SincerelySasquatch
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Hello. My leo has been dealing with some type of respiratory infection for months, despite vet care. I've had him 5 years with 0 issues until now. No sneezing or discharges, just wheezing and labored breathing that slowly progresses. When it began I was prioritizing the bugs in my vivarium... The humidity was too high for a while, and temps were a little low. 29 gallon bioactive. I have corrected the husbandry: basking spot with dhp at 92 degrees, a second fixture with che to lower humidity and boost ambient temps at 82, cool spot 78-80. Humidity 40-45 in the cool spot. Also multiple hides, slate in the basking area, humid hide etc. gets fed crickets, giant mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, superworms and waxworms. Gets a bug dusted with multivitamin with D twice a week, plus a bug dusted with plain calcium twice a week and plain calcium always available. He's 10" 121 grams.
I took him to the only reptile vet in the area a couple months ago and do not trust she knows what she's doing. She's newly out of vet school. She said leopard geckos cannot get overweight as they store fat in their tails (my leo is obese, we're working on that) and she prescribed an antibiotic injection for one week. I read it is supposed to be used for a month. Due to her statement about the weight, and what I read about the antibiotic, I think she is maybe a bit ignorant. He was just beginning to get better after a week so she prescribed two more weeks. At the end he was maybe 95% better so I decided to keep an eye on him and let him heal up the rest of the way on his own, with better husbandry. Well, it's slowly been coming back. I do not want to go back to that vet. So I have a plan.
I ordered kanamycin. Kanamycin is an antibiotic effective against gram-negative bacteria, I have read most reptile infections are gram-negative. Kanamycin is used in respiratory infections in other species. Kanamycin is used in reptiles at 10-15 mg/kg so I am going to be dosing my leo at 1.8mg. I am ordering a nebulizer and will be nebulizing the medicine into my leo in a container. If the kanamycin doesn't work I'll try either doxycycline or erythromycin, depending upon further reading. I will also be supplementing nutribac before and after treatment to keep up his intestinal microbiome, as last time he was on antibiotics he lost his appetite for a few weeks even after they were finished. I also got a HEPA air purifier, I needed one anyway for my asthma and figure it will help us both.
As far as diy plans go, how does this sound?
I took him to the only reptile vet in the area a couple months ago and do not trust she knows what she's doing. She's newly out of vet school. She said leopard geckos cannot get overweight as they store fat in their tails (my leo is obese, we're working on that) and she prescribed an antibiotic injection for one week. I read it is supposed to be used for a month. Due to her statement about the weight, and what I read about the antibiotic, I think she is maybe a bit ignorant. He was just beginning to get better after a week so she prescribed two more weeks. At the end he was maybe 95% better so I decided to keep an eye on him and let him heal up the rest of the way on his own, with better husbandry. Well, it's slowly been coming back. I do not want to go back to that vet. So I have a plan.
I ordered kanamycin. Kanamycin is an antibiotic effective against gram-negative bacteria, I have read most reptile infections are gram-negative. Kanamycin is used in respiratory infections in other species. Kanamycin is used in reptiles at 10-15 mg/kg so I am going to be dosing my leo at 1.8mg. I am ordering a nebulizer and will be nebulizing the medicine into my leo in a container. If the kanamycin doesn't work I'll try either doxycycline or erythromycin, depending upon further reading. I will also be supplementing nutribac before and after treatment to keep up his intestinal microbiome, as last time he was on antibiotics he lost his appetite for a few weeks even after they were finished. I also got a HEPA air purifier, I needed one anyway for my asthma and figure it will help us both.
As far as diy plans go, how does this sound?
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