No worries if you can only skim replies, your information has been super useful and I appreciate it a lot!
So I was going to call the vet to get him in asap today (I didn’t have a chance to yesterday) but uh… He shed apparently, and I feel like I have a completely different snake? I wanted to check on him today to see how his symptoms have changed (if at all) and the first thing I noticed is how alert he was, definitely not drowsy like I described on Sunday, but his activity level varies. Then I noticed a piece of shed on his tail (it fell off almost immediately) and checked for the full shed, which it was there, eyecaps and all. Great, but I didn’t expect it to help with anything besides the potential dehydrated skin (which it did). So I’m monitoring his head, waiting for him to open mouth breathe, and also wrangling him because he’s acting as energetic as he was at his youngest. And he just… Never did? I’m pretty sure I had him out for an hour and there was nothing. I opened his mouth - a bit of saliva but not what I would consider excess, and when he was open mouth breathing he didn’t have any saliva. Checked for wheezing - nope.
So I guess my question is… Is it still an emergency situation, or is it back to “yeah just get him in for a recheck sometime unless it gets worse”? Because I’d really like to get him checked after his last round of treatment, even though again it isn’t necessary, so if I can wait that’d be preferable. Of course if I see any open mouth breathing again I’m taking him straight to the vets asap, and regardless of when I take him I’ll bring this behavior up with the vet too. I’ll also still bring up the x-rays/blood tests even if he isn’t showing symptoms anymore. I’d like to know how well his lungs are working after all.
I’m going to be watching him very carefully to make sure he really got rid of whatever was causing that behavior since I’m not certain it’s actually gone, but I have heard whistling caused by being in shed before, and I’m certain the skin was at least mostly because of the shed (although he does still seem thirsty). And with the lack of mucus originally, it makes me wonder. But like I said, I’ll be watching him closely for any signs that it’s still affecting him!
I think, going off of your update, it has become more of a, get him in when you can manage, no rush. Since he has perked up and a symptom has resolved, I’m less worried. It’s entirely possible that since he was in shed, he might’ve disrupted the area around his nose, temporarily blocking his nostrils and making it harder to get air in. That would explain the open mouth breathing. The lethargy could also be attributed to the shed cycle as well.
I’d say you know your animal better than any of us, you see him every day. If he’s perked up enough that you’re feeling comfortable waiting, I don’t see why it’d be any issue, unless he takes a turn again. It’s entirely possible those symptoms were just a result of an old snake putting all of his energy into shedding. The fact that you’re so in tune to his behaviour is a great asset, just keep monitoring him for now.
Oh, how wonderful!! I read the updates last night but was having other issues and couldn’t get to replying. I’m so glad that your boy feels better. Healthier, new skin = new snake. Besides the fantastic fact that his symptoms are much improved, a good shed is an indication that things are improving for him internally.
@noodlehaus nailed it. The recent symptoms could indeed have been due to the shed cycle. You know your animal better than anyone. You pay attention to him. For sure, take him in and get a recheck but I don’t see any need to rush him in.
Kudos to you for taking such very good care of your boy!!
Hi everyone! I’m back from the vet, and after a nice re-check she seems to agree that it was likely just because of his shedding cycle that he was having issues breathing. His mouth was clear and he was breathing well according to her. I didn’t get a fecal sample though (I wasn’t home so I couldn’t refrigerate his weekly excrement) so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get him re-tested, but he’s actually been doing a lot better. He ate last week and the week before (he ate a lot the week before, but this week I just fed him a single hopper since I didn’t expect him to need anything bigger) and generally just seems stronger in a lot of ways. I think the medication helped a lot. Of course I’m still planning on making sure the parasites are gone for good but ideally I’m hoping to get him and possibly my youngest tested at the same time (as well as my mom’s since we lived together at one point and he has mild symptoms) so that we don’t have to drive back and forth.
Despite not having a sample from him, I did manage to get a sample from Cynder, the middle child who hasn’t had any symptoms but was most likely to have the parasites besides Phantom and my mom’s snake. She did come back positive, but they can’t prescribe her anything until they get to see her in person (same with my mom’s snake) - I presume for the obvious issue of weighing them to get the right dosage.
I have seen some charts online about how to measure dosage for the medication and I know it’s a medicine you can buy online, and it’s not like I don’t know how to give the medication myself. So currently I’m weighing the pros and cons of going to the vet for everyone or doing my own treatment, since I know what’s wrong and what treatment worked on Phantom. The vet we found is pretty good price-wise but at the same time I don’t know if we’ll actually gain anything from taking them in that we can’t do at home (except to check for unexpected physical problems, like an RI). But I also want to make sure my animals are safe. So I guess this is my question of what people think would be best?
I feel like after testing my middle child, I know for a fact that my mom’s snake must be infected too, it just wouldn’t make sense if he wasn’t because there was far more of a chance for cross-contamination between those two than there was with my middle child. Plus I don’t think the medication is harmful even if you don’t need it. But the problem is that if I do that, I won’t be able to test their fecals with the vets office, so I won’t know when or if the parasites are gone once their treatment finishes. Doing it on my own won’t hurt them, but it could come back eventually if I’m not keeping on top of it with a vet. Guess I’m kind of working through the pros and cons in this very thread - sorry for the rambling!
The other thing is that my youngest just…cannot take medication. He’s probably too small to give food once a day for five days and I know I can’t give him the medicine the same way I did with Phantom or would do with my other snakes because he’s too small and squirmy. The one reason I want to test him is to know if I should quarantine him from anyone who tests negative. He’s a great eater and has plenty of energy, so it’s probably not negatively effecting him if he does have them. So it’s mostly a matter of not reinfecting my other snakes once they get treatment. Of course I’ll be quarantining Phantom from Cynder from now on but there’s just a lot to keep track of! I’ll probably be doing some research on pinworms in snakes (since I know have confirmation that’s what they were being treated for) and their life cycle outside of snakes as well. I’ll still be washing my hands between handling regardless but yeah, the more I know about the enemy the better, in my eyes!
Thanks to anyone who has followed with this thread for this long! I still have a lot more to do but I’m really happy that Phantom is doing better.
That’s really excellent! It’s clear that your caring persistence is paying off with and for this guy.
Sorry to hear that Cynder is positive though I know you’re not surprised. I’m sure your veterinarian wants to examine Cynder and your mom’s snake (or whomever else needs attention at whatever point) but it’s not just to get their weights. That’s important for correct dosage, yes, but your vet can’t legally prescribe anything for any animal whom they haven’t examined.
Money does matter to most of us. If your vet is part of a large practice or hospital system s/he may not have much leeway, but it’s possible that s/he might be able to reduce charges for you in some way since you’re trying to treat multiple animals. It never hurts to ask.
I think if at all possible you should go ahead and take the snakes in to the vet. What you’ll gain is more than a prescription for something you could buy online. Your willingness to take them in builds your relationship with your vet, in addition to the possibility that the vet may see something now which you missed. The relationship can pay huge dividends in the future in ways you can’t foresee. If there is any way to make it work, I encourage you to do this.
You can feed him every five days. Just feed him something smaller than his usual meal. If he’s on hoppers, use fuzzies. If he’s dining on fuzzies, use pinkies. If pinkies are his thing now, you actually can feed him every 5 days. It’s kinda power feeding but it won’t hurt him. You can actually get extra smalls if you want; some suppliers call them “reds” or "day old pinkies " etc. You should be able to get meds into him.
I get this. Quarantining adds extra challenges, for sure. It’s one of those things where you can’t cause harm by doing it, but it’s a hassle in some ways. Nobody wants to quarantine when there’s no need.
It’s too late for me to write a short reply , but I’ll wrap up by saying quickly that I am really, really happy to read that you’re keeping the faith and continuing to help improve your snake’s life.
I’m so glad to hear he’s doing better and the problems were likely just from the shed! If he’s eating more and seeming stronger, it sounds like his body is responding positively as the parasite burden decreases.
A tip if you want to get multiple animals treated at once is ask if you can bring them all in together. Many vets will only charge one exam fee if you bring all the animals in at the same time. I wouldn’t recommend buying medication online. While you can theoretically do it, I don’t ever suggest people try treating animals without vet supervision. You don’t necessarily know the source of the product, whether it is appropriately dosed, and if you get it wrong, you can cause more harm than good. Another tip: if you kind of want to “synchronize” their pooping, give them all a meal on the same day, and you should be able to collect samples from multiple animals in a shorter period.
Also, there’s no reason why your smallest shouldn’t be able to be medicated. This is why you need a vet involved, because they have access to multiple forms of medication. They may have an injectable that can be used instead of an oral medication. Not to mention, being young and having parasites can inhibit growth and absorption of nutrients, leading to ill health in later years.
I know this is a lot, and quarantining is a huge pain, along with the financial burden of it all. At this point I would just be operating under the assumption that every animal in your collection is infected until proven otherwise. As you treat them, quarantine the treated animals away from the untested animals. This way even if you can’t get everyone tested/treated immediately, you’ve got more protection from reinfection and more time to sort everyone out fully. You’re doing great, though, and it seems well on the way to getting this under control. I’m sure your animals very much appreciate your care and effort, even if they don’t necessarily understand what’s going on.
, but I’ll wrap up by saying quickly that I am really, really happy to read that you’re keeping the faith and continuing to help improve your snake’s life.