Respiratory Infection

We hobbyist always thought of keeping reptiles but unaware how to treat our beloved pets when It fall sick. In this post this time, I will show abit of med i use to treat my reptiles when they fall sick. Its also good idea to standby medication just in case your reptiles fall sick. One of the most common sickness of your reptiles is respiratory infection(RI).

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Symptoms include listlessness, weight loss due to decreased appetite, swollen or bloated body, gaping, open mouth breathing, often with audible exhalations when in an advanced state. Wheezing may be heard, or clicking noises when breathing. Bubbly, stringy or sheeting mucous appears in the mouth. The head may be held in a raised position to facilitate breathing. In snakes, the tines of the forked tongue may be stuck together. Respiratory infections in snakes are especially dangerous in those snakes who have only one functioning lung (colubrids, etc.).

When you notice signs of a respiratory infection, not only must you evaluate and correct the environmental problems, but you must take the reptile to a reptile to be evaluated for systemic antibiotic therapy and possibly fluid and nutritional support. If the reptile does not respond to environmental correction and the antibiotic therapy, a culture and sensitivity should be done to determine exactly what the organism(s) is and the best antibiotic to combat it. The sample is easily taken by the vet in the form of a choanal swab or, in more difficult cases, a lung washing. In rare cases, the infection may be due to a fungal infection, which requires different medications than bacterial infections.

Treatment

Treating a respiratory infection requires two things: an immediate evaluation of the day and night temperatures in the reptile's enclosure, with additional heat sources added or broken/malfunctioning equipment replaced, and the attention of a reptile vet who will evaluate the reptile for systemic antibiotics and fluid replacement. In addition, if the reptile has cagemates or lives in a room where he is in line-of-site of other reptiles or household pets, an overall psychosocial evaluation needs to be made.

Snakes with respiratory infections should be kept in draft-free but well-ventilated enclosures maintained at the species' day time temperature gradient both during the day and at night. For reptiles who require a hotter basking area, the basking area temperatures do not need to be provided at night, but the higher overall gradient does. This will not only enable the reptile's own immune system to function better, but increases the efficacy of the antibiotics.

Snakes may be able to do fine without food over the short term, but if they begin to show signs of weight loss (a loss in mass) then they, too, will need to be force-fed.

Medication

Medication I use to treat my snakes

Baytril- Baytril is active ingredient manufactured by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, is enrofloxacin. Baytril falls within the Fluoroquinolone class of antimicrobial anti-infective pet medications. A similar class in human medications would include the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin (Cipro). Baytril meds and other flouroquinolones were a welcome development in the veterinary field, as they have been proven effective against previously difficult to treat bacteria such as Pseudomona. Baytril is often prescribed by veterinarians to treat a variety of infections in dogs and cats including respiratory, digestive and urinary tract infections. It is also commonly used to treat ear, skin and wound infections as well. Baytril antibiotic is designed to be rapidly absorbed from the digestive tract and can be expected to penetrate into all canine and feline tissues and body fluids, often within two hours, and to be maintained for up to eight to twelve hours.

Reptaid- Reptaid is design to help your reptile overcome viral, bacterial and microscopic infection without the complications one would get more traditional treatments is well known in the reptile world that traditional medication can have limited success and debilitating side effects. While undergoing traditional treatments for parasitic infections, reptiles can experience loss of appetite, lethargy, hydration issues, even organ damage. Reptaid is a blend of herbs that is gentle to the system, and is found to be beneficial to the health and well being of reptiles.

The two most common ways to administrate your animal are injection or orally.

Orally-First, elevate the animal’s head slightly, placing the syringe (without the needle) or dosing gun containing the medication at the side and back of the mouth. Next, discharge the contents of the syringe or gun. Finally, hold the animal until all of the product has been swallowed


Injections given are picked up by the blood supply and spread to all tissues of the body very rapidly. A needle 1 to 1 ½ inches in length and 18-20 gauge in diameter is recommended for making injections. The best location to give injections is in the heavy muscles of the neck.

With proper dosage and guidelines. I'm quite sure that whatever animal that you treated will generally back to the healthy state. Just to avoid of those infection. Proper husbandry is most important.

And if kamu kamu otak mereng pun. Mau treatment. Mari tah ku inject kan baytril sekali arah jubu hitam mu. Sure Confirm baik.. Mun nda jua mau baik . Mari ku inject sebotol jua baytril atu biar ko palau overdose anti-biotic binatang..ahahaha