Is my vet stupid?

Kavyrie · 10-25-12, 07:55 PM

Took Walter, the 12 year old ball python to the vet on Wednesday for his RI. The vet looked him over, listened to his lungs and said "Well he has some sort of respiratory issue. He has a lot of mucous in his mouth but it sounds lower in his lung so we need to do a trans-tracheal flush (fill his lungs with water and flush it out) to do a culture. But we don't do that here." She then went on to tell me how he NEEDS a BASKING LAMP and humidity only needs to be at 50%. I'm never bringing one of my snakes there again, seeing as this was supposed to be the "snake expert".

iiPink · 10-25-12, 08:40 PM

O.o put water in his lungs... do snakes live in water and i didnt know about it... WHAT A BACKING LAMP and humidity at 50% Run away from that vet and never go back!

Kavyrie · 10-25-12, 09:20 PM

I swear she was getting her info from a Petco care sheet or something! She also said they are best kept in a glass aquarium with a screen top. Never going there again.

Rogue628 · 10-25-12, 09:38 PM

Wow. Did this vet say she was experienced with snakes?

Kavyrie · 10-25-12, 09:44 PM

She is supposedly the most snake experienced staff there. She clearly has no idea what she is talking about. A simple mouth swab and culture would be too simple. I'll have to drive all the way to Waymouth to the Odd Pet Vet but at least they know what they are talking about.

Rogue628 · 10-25-12, 09:52 PM

Still...all I can say is wow. If that had been me, I would have told her she had no idea what she was talking about and promptly left. Her basic husbandry of a royal is completely lacking IMO.

It's been years since I've dealt with an RI, but that's not the exam my burm got, that's for sure.

Kavyrie · 10-25-12, 10:00 PM

Any vet who thinks that completely wrong husbandry is the right thing and that knocking out a snake to fill/drain its lungs with fluid is the only way to do an RI culture is NOT a good herp vet. Walter already had an RI when I got him, but the room he was kept in to be away from all the other snakes was rather chilly so I took him home. I just want meds for the poor old guy and make him better. :I

shaunyboy · 10-26-12, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iiPink

O.o put water in his lungs... do snakes live in water and i didnt know about it... WHAT A BACKING LAMP and humidity at 50% Run away from that vet and never go back!

a tracheal wash has been used for many years for taking,bacteria to be cultured from the Trachea or oropharynx of ill snakes

i believe the vet was being thorough.....

should a bacterial infection exsist,the bacteria may be a secondary symptom of another invader,such as parasites,fungus,virus,etc

i would rather have a vet that was thorough,than a vet who did nothing more than prescribe a broad range antibiotic and hope it works

re husbandry
did you ask your vet their reason for the reccomened humidity ?

i know with carpet pythons you RAISE the hot end temps by 5 degrees,to aid recovery

my answer to your question...

NO your vet is NOT stupid mate

cheers shaun

shaunyboy · 10-26-12, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kavyrie

Any vet who thinks that completely wrong husbandry is the right thing and that knocking out a snake to fill/drain its lungs with fluid is the only way to do an RI culture is NOT a good herp vet. Walter already had an RI when I got him, but the room he was kept in to be away from all the other snakes was rather chilly so I took him home. I just want meds for the poor old guy and make him better. :I

did you ask the vet their REASON for doing the flush ?

what if the vet thinks the RI is a SECONDARY symptom,and that was the reason for the tracheal flush.....

i would not be so quick to dismiss this vet...

most vets throw baytril,a broad range antibiotic at your snake,without a culture of any kind...

they just cross their fingers and hope it does the job

they could have swabed the winpipe and cultured the swabs,but your vet may have had other reasons to suggest a flush

cheers shaun

Zoo Nanny · 10-26-12, 07:25 AM

Kavyrie did you go to Tufts?

mykee · 10-26-12, 09:01 AM

I'm embarassed that so many people in this thread has given the wrong advice. If you don't know, simply sit back, shut ut up and don't respond!!!
Good on you Shaun for not being dumb.

YES a transtracheal wash is EXACTLY what needs to be done for an RI that may have become imbedded. 99.9999% of vets are too stupid to do this for accurate culture results.
This dude knows what he is talking about (though he is off on the heat lamp).

Snakefood · 10-26-12, 09:24 AM

yup when torruk got his first RI, they just threw an anti biotic at me, it took 2 visits and 6 weeks of meds to clear it up, and if that didn't clear it up, they were just going to change meds for another 4 weeks!!

Torruk now has another ri, were going to a DIFFERENT reptile vet this morning after I drop my kid off at school and I am hoping they do not take the same approach as the last one.

Rogue628 · 10-26-12, 01:31 PM

Like I said, the last time I had any issues with an RI, a wash wasn't even remotely part of the exam. He did cultures but not in that form. I said the exam the last time I dealt with an RI was not done the way this snake's was. 3 shots later and my burms RI was completely gone.

My concern was with her husbandry information and a basking light. Although that's kind of old school thinking. How can you expect a vet to know anything about up to date care of an animal if they their basic husbandry is out of date or incorrect?

Kavyrie · 10-26-12, 01:46 PM

They said that the swab would do nothing at all, and would have NO bacteria/virus/whatever he has and that the ONLY way to get something would be the wash. She didn't want to give me any medications until they knew what it was. That was the reason. She didn't say anything about it being a secondary symptom or anything. I don't see why she didn't do a swab. It would have at least given them an IDEA of what is going on with him.

The major thing that put me off about this vet was the very lacking husbandry knowledge. "A glass aquarium with a screen top and basking lamp work well for enclosures for ball pythons." Is exactly what is says on the care sheet that she went off of. I have seen more than enough threads to know that this is very wrong. If the transtracheal wash is what he needs then that is what he will get.

Snakefood · 10-26-12, 01:50 PM

my vet just took a swab of the mucous in his mouth this morning, gave me baytril for now (wide spectrum ab) and will call me with culture results and change meds if neccesary then.