Update on Dagger

Discussion in 'Boas' started by Daggerlover, Apr 29, 2009.

  1. Daggerlover

    Daggerlover Well-Known Member

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    Well, it took a very long time with inhilation therapy; injections; fluids; etc. A month ago the vet said "Lets give him a month, then re-test his blood and see where we're at." Okay, so we did that.

    His wheezing never went away. On Monday we got X-rays and extra bloodwork done. His white blood cell count FINALLY came down (yay!!), but his wheeze is still rampant. The only thing that was weird on his blood was that his calcium count was high - which can indicate a tumor. Well, the X-rays came back completely clear too. So we can't even see the tumor, if there is one.

    So, at this point, there is basically permanent lung damage which is still causing his wheezing.

    So, unless he gets worse, basically he's better. Unless in 6 months we get his blood done and the calcium is even higher.

    Could the calcium be any other reason other than a tumor? He still seems fairly lethargic (he does thermoregulate normally), but is still eating and pooping very healthily.

    As far as we're concerned he's "normal" again. We just need to keep an eye on him. So yay! Over $1,000 spent, but worth every penny for our verybig little snakey.

    Oh, and as a side note, the vet strongly recommended us to spend some time outside with him in the sunlight. She said that most people overlook sunlight and even though bulbs are not *required* for snakes, it doesn't do them harm to have them outside in nice weather.
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. bruno

    bruno Moderator

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    Hi,
    This is good news, OK, so you got a snake that wheezes but he seems good apart from that, as long he's eating and pooping ok.
    Thats a good idea of vet the extra UVB may in fact help him, in the wild they would get some anyway and I'm sure he will enjoy it. It doesn't apply to snakes as much but as you know UVB plays a big part in lizard's control of calcium and D3 so hope this works for Dagger.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. justkev

    justkev Hi :) Staff Member

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    Absolutely with the sunlight.

    No light bulb regardless of cost.. will replace the *very real* benefits of sunlight.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. scooter1685

    scooter1685 New Member

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    Very good point mentioned by Bruno. In humans and many other animals UV aides in the metabolism and absorption of calcium. Best case scenario, the added UV will help Dagger absorb some of the added calcium floating around in his blood for whatever reason and he'll begin to show even more improvement. Worst case scenario he'll enjoy a little fresh air and sunlight, but it won't help him improve any more than he already has. There's no reason not to try.

    Congratulations on a crisis (hopefully) averted! Medical expenses can be exhausting, but it's always worth it to save someone you love, lol. That's why I'll never be a large volume breeder, regardless of how much my friend tries to convince me. I don't want stock, I want pets :blink: I doubt I'll ever have more than 8-10 snakes. There's a lot of care involved. Oh, not to keep them alive really, but to keep them healthy and happy, and of course to keep them tame and gentle, it requires a daily commitment. It makes me sick when I do an educational bit at a school and one of the kids talks about some family member that has snakes and says you only have to pay attention to them once per week when you're feeding them.

    Anyhow, I ramble, lol. I'm happy for you and Dagger! Best of luck to you both!
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. VinnyD

    VinnyD New Member

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    One thing i have done reaserch on with the Philadelphia Zoo is that RI's in Boa's are termanal!! They dont ever go away your snake can live for 3 more years or 20 more years, but with all the vets and meds it never totally goes away. it can cause birth diffects, and RI's in the babies and many other things. But it sounds like to me that your Boa is wheezing because of a sinus problem. After all that the vet did and discovered nothing. Thats all i can think it is!! I wish you and your Boa the best of luck. I admire the way you care for your reptiles!! You did a great job, caring for your snake!!!
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. Daggerlover

    Daggerlover Well-Known Member

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    From what I've learned, if the white blood cell count is normal (which Dagger's is), it eliminates the possibility of infection, doesn't it? Even in humans, if your WBC is high, you're facing an infection. When those WBC's are down, your body has successfully isolated the virus or bacteria that has caused the illness to begin with.

    Dagger still wheezes from residual damage to his lungs; not because he still has an infection, according to my Veterinarian.

    I am not challenging; I am inquiring. I am interested to know more.

    Anyone else have any input on this?
     
  12. scooter1685

    scooter1685 New Member

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    Well, speaking from a strictly medical standpoint an increased leucocyte count doesn't eliminate the possibility of an infection. Where the problems have been going on this long it could be that the infection has proven so severe that the poor guy's body is throwing a tizzy fit trying to clear it out but it's been unsuccessful (which would be why the count is still so high after so much time). It could also be that the body is having an autoimmune response, but that's unlikely. There are many reasons why the count could be so high. But when it's up like that it means the body is already busy fighting something off (or trying to) and is therefore more succeptible to new contagions. Much like when a person gets sick, it's very rarely only one sickness at a time. Usually what happens is you'll catch a small virus and your body will be so busy fighting it off that it doesn't have the resources to fight off another contagion that is introduced. Really, it's very rarely only one sickness at a time. The fact that the leucocyte count is still so high means you should be careful with him, because if his body is still trying to fight off whatever he's had it will be easier for him to succumb to something new.

    Not trying to be the harbinger here, just answering your question. Really I'm hoping that it's all sunny skies from here for you and Dagger.



    Lol, ok so I'm a moron. I had thought the issue was that his leucocyte count was still high. The fact that it has come back down to normal level indicates good things. There are a few rare circumstances where that's not true, but almost always it means good things.
     
  13. Daggerlover

    Daggerlover Well-Known Member

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    Right :D My question was that if his WBC is down to normal (which it is!), that means the infection is gone, correct?

    PS, Scooter, you're not a harbringer - if the scenario was that his count was high and I was more inexperienced, what you've written is absolutely excellent advice :D
     
  14. VinnyD

    VinnyD New Member

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    Well now that is count is back to normal, hopefully everything will be fine from here on out!! And that was excelent information Scooter. I think everyone learned something from that...
     

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