What is THIS NOISE?!

[DovahDad]

4 month old Dovah had a respiratory infection in mid-December which we treated with 13 days of Baytril, which totally killed his appetite. He hasn't voluntarily eaten crickets, phoenix worms, Nature Zone Bites or veggies since, except once or twice a couple weeks ago. He's been off Baytril for well over a month. We syringe feed him varying squash, collard greens, chicken, and mashed phoenix worm mixtures with Acidophiliz+ mixed in. However, he still has no appetite. We also didn't know how much to be syringe feeding him in the beginning and he got very skinny. He's getting back to a healthier weight now, though still a little under.

Also, he still makes this noise every few days at least (he did it today pretty loudly). We associate it with an RI because that's when he started it - but is that really what it is, or could it be something else?? We were never convinced the Baytril totally knocked down the RI.

The NOISE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y00eXleDE9M#t=19

That video was about 3 weeks ago. Do people think that's a lingering RI, or something else?

 

[CooperDragon]

That's a cough. Dundee does that regularly too. He probably still has some buildup in his lungs. After a month, it may be worth having another culture taken to try and determine if there is a Baytril resistant bacteria lingering. These RIs can be really tough to kick =/

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is a possibility that it didn't totally knock it out. The respiratory infections can sometimes be stubborn. You could consider doing some nebulizer treatments if it doesn't clear up.
Are you keeping the tank around 80 overnight to help boost his immune system? How is the humidity also, less than 20%?

Tracie

 

[DovahDad]

Thanks, Cooper and Tracie.

@CooperDragon: Thanks for confirming it is a cough. Poor guy - how long has Dundee been under the weather? What are you doing for him?

@Tracie: Yes, we're keeping the tank around 80 at night with a CHE and the humidity is always under 20% (helps that it's winter). As for nebulizer treatments, last night we gave him his third nebulizer treatment in four days of 1:250 diluted F10SC:saline. I've heard good things about it, and unlike Baytril it's full spectrum - good for fungus, viruses, all types of bacteria, etc. We'll try it for a few more days and let you know if he sees any improvement.

 

[CooperDragon]

I got him in July and he was sick then. Not sure how long he was sick before then but he's been treated since then. He has done rounds of antibiotics and antifungals. I've been syringe feeding him to put on weight and give him energy to fight himself, and I keep the temps and UVB exposure under close monitoring. He just finished 3 weeks of Baytril so I'm giving him a month or two off until another checkup and treatment round so his systems can recover. His eyes are clearing and he has more energy than ever but still coughs pretty regularly and doesn't have much appetite. I hope Dovah responds much more quickly but know it can be a long fight in some cases.

 

[DovahDad]

I'm sorry to hear your little guy has been sick so long, but it sounds like you're doing everything you should be. It's nice to know that it's not abnormal for an RI to knock down their appetites and linger for far longer than it is welcome. Since July is a long time, but I'm glad to hear he's showing some improvement.

What are you feeding him, and how much (and how much does he weigh)?

 

[CooperDragon]

I feed him primarily a 10ml syringe of salad puree (changes based on what's fresh - this week's concoction is collard greens, kale, yellow and green squash, green beans, and green bell pepper) just about every day. The lone advantage of his coughing is that he opens his mouth so syringe feeding is easier (still need to be careful not to feed too much too fast though). He has recently started going after worms on occasion so I offer a few silks, butters, and supers every other day or so. He doesn't always go after them. He ate 3 silk worms this morning. I've tried offering dubias but they are much too fast for him (he usually takes several tries over a long span to hit the target when hunting). He has trouble chewing because he is missing several teeth due to mouth rot (under control now). This morning I weighed him at 434g (up from 344g in July but relatively steady since Sept).