Ravaged by IBD

[BWSmith]

Well after battling IBD for over a year now (http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...?t=72726&page), it has finally won. Virtually my entire collection of boas is asymptomatic but tested positive for IBD through extensive liver biopsies. As it stands right now, the following are having to be put down:

0.1 Adult female Guyana
0.1 Adult female Central American
2.1 Het Albino
0.2 Subadult Colombians
2.1 Adult Colombians
0.1 Subadult Dumerils
1.0 Sorong Green Tree Python

I am holding off on my 5 yearling Central Americans including the Phantom because they were born shortly before IBD got introduced and have stayed separate from all other boids. Liver biopsies will be done on each of them shortly, again in a year, and again at 2 years (assuming the first ones don’t come back positive). When dealing with a disease like this, there is no room for assumptions.

Thus far, I have already lost:
0.1 adult Salmon (source of IBD)
0.2 Nicaraguan Boa Neonates
0.1 Adult Colombian
1.0 Hogg Island Boa
1.0 Proven Super DH Ghost male
1.0 Guyana adult
0.1 Adult Burm

There is a small consolation. I have been in contact with Dr. Jacobson who has been working with this disease for 25 years. Because of my record keeping, having a large and diverse group, and having infected asymptomatic animals he has indicated that I have "an ideal research group for studying IBD". Lucky me. So with the samples I can provide, they can perform tests that they have never been able to do. They are on the cusp of a breakthrough with the disease and my animals may be vital to this end. So my tragic losses may help herpetoculture as a whole. That is my consolation and the one thing that makes this ordeal slightly more bearable.

But the hardest day is yet to come. My vet is going to come to the house on Tuesday to perform the mass euthanasia. I will have to assist in heart sticks and tail blood draws as my entire boid collection is anesthetized, Pentobarbital is injected directly into their hearts, and each one's liver is removed and preserved. Due to the number of animals, we may have to put some down on Wed as well. But I am hoping that we can get it all done in one night. This is not something I want to drag out.

If I had not gotten a necropsy and pathology done on the first boa that died, I would not have known that the collection was infected. Let this be a lesson that you can’t take shortcuts and that a necropsy is the final expense for responsible husbandry. You responsibility does not end when the animal dies. That $80 does not seem like much when you look at the literally THOUSANDS of dollars that I have spent on treatments, necropsies, pathologies, diagnostics, anesthesia, and euthanasia trying to fight this problem.

These are certainly trying times and this has been emotionally devastating (the worst day yet to come) and financially crippling. But I am a professional, I can handle it .......... right?

OK, I'll quit whining now.

	Heterozygous Heterozygous - the animal carries the gene for a genetic trait but does not outwardly demonstrate the trait. Example: A boa that is het for albino looks normal but carries the albino gene. When it is bred to another het for albino boa or an albino boa, a percentage of the offspring will be albino.

	Female Female

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[Ghroller]

ouch! Thats Terrible news. Maybe I missed this, but any idea how the IBD was transfered from a quarantined enclosure to the rest of your boids?

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[amercnwmn]

BW, I am sincerely sorry this is happening. I know this really has to make you feel physically ill.

What I hate most is that after reading your story, many people will continue to lose snakes in their collections, and STILL not bother to find out WHY exactly, before they are bringing in more snakes to be potentially exposed to a disease such as IBD.

I am very glad that at the least, something very positive and definitive for the study of IBD is coming from this, and if it were not for your initiative, and caring, it would not have happened. You have experienced a truly devastating personal hit, and are using it to educate and further the herp world, and that to me, is really admirable.

Because of your story, I am ANAL about animals coming into my home. I tell anyone I see at a pet store buying a new snake to add to an already existing collection to make sure they keep it completely isolated, and wash anything that comes in contact with that snake. I also tell them to search IBD.
I don't think I am as cautious as I should be, still, but I do pay attention to such things, whereas before I did not.

I wish you all the best, and it may not mean much, but I have a deep respect for you and your knowledge and love for your animals, and those not in your collection.

Enough leg humping..

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[basslogic4003]

Wow...I'm terribly sorry BW I know it doesn't do any good, but you have my most sincere condolences.

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[RioBravoReptiles]

I'm curious to know three things.
.
1) How exactly did you positively determine the original source of the problem?
.
2) Whatever the original source, how was the problem able to spread to your entire collection?
.
3) What measures will you take in future to prevent IBD or any other introduced contagion from spreading to all your cages and animals?
.
This is a terrible thing that you're going through and you have my complete sympathy. Hopefully through sharing what you've learned you can help others to avoid the same problems!
.
Gus/Rio Bravo Reptiles.

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[amercnwmn]

I know what else I meant to ask..
I know in the Fauna thread you mentioned a legal pursuit of the woman you purchased the IBD infected Super Salmon Boa from...Did anything come of that yet?
I'm very anxious to hear if she was held accountable for her negligence in providing not only a sick snake, but also for not accepting the liability of such a thing..

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	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[CraigC]

Like I said before, there are no words.

Craig

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[louise]

did the vet come already? is it over?

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[MED04]

You will handle it, not because you are a professional, but because you have to.

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[louise]

Originally Posted by MED04

You will handle it, not because you are a professional, but because you have to.

i wish he didn't have to handle it. i wish we could be there to handle it for him.

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	Megan! Brett's Better Half

[Heidi]

Wow, I have to type through my tears. I am so sad for you. Like Courtney, I have also been able to learn through this and have even come to the point that I haven't been letting people with boids in my home (nor going to theirs) because of a confirmed case in my area from a well known dreadfull, hatefull place. It is sad that so many lives are lost to gain any further knowledge about this killer disease. I hope it does at some point give you peace in knowing you helped save the lives of so many other pets.

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[DaveA]

This is a horrible thing that you're going through and you have my deepest sympathy.

I'll pray for God to hold and uplift you in this heart wrenching time.

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[BWSmith]

Originally Posted by RioBravoReptiles

I'm curious to know three things.
.
1) How exactly did you positively determine the original source of the problem?
.
2) Whatever the original source, how was the problem able to spread to your entire collection?
.
3) What measures will you take in future to prevent IBD or any other introduced contagion from spreading to all your cages and animals?
.
.

Good questions. I had very long responses typed out, hit the wrong button and lost it all. so I will try to quickly retype before I have to run accross own for work.

1. The time line indicates a preexisting condition. Also boa losses in my collection were a real rarity, but necropsies and pathology was always done. IBD had never been present previously.

2. Noone knows yet how it is transmitted. It is assumed that it is transmitted through bodily fluids and mites. But neither has been proven. I have strict procedures to prevent cross contamination. New pair of Nitrile gloves per animal, sterilization of equipment between animals, animal specific water bowls, uneaten food is tossed, etc. I have, however, been able to collect a total of 6 mites (who ever heard only finding 6?). But those were only found recently, not during the initial outbreak. But those few mites are being tested for the presence of the retrovirus. My only thought is that perhaps one or two just kept migrating. Such would be virtually undetectable to even the most trained eye. But that is unlikely as I carefully observed every animal each day for symptoms. Who knows? Perhaps the retrovirus has become airborne (there is some evidence to suggest that scenario). But to err on the side of caution, I am no longer using mulch as a substrate and am transferring every cage in both rooms to 100# indented Kraft paper.

3. That one is easy. Any boa that comes in gets a liver biopsy. It is expensive and may seem anal, but at this point I am not taking chances. Of course, I have no plans at the moment to get any more boas. Right now i can't look at them without seeing potential disease bags.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[BWSmith]

Originally Posted by louise

did the vet come already? is it over?

Tuesday evening is D-Day.

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[louise]

Originally Posted by BWSmith

Tuesday evening is D-Day.

my prayers will be with you that day.

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[Ghroller]

Originally Posted by BWSmith

]
3. That one is easy. Any boa that comes in gets a liver biopsy. It is expensive and may seem anal, but at this point I am not taking chances. Of course, I have no plans at the moment to get any more boas. Right now i can't look at them without seeing potential disease bags.

Anal... Not so much.

I'm sure anyone whos just had their boid collection wiped out by IBD, would likely be taken the same percautions. Expensive, maybe but save you a lot of Time/Money/Grief in the long run!

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[kim k]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

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[Ranger]

Condolences BW, and thank you for sharing the story and for furthering the research.

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[BWSmith]

Just a few of the kids.


Hogg Island that I rehabbed only to have lost him to IBD during the first wave




These are just a few of the faces I have to see Tuesday as the spark of life drifts away by my own hand.

Mindy, my big female Guyana. She came in at 7' and only 6 pounds. After years of working with her, she was finally ready to breed.




Maggie, my sweet Central American momma and one of my favorites



Pearl, my beautiful het




Monster, she was the runt of the litter and a nonfeeder so i took her in and got her up to 5'



Top: Cloe, Right: Simon, Left: Big Boy (had him for 10 years)

	Heterozygous Heterozygous - the animal carries the gene for a genetic trait but does not outwardly demonstrate the trait. Example: A boa that is het for albino looks normal but carries the albino gene. When it is bred to another het for albino boa or an albino boa, a percentage of the offspring will be albino.

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[NicoleRussell]

so sorry bw
What a shame.

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