Bubbly mouth

[MDT]

so the good news....your vet did a culture and is tailoring antibiotic therapy appropriately. P. rettgeri is a pretty widespread bug. Causes a lot of stomach stuff in people. It's found terrestrially and aquatically. Zosyn (piperacillin-tazobactam) is something we use in humans for the run of the mill infection.

the bad news...it does seem to be resistant to a lot of antibiotics (it sounds like your vet did a sensitivity on the culture as well, so he/she will know what abx will actually work.)
Interstingly, P. rettgeri is usually reisistant to the quinolones....so the old knee-jerk action of "just give Baytril" won't work. Just pissing in the wind. This is exactly why you gotta isolate an organism....for appropriate therapy (which may or may not include antibiotics).

I'm hoping for good things for your snake Jrich!! Keep us updated!

[Albert Clark]

I looked up the Provedencia rettgeri and it seems to be a very complicated group of bacteria that infect humans as well as animals. There is a breakdown of the various offending organisms / bacterium. Apparently the specific Provedencia rettgeri needs to be identified and then the appropriate treatment can be instituted. It seems like once that is done the prognosis is good and the duration of treatment seems to be days as opposed to weeks and or months of treatment. So, best of luck and I really think she can beat this. Remember to ask the vet about replacing her gut levels of good bacteria that the antibiotics kill off. Like a acidophilus or probiotic that will help with her appetite. Good luck. She reminds me of my 2010 albino female who was very sick about 2 years ago and almost died. Today she is alive and well and just laid 5 eggs two weeks ago! Best Wishes!

[Jrich]

Thanks everyone. She's getting shots of ceftazidime/tazicef every 3 days for about 2 weeks since P. rettgeri is sensitive to this antibiotic. So far she has had two injections and I have cleaned her closure entirely, laid paper towels down, bumped up the heat, got rid of her hides and water dish and replaced them with homemade temporary cardboard hides and plastic water dish for soaking. I even moved her into my bedroom where it is warmer and quieter.
However I offer a mouse every 2 to 3 days and she shows absolutely no interest. She's down to 216 grams when she should probably be double that since she is an October hatchling. I hate seeing her so thin when she's suppose to be nice and plump. She remains active and alert however. Any tips to entice her to eat?

[Albert Clark]

Sure, don't offer a mouse every 2 or 3 days. Try something smaller like a fuzzy mouse or maybe a rat pup every 5 to 7 days. But don't be disheartened bc most snakes lose their appetites while on medications especially antibiotics. Let the vet know and see if he has any recommendations. IMO, if she doesn't take a fuzzy mouse or rat pup in the next two weeks it may be time to tube feed her. Less stressful on the snake than assist or force feedings. Tube feedings are very easy and a great way to get nutrition into a non feeding snake. She would need to get weighed and the amount of slurry calculated.

[Jrich]

Alright it's been a bit now. She went through a round of shots (every 3 days for about 2 weeks). The vet and I noticed she had some hard lumps on the business end of things and he thought she may be constipated, the last time she ate was in May but I do realize snakes can hold onto meals for awhile. Over the weekend I have been giving her warm soaks in the tub and massaging the little lumps as suggested by the vet to get her to finally poop.
As for the bubbling, I just finished soaking her and she kept yawning and she snotted from her nostrils some. Sigh. The shots are not expensive but it seems like nothing is working and she's down to 200grams. I offer a hot fuzzy every few days at night but she ignores it. She still appears to be active during the wee hours because I will wake up to her knocking stuff over in her tank as she slithers around. I really don't know what to do.

[MDT]

Remember that mucus is a symptom, not indicative of a specific problem (think snot from allergies vs snot from pneumonia. Both have lots of secretions, but different mechanisms...snot is snot...doesn't matter if head or chest, it's all mucus)...I have seen clinically many times where the "congestion" will lag behind the "cure". Meaning that the infection (whatever it was, in this case P. rettgeri) may be treated and the clearing of secretions will take some more time. If your snake is active, hopefully that's a good sign. Typically in humans, we repeat the culture to see if the causative organism is still present, or if it has been eradicated. Keep us updated.

[Albert Clark]

Did she have a defecation (bowel movement) yet? How are the lumps looking? Are they larger, smaller? Does the vet feel that tube feeding is a option at this point? Oxbow makes a great product called "critical carnivore care". Flukers also has a great product called " repta boost". Both powder supplements that are mixed with water and given via gavage ( tube) feeding.

[Jrich]

Thanks for the helpful info MDT. I will keep monitoring her closely. I just jumped to the conclusion that because she still is secreting mucus from her mouth/nose that she still must be sick and that nothing is working but that gives me some hope. She also can't seem to fully flick her tongue out either.
Albert, she hasn't had one yet but her last one was in early June. The lumps can't be seen but can definitely be felt. There's 2 small lumps I've been trying to massage and they feel softer towards the end of the bath but she still won't poop. If she doesn't eat this week I'm going to ask the vet if they are able to do that. I'm not sure how much longer I should wait to ask for a tube feeding either. I know snakes can go months and months without eating and be fine but she's sickly and very thin. I will keep both of those products in mind if it comes down to a tube feeding. Thanks for the helpful information!