Second shed success

[JodiLeigh]

OK so I took Manny to the vet today and they said it's an infection in his mouth

They gave me antibiotics and he should be all better in less then three weeks

I have just cleaned out his enclosure and all the hides and bowls, given him his first dose of antibiotics and will leave him to rest and get better

I've been able to keep the heat up to 28-30 degrees over night by putting his previous smaller heat mat across the back of the warm side

Hopefully I will be posting again very soon with a nice picture of him looking much better and with his tongue back in action

Than you for all your kind words and advice

I really do love this site!

[Natrix]

This site is 100% better than some I can mention Glad to hear you're getting him sorted out.

[JodiLeigh]

This site is 100% better than some I can mention Glad to hear you're getting him sorted out.

Thank you =]

Once he's better hopefully he'll fatten up a little, he's on the skinny side at the moment

I'm surprised how good he was at the vets as well, thought he'd try and do a runner although he did put up an all mighty fight when the vet tried to look in his mouth which shows he's not that poorly and he's strong despite how small he is!

[EasternGirl]

So glad to hear that you got him to the vet and figured out what was going on. Please keep us posted. Hope Manny is feeling better soon!

[guidofatherof5]

What antibiotic was given?

[ConcinusMan]

This is the picture that concerns me, I mean, unless the snake has always looked this way, seems to be some swelling going on along the jaw line behind the eye.



Hard for an outsider to judge what's "normal" or not. Much easier for a long term owner to spot problems early, because they know their snake. Simply going off of food isn't anything to be concerned about unless the snake is rapidly losing bulk or is also behaving abnormally, showing discomfort, lethargy, or some other thing which is out of character for that individual snake.

Respiratory problems are pretty easy to spot. If it isn't obvious, than it probably isn't that. Based on available info, I don't think that's what it is. But that swelling on the side of the head catches my eye. Doesn't look healthy. If you can look at the inside of the mouth, it should have a wet, slightly pink or clean white look to it. If the flesh inside is pasty and sort of gray looking, I would be concerned.

EDIT: oops.... somehow i missed seeing the entire last page. But anyway, I would be questioning how the infection might have started. Probably didn't just happen spontaneously. Any way for teeth to get broken, or some other way to injure the mouth? Perhaps a splinter jammed in there from the substrate?

[JodiLeigh]

He has always been quite jowly but yes I have noticed a little swelling in his neck but the vet said that's part of the infection.

They gave me Marbocyl with a little syringe.

He's only had two doses so far and he is alredy sticking his tongue back out!

SO HAPPY!

Will get some pictures of him sticking his tongue out for you to see

[ConcinusMan]

They gave me Marbocyl

*Marbofloxacin* It's another one of those antibiotics that doesn't actually kill anything. It simply prevents DNA synthesis (reproduction) which is good because it won't entirely wipe out beneficial gut bacteria. Also makes it impossible for the bacteria to pass resistance onto the next generation since there won't be a next generation.

[JodiLeigh]

*Marbofloxacin* It's another one of those antibiotics that doesn't actually kill anything. It simply prevents DNA synthesis (reproduction) which is good because it won't entirely wipe out beneficial gut bacteria. Also makes it impossible for the bacteria to pass resistance onto the next generation since there won't be a next generation.

So what does that actually mean?

It seems to be working though

[ConcinusMan]

Think about it. If all the worlds people suddenly became sterile, it wouldn't kill us but we would go extinct in short order. Eventually, we would all die naturally. That's what this antibiotic does to the infection. It gives the snake's immune system a chance to fight the infection. Since the infection can't replicate itself, it can't win by increasing it's numbers faster than the immune system can kill it. If it can't reproduce, eventually they all die out.

Traditional antibiotics such as penicillin kill the infection directly but there are always just a few of them that resist and survive the penicillin. Those resistant ones pass on their resistance to the next generation by replicating their DNA. That is how MRSA came to be. It's a staph strain that is immune to most antibiotics. Since this antibiotic you're using prevents DNA synthesis, it will not produce resistant strains for the future.