pneumonia

[LBonawitz]

Pokey has extra saliva and is gasping for air (today is the first day of this) I took him to the vet first thing this AM and she called it pneumonia, not uppper respiratory infection (URI). she said his lungs are full of fluid and put him on amikacin injections every third day. she said to increase the temps in his cage.

I'm curious now how the heck he got pneumonia. i took him to the vet exactly 2 weeks ago and everything was fine, now a raging case of pneumonia, what did i do wrong?

he is still eating and drinking, but he keeps hanging by his tail and the fluid comes out his nose.


any info about pneumonia would be great

 

[bridgofaith]

Hi!

URI is a broad term used for a lot of different things. Dr. Stein and Dr. Alfonso call it what it is: pneumonia. Increased temps are good. You also want to increase humidity. Get a warm mist humidifier and stick it in the cage and run it 24/7. Warm, steamy showers a couple times a day and exposure to sunlight also helps.

Read through my thread: https://www.chameleonforums.com/back-vet-medication-questions-39302/ When you see the fluid build up, gently remove it with a Q-Tip. If he is still eating I would use food item that are extra juicy such as silkies or hornworms. Be aware that this medication may not get rid of the problem. You may have to try a different one. If that's the case a culture and sensitivity test should be done to see exactly what bacteria is present, and what meds they are sensitive to.

Also, don't let his temps fall below 70 at night. A little warmer for now is better.

 

[LBonawitz]

wow! thank you! his vet did a culture today so we're waiting on the results. she gave Amikacin for now and said we might switch it.

His grip is so weak, he keeps falling.

do you know if thats normal with pneumonia?

 

[bridgofaith]

Excellent, glad to hear the culture has been done. That will be very helpful.

Yes, I'm sure he is quite weak. What is happening is he is drowning, suffocating. His lungs are full of fluid/mucus and restricting his airflow. He is very sick. I would put him in a "hospital cage" that he won't be climbing high up and possiblely injuring himself from falling. What I did with my Elizabeth was I put her in a smallish box with a wooden rod through it, with crumpled paper towels in the bottom. In a few days, with the correct meds, she was strong enough to go back in her regular cage.

The first day I gave her the Baytril, she had an experience like yours. Hanging upside down, fluid pouring from her mouth. Dr. Alfonso said that what he thinks happened is that the Baytril, which worked for us, caused her to expectorate. Just keep his mouth as clear of mucus as possible.

 

[bridgofaith]

Any update? How's he doing?

 

[Carlton]

Hi!

URI is a broad term used for a lot of different things. Dr. Stein and Dr. Alfonso call it what it is: pneumonia.

Actually, just to quibble, I think that an Upper Respiratory Infection would be an infection of the nasal passages and sinuses, not one that includes the lungs or air sacs. That is now considered pneumonia.

 

[bridgofaith]

Actually, just to quibble, I think that an Upper Respiratory Infection would be an infection of the nasal passages and sinuses, not one that includes the lungs or air sacs. That is now considered pneumonia.

No, you are absolutely correct, I completely agree. URI is an infection in the nasal passages. It is so widely used by keepers and vets alike, I just didn't get into it. I guess if people just don't like the term 'pneumonia' they should call it a LRI instead. I think URI is just over used and misused a lot of the time.