My snake has IBD. Is Inclusion Body Disease fatal and treatable?

Yes, IBD can become refractory to therapy. If all measures have been exhausted including steroids, Immunosuppressive therapies, Vit B12 injections, special diets, metronidazole, and sometimes even chemotherapy, then sometimes (although rarely), making a quality of life decision and choosing euthanasia is often the most humane choice. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

So sorry to hear this happened. I hate to say it but often times snakes just die for no reason at all. Sometimes these animals are weak genetically or they had pneumonia and that caused them to be weak. It is not always outwardly obvious when they are sick. If you want to know what happened get a necropsy (autopsy) done and request that the vet send tissue samples off to a pathologist. This might be costly, but if you want results that's the way to do it. Otherwise we are only speculating. Here are some common differentials for why a snake would die suddenly: 1. Parasites (internal) 2. Dehydration/kidney failure 3. Heat disease 4. Vitamin/mineral deficiency 5. Stress 6. Viral disease With the head wobble he may have had Stargazing syndrome which is not a disease in and of itself, but is a symptom of other disorders, the most important of which is a viral infection of boa constrictors and pythons called inclusion body disease. If I had to venture a guess I would say that he likely had inclusion body disease. Again, without some testing we likely won't know for sure. Hope this helps. Again, so sorry this happened.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, especially IBD and GI lymphoma. Usually GI lymphoma doesn't respond well or for long if treated as IBD. Dogs in kidney failure do not do well usually. I hope this helps!

I am sorry for the loss of your snakes. Ideally, Ivory should be physically examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet, especially in light of your recent losses. The spots could indicate infection (bacterial, fungal or even a viral condition). It is difficult to make a detrmination by looking at an image. In the meantime, clean and sanitize all the enclosures, bowls, hides and tank furniture. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Wash your hands thoroughly between handling each snake. Confirm, again if necessary, proper environmental parameters. Low temps can lead to stress which may predispose a snake to infection or illness. High humidity can foster bacterial or fungal overgrowth. Consider using paper towels as substrate until the issue is resolved. Change them daily to maintain clean conditions.

I would need more information in order to help you, first of all a picture of the bite, the antibiotic treatment the vet provided you with, when did this happen and so on. without this information i can't really help you.

Thanks for reaching out about your ball python and am sorry for your loss. I suspect the dark area was feces in the colon observed through the skin. If the body was refrigerated, a veterinary can probably perform a necropsy with the hopes of providing some answers. Good luck.

I'm sorry for your loss. The most commonly condition mistaken for IBD is intestinal lymphoma, i'm not sure what tests have been done for cancer but in order to diagnose intestinal lymphoma she should have been sent to an ultrasound specialist, i guess that would be the first thing that comes to mind but of course without being able to run tests and check the full history it's just an educated guess.