consider a big problem. The initial post was incomplete - it lacked important information. People responded based on what they read; then more additional information was added...significantly changing the picture. Those who frequent this site, have probably run across one of my little outbursts regarding the overuse, and misuse, of the term respiratory infection. It seems to be a growing issue, and, unfortunately, online forums are a big part of the reason. Well meaning people throw around words and suggestions that they do not fully comprehend...largely because somebody told them, or they read it someplace; usually without even bothering to ask basic history and husbandry questions. Then, as soon as people see a similar description, they are jumping on the bandwagon...telling others how to deal with their problem. The piece that the question askers overlook is that they have no idea who is giving them advice. In many cases, I see people authoritatively responding to threads when they have kept snakes for a mere 6 months...and their first posts were with common problems (and frequently, the snake died and has been replaced).
OOPS - guess I got off on a bit of a tangent...sorry all. Back to the issue at hand - empiric antibiotic therapy is not indicated based on what has been stated in this thread. If there is more information, feel free to provide it

**please note - the "well meaning people" referred to above is not describing anybody in particular, nor aimed at anybody that has already posted on this thread**

Good points Harald!
I didn't mean to sound like this is what I do always. It depends on the animal, and how well they are recovering also. Should have said that. Also should have said, I ALWAYS ask the vets oppinion first. I don't just make the call myself. I aint that knowledgeable on the subject. LOL