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This is a post from Jeff Ronne on the treatment of resistant Respiratory Infection in Boas.
This covers the use of Tylan, which is what I use as well.
Now Jeff's article.
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Here is something I had written on it a couple years ago. Let me know if it helps!
Good luck!
Jeff
This may not be very exciting but this may be the most important E-mail I send via this little newsletter thing. Anyhow here goes!
I am not a Dr. I am barely even literate as my writings will attest. I am not a Vet or even a Vet Tech. I didn't even take Chemistry in high school (schedule conflict). Loved science and was good at it but absolutely no training or expertise in the field, but I am sharing my experience here and now. I am not recommending you follow this but am merely relaying what I have observed. There are laws I think against giving medical advise without a license. Maybe even regarding Boa medicine. I am unlicensed and only retelling what has occurred here.
As many of you know, I breed Boas. That's is, just Boas. I bred Ball Pythons once but that was really an accident. I am breeding a lot of Boas. I mean, a LOT of Boas. Every year I end up with a few Boas, which at the end of breeding season, have respiratory problems or in general get run down as a result of going through the stress of the long breeding season which, in Boas lasts from 2-5 or even up to 6 months. I have usually just watched these stressed Boas for a while keeping them slightly warmer than usual (85 degrees F or so) until the animal resumed vigorous feeding and returns to normal. Most snap out of it and take off again. However, a handful may require more TLC. I have used a number of anti- biotics with very limited success but what choice do we have but to try to do our best to take proper care of the animals we are entrusted for. I have used Amakacin, Baytril, Trimethoprim sulfa and Fortaz all with limited success. Very limited indeed. Health problems occasionally occur out of the blue at any time of the year in addition to the post breeding season. If the problem is so advanced as to be an obvious respiratory problem, it is probably quite severe and experience has taught me I have a really slim chance of curing the problem. I have had these animals to a good reptile vet for bacterial cultures and the recommended drug has been Amakacin or Baytril. These, in my experience in Boa Constrictors, have been very ineffective in bringing the animals around. Whether or not they knocked down the bacterial problem is to me irrelevant if the animal has lost the will to live. Bottom line I want the animal to spring back and do well. They seem to get so run down and just give up.
I have heard for years of the existence of a drug called Tylan or Tylosin which has been used in Burmese for chronic respiratory problems. I have heard the Burms, in some cases have been treated for months on end with this dope with good results in warding off these respiratory problems. I figured I would give it a try. I spoke with a large Python guy who said he gave 50 mg/kg of this drug every three days long term with excellent results. I decided to give it a whirl. Tylan is used in swine and cattle for a number of problems and I purchased this over the counter at a local feed store in a bottle, big enough to treat a herd of cattle along with a few sick Boas. I injected the Tylan sub q which means just under the skin. This was repeated three more times waiting three days between each injection. Normal precautions were taken with alcohol and cotton balls. The results were UNBOALIEVABLE!
Part II is the next post: *
This covers the use of Tylan, which is what I use as well.
Now Jeff's article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is something I had written on it a couple years ago. Let me know if it helps!
Good luck!
Jeff
This may not be very exciting but this may be the most important E-mail I send via this little newsletter thing. Anyhow here goes!
I am not a Dr. I am barely even literate as my writings will attest. I am not a Vet or even a Vet Tech. I didn't even take Chemistry in high school (schedule conflict). Loved science and was good at it but absolutely no training or expertise in the field, but I am sharing my experience here and now. I am not recommending you follow this but am merely relaying what I have observed. There are laws I think against giving medical advise without a license. Maybe even regarding Boa medicine. I am unlicensed and only retelling what has occurred here.
As many of you know, I breed Boas. That's is, just Boas. I bred Ball Pythons once but that was really an accident. I am breeding a lot of Boas. I mean, a LOT of Boas. Every year I end up with a few Boas, which at the end of breeding season, have respiratory problems or in general get run down as a result of going through the stress of the long breeding season which, in Boas lasts from 2-5 or even up to 6 months. I have usually just watched these stressed Boas for a while keeping them slightly warmer than usual (85 degrees F or so) until the animal resumed vigorous feeding and returns to normal. Most snap out of it and take off again. However, a handful may require more TLC. I have used a number of anti- biotics with very limited success but what choice do we have but to try to do our best to take proper care of the animals we are entrusted for. I have used Amakacin, Baytril, Trimethoprim sulfa and Fortaz all with limited success. Very limited indeed. Health problems occasionally occur out of the blue at any time of the year in addition to the post breeding season. If the problem is so advanced as to be an obvious respiratory problem, it is probably quite severe and experience has taught me I have a really slim chance of curing the problem. I have had these animals to a good reptile vet for bacterial cultures and the recommended drug has been Amakacin or Baytril. These, in my experience in Boa Constrictors, have been very ineffective in bringing the animals around. Whether or not they knocked down the bacterial problem is to me irrelevant if the animal has lost the will to live. Bottom line I want the animal to spring back and do well. They seem to get so run down and just give up.
I have heard for years of the existence of a drug called Tylan or Tylosin which has been used in Burmese for chronic respiratory problems. I have heard the Burms, in some cases have been treated for months on end with this dope with good results in warding off these respiratory problems. I figured I would give it a try. I spoke with a large Python guy who said he gave 50 mg/kg of this drug every three days long term with excellent results. I decided to give it a whirl. Tylan is used in swine and cattle for a number of problems and I purchased this over the counter at a local feed store in a bottle, big enough to treat a herd of cattle along with a few sick Boas. I injected the Tylan sub q which means just under the skin. This was repeated three more times waiting three days between each injection. Normal precautions were taken with alcohol and cotton balls. The results were UNBOALIEVABLE!
Part II is the next post: *
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