Using Tylan to Treat RI

I was thinking of treating one of my boas with Tylan for a RI. I found threads or links to threads where Mike Greathouse and Jeff Ronne suggest 50mg/kg. I was going to email Mike Greathouse directly with this question since he seems to have experience using Tylan but I thought that we could all benefit from this discussion in open forum.

I was looking for some input from those of you who have successfully treated your boas for RI with Tylan. By my calculations, I need to administer almost 7cc 4x every 3 days. Can this be right? Here are my calculations, based on Tylan 50 which is 50mg/ml and assuming that 1ml = 1cc:

15lb boa/2.2 lbs/kg = 6.82 kg

6.82kg boa x 50mg/kg = 341 mg

341mg/50mg/ml = 6.82 ml = 6.82 cc’s

Almost 7cc's seems a bit much since the recommended dosage for cattle is 1cc per 6.25 lbs and for swine is 1cc per 12.5lbs, once daily until "24 hours following remission of disease signs". So do I chalk it up to snakes having different metabolisms to justify the apparent large dosing and should I trust the info that I am finding or should I question it more and hold off on pulling the trigger just yet? Or are my calculations just plain wrong?

I have already taken the animal in question to a "Reptile Vet" some months ago who told me that the animal was fine and to just keep monitoring the situation. Now, she is not only gooey at the mouth but also making some wheezing sounds. I moved her from her Freedom breeder into a a 4ft vision cage and cranked up the heat with a hot spot of 100 and a cool side of 80. Just shot her body temp at 89 degrees. If she doesn't show signs of improvement soon I would want to follow through with the Tylan. She is possibly gravid but at this point, I am more concerned with her health than any possible adverse effects on potential neonates.

What do you all think?

Theres a thread running on KS right now

I've used tylan on 3 different snakes and it cured each one.I gave them 1 shot every 3 days but limited it to 3 shots total.I then waited a week or 2 and did this again within 2 weeks the snakes were eating great.I made sure to give some follow up shots after they were better to make sure they were fully recooperated.Tylan is very affordable and easily administered using insulin needles.

mike bell
www.boasbybell.com

Thanks Sarg for the reference to KS but that thread does not answer my questions.

Thanks Mike for your vote of confidence on Tylan but can you tell me how much your snakes weighed and how many ml did you use per injection? And did you use Tylan 50 or 200?

How about you Mike Greathouse? Richard Carew? Harald Moore? M Dwight? Griz? You guys still out there?

I dont have anything sick currently, but I have never heard of this stuff before, and my vet has never recomended it. What was it originally made for, and where do you get it from? Also are there any side effects or risks involved as with baytril and some other treaments? Thanks, Dan.

You may find this thread helpful...

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ighlight=Tylan

Alex,
Your dosage calculations are correct based on Tylan 50.
It is a large volume to administer. This is one of the reasons that Tylan 200 is a better choice for larger snakes.

Good luck with your animal.

Originally Posted by Boa4u

Thanks Sarg for the reference to KS but that thread does not answer my questions.

Thanks Mike for your vote of confidence on Tylan but can you tell me how much your snakes weighed and how many ml did you use per injection? And did you use Tylan 50 or 200?

How about you Mike Greathouse? Richard Carew? Harald Moore? M Dwight? Griz? You guys still out there?

I'm here, but I don't know why you are flagging me down, lol. I saw your post earier, but had no comment...I have never used Tylan, though I have considered it (and still may give it a whirl sometime). You have the dosage, at least what was recommended by Mike Greathouse - 50mg/kg. That won't change, regardless of what strength you use. Given the resultant volume for your boa, if you opt to go this route, I would consider using the 200mg/ml concentration instead of the 50mg/ml ---- 6+cc is a lot to inject, and if it is uncomfortable going in it will add to the stress of everybody involved. From what I have seen in various threads, there appears to be some difference of opinion regarding the frequency and duration of treatment with Tylan (not that this doesn't happen with other drugs)...I guess that doesn't bother some people, but I am of the notion that antibiotics should be used appropriately (I deal with enough resistant infections at work to not want them in my collection)

There are a few lines of thought that could come into play in your current situation. Personally, I would strongly consider doing C/S to find out what you are dealing with, as opposed to trying random drugs on a possibly gravid snake. Of course, the decision would be made after weighing out a variety of factors: such as the stage of gestation, the stress of acquiring the sample, the need to transport the animal, the current condition of the animal, and the length of time needed for the testing. If I felt it was in the animals best interest NOT to go that route, I would begin treatment immediately (still not sure why you waited so long to followup after the vet visit).

As a side note, though I am currently somewhat disenchanted with Baytril, I have used it at high doses on a gravid python early in gestation (dosing and frequency recommended after C/S). While it had no impact on the symptoms, it also did not cause any obvious harm to the developing embryos. The eggs were laid at the appropriate time, hatched after a normal period, and all of the babies were normal and showed no signs of problems due to the medication.

Good luck

As with the other ATB, administration should not be discontinued. I have seen excellent results in the past with 30 mg/lb, SC for 6 to 7 days in a row. I also prefer Tylan 200 as the volume to be injected is not that big.

Regards.

By the way, I forgot something important. Due to the particular circulation system of snakes the site injection needs to be in the anterior 1/3 of the body. The site that has work best for me has been in between the ventral scutes. There is more SC "space" there than in the sides of the body.

Regards