In searching for a group of Leopards, I was restricted to animals currently in New York due to the recent ban on international, as well as interstate transport of Leopards, sulcatas, and Bells (This ban has since been amended to allow interstate transport with a health certificate from your veterinarian). I ended up taking in a group of rehabbers from a friend. The group consisted of an 8 lb. female, a 7 lb. male and two months later, a 5.5 lb. male. Each animal had a history of chronic Runny Nose Syndrome (RNS) and each was symptomatic when they arrived.

     RNS, also known as chronic rhinitis often involves multiple factors. Husbandry and the design of enclosures certainly have an impact on the frequency and degree of infection, but this is a bacterial infection usually of the gram-negative type. RNS is particularly troublesome in large collections or collections in which species have been mixed. RNS is classically difficult to cure and has a nasty habit of regular reoccurrence. Prevention is key and starts with perfect husbandry and strict separation of species. In mixed collections, be extra diligent about washing hands with a proven anti-microbial/bacterial soap between maintenance of different enclosures and keep in strict isolation any symptomatic animals. As implied by the name, symptoms include runny or bubbly nose and sometimes irritation of the eyes.

     Upon arrival of the initial pair, the female was extremely symptomatic with a buildup of mucous around the nose and the male was similar but to a lesser extent. In researching the proper treatment, I found first hand experience of multiple success with IM injections of oxytetracycline in concert with antibiotic nasal drops. I found some contradiction in reference to dosage. Some sources recommend IM injections of 5mg per kg, but my sources noted a dosage of 10 times that or 50 mg per kg. I decided to go with the higher dosage and began a treatment regimen of daily injection with twice daily administration of Gentocin Durafilm drops in the nares. The injection site generally agreed upon is the area of the front limbs where the skin meets the bridge. This area is chosen because it seems to be less painful and some believe that antibiotic injection in the posterior can be systematically removed by the renal-portal system before being effective. This injection site is particularly important when dealing with nephrotoxic substances (those substances impairing renal function). This regimen continued for 15 days.

     This course of treatment was extremely effective and produced no visible side effects. The animals showed little discomfort at the injection site and behavior continued as normal. As standard procedure, the room temperature was kept at the daytime level of 85 degrees F. around the clock for the entire course of treatment. Higher temperatures speed metabolism and increase the effectiveness of the antibiotic.

     After the injections stopped, both animals developed an eye infection literally overnight. This could be due to the immune system imbalance caused by antibiotic treatment, or a less than adequate length of treatment. In any event, this was quickly resolved with twice daily eye drops of tobramycin. It has been nearly 4 months with no signs of RNS.

     Upon arrival of the second male, I initiated the same treatment but this time expanded the nasal drop treatment to include the eyes. I continued the eye drops for 3 days after the end of the injections and that seemed to keep away any secondary eye infections from appearing. All animals are symptom free to this day.

     Please keep in mind that before any course of treatment is instituted, your animals should be thoroughly examined by a licensed veterinarian knowledgeable in chelonian treatment. Your vet should be able to accurately diagnose RNS and other upper respiratory infections while prescribing the best course of treatment.

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