Ball Python Breathing problem

I know I'm probably going to get SLAMMED for saying this.... but, it needs saying!
I am all for healthy animals and taking care of the one's that are sick.... BUT.... if you think I would advise taking a $50 snake to a Vet, you guys are nuts! It will cost you a couple of HUNDRED dollars, the Vet will probably do the same thing we are saying, and.... taking a $50 snake to the vet, is like taking a disposable lighter in for repair! Do what you can for the animal by yourself.... give it as much TLC as you can and do your OWN investigating of what MIGHT be wrong, and try to heal it yourself.... if it doesn't make it.... well, what can I say.... I have seen so many people tell me they took their animal into the vet and spend $$$ just to have it die anyway?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'> TO ME, it's just not worth it! Remember.... I'm talking about inexpensive snakes ONLY!!
If the Vet bill will end up costing more than the snake, forget it!
Call me cold-hearted, or whatever you want.... this is strictly a business decision....
OK.... slam away!

....Neil

Hey....my children didn't cost me anything to make either...so I guess when they get sick I'll just treat them myself no matter what's wrong with them.

If I heard that one of my clients hometreated one of my snakes unstead of taking it to the vet I would pitch a royal fit.

You buy the animal, you are responsible for it 100%. &nbsp;Responsible for ALL care, every little expense....if you cant afford to take that $50.00 animal to the vet and spend $500.00 on it YOU SHOULDN&quot;T HAVE BOUGHT THE ANIMAL!

It's called ethics Neil....get some.

Tegan.... you seem like an intelligent guy.... so, why do give me that BS about not taking children to the Doctor.... stop being an idiot! I'm talking about SNAKES! NOT KIDS! If you want to spend $500 on a Vet for a $50 snake.... that's certainly YOUR prerogative.... but, don't think, for one second, that I would recommend it! That's just MY opinion....

....Neil

Glenn,

Don't forget though that the python in question was sent for free. There might be very little grounds for a claim on an animal you receive for free. He just wanted to sweeten the deal.

Regards

Regardless of the emails I have received, and the obvious argumentative nature of some of the messages in this thread, has anyone read what THIS forum is supposed to be limited to?

Does the title General Business Discussions ring a bell?? &nbsp;

Do you all just like to waste your time posting messages that are just going to be deleted anyway?

Do I have to create general husbandry discussion forums in the new conversion site for these types of discussions?

Jeff.... would you believe I actually proof-read it and STILL sent it?? I must have $$ on the brain!! BUCS or BUCKS.... at this stage, they're interchangeable!! NUMBER ONE ALL THE WAY!!

BTW... Lighten up on Seamus, will ya?? He wasn't yelling at you, OR talking down to you.... that's MY JOB!! Ya dumb chit! lol

....Neil

I am not taking sides in any argument. I would just like to ad my 83 cents as to my understanding of what may cause such symptoms. I agree that it sounds like a respiratory infection but; I would also like to point out that there certainly are other maladies wherein a snake has a lot of mucous discharge (did someone say it was drooling - pleeeease get it to a vet), and whereby a snake will breathe through an open mouth. My understanding is that these other maladies include such things as: fluke infestations in the mouth, throat or in the respiratory system; other parasitic organisms that have infested the lungs, throat, mouth; substrate such as wood shavings caught in (or that have caused injury to) &nbsp;the back of the mouth, around the gums, in the throat, in parts of the respiratory system or in the esophagus (is that what you call it in a snake?); exposure to toxins in the air or water that have burned or otherwise irritated the mouth, throat, esophagus or respiratory system. I would be willing to bet there are other things too. I wonder if allergens could cause such symptoms in a serpent.

As far as Inclusion Body Disease goes, there are many varying signs that are the so called first signs, .usually. dependent &nbsp;upon what species is infected but this is not always the case from what I have read. One species such as a BP can show the preliminary signs that are usually exhibited as first signs of the disease by another species such as a Retic.

I do think the get ye to a vet advice was very sound, as I also think the advice about not diagnosing without seeing the animal was also very sound. (I am guilty of doing this now and then myself but feel it is not a very bad thing to do as long as you qualify your advice with the &quot;get ye to a vet&quot; statement.) All in all it has been a pretty interesting discussion.

Best regards to all,
Glenn
<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">This animal was free along the purchase, and the females are doing fine. &nbsp;</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Aha! Added to the group just to sweeten the deal...No further questions...

Best regards.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">but what he has described is R.I...Period!!!! </td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Systemic infections, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, some &nbsp;animals will show symptoms similar to URI when IBD is involved &nbsp;as early signs, any number of toxins, internal injuries, fluid in the lungs from alternate sources or injury, Or yes, most likely URI... However it is not definite, there are alternative causes for the symptoms, however unlikely.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Are you saying that he SHOULD NOT isolate the male?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Actually, I specifically singled that out as the advice he SHOULD follow...

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Since you think our diagnosis is unwarranted,,,what DO YOU &nbsp;think it is?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

I think it is inappropriate to comment without the animal in front of you, people describe things differently depending on their experience and perception, you don't even have a picture of the fluids that are involved, you can not hear it breath or see the body position, it is likely but it is NOT definite that it is URI, however I would never make any determination without seeing the animal. Seeing the vet is a good idea, isolation is a good idea anyway, even if it wasn't &nbsp;displaying any symptoms... it is simply unacceptable to attempt to determine what an illness is without seeing the animal. &quot;Period!!!&quot;

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">And just for the record,,,Seamus,,your comment about writing something 100 times??,,,I did not appreciate that at all...I am not sure of the type of people you are used to dealing with,,,but in the future,,,NEVER make a comment directed towards ME,,as if you were talking to a school kid!!!!! I am far from a child..Anyone on this board that knows me,,,can attest to the fact that i am being very polite in asking this of you...Save those comments for other people dude...</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

That was a very minor attempt to inject some humor into my post, it was slightly critical of your horribly negligent and inappropriate diagnosis of this animal that you have never seen or know anything about other than a half paragraph off &nbsp;this board and frankly it was intended to mitigate my comments to be less offensive...

Would you have preffered it if I called you a damn fool who has no vetrinary training making an enormously stupid and risky post talking out of your rectum about an animla that was not in front of you, potentially causing harm if the poster decides to take &nbsp;your advice over a vets? Because looking at it now, it certainly applies.

Take the &nbsp;rod out of your ass, admit it was wrong to state with such universal certainty that you knew what the problem was and don't even attempt to make veiled threats or try and impose restrictions on my abilities to post what was frankly a very reasonable comment on the situation.

Seamus,,,since you think you are all-knowlegable,,and you made a reference to I.B.D.,,which must be what you think it is,,since that was your first comment on your last post after quoting what i said about it being R.I.,,,,,the first signs of IBD is PUKING!!!!!!! I will not sit hear and argue with you,,,because i can just picture a 400 pound man(?) sitting behind a computer with watermelon juice running down his face,,,wanting to start trouble...Webslave,,,are you gonna let him sit here and make those comments??? Other people have been &quot;banned&quot; for saying things like that....This guy starts trouble on EVERY POST he replies on....Get rid of this pest,,please..