Hookworms

So my rescue has been threw the ringer and back. We found out she has arthritis in both knees and she has been on 2 different pain relievers but still is not eating and now avoiding her lights. Luckily I work at a animal hospital with a great exotic vet and a tech who has worked with bearded dragons before. At 3 am I ran home to grab Lizzy and we did a quick fecal sample. Unfortunately the exotic vet was already gone for the night. The sample showed a parasite and we are pretty sure it is hookworms. Is this a treable thing? And should I treat both my dragons since they eat all the same things?

Hello,

Hookworms are usually treated with Panacur & should be able to be knocked out fairly
easily if not reinfected.
If the other dragon has been in contact with the one with hookworms, it may be a good
idea to go ahead & treat them both just to decrease the chances of spreading & infection
rates between them.
Has it affected her appetite?

Tracie

Well unfortunately her doctor verified that the egg was a pinworm. And because there was only 1 egg in the slide she is not worried. So we are back to the beginning of having no idea what is wrong. She is eating her live prey really well. But she has hardly any interest in veggies. I can get her to eat a few berries every now and then. She is one day 4 of avoiding her lights. I’m happy that she is using her ramp to get up and down her basking plat form. And the range of motion in her knees have dramatically changed. But we are lost on to why her eating habits and basking habits have changed. She has had 2 doses of tramadol. And is on a as needed basis. She hasn’t had her tramadol in almost a week. She is between 5 and 6 years old. She has had several x rays and nothing other then arthritis in her knees have been found. She hasn’t had any diarrhea. Her stool has been solid. Although her last stool was very firm. But she did eat a few black berries.

Hello,

Well, at least the levels are not too bad then.
What type & brand of UVB lighting are you using for her? What are the temperatures in her
tank?
Are you giving her plenty of calcium, also?
That is good to hear her stools are better now. You could try giving a probiotic to see if that
helps out her system some & boost her appetite a little bit.
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

She started eating yesterday. She has been without pain meds for a week. So I’m guessing the pain meds are the problem. So I will give it as needed. Temps are around 90-95 degrees basking to 80 on cool side. I just did the 6 month change yesterday to reptisun 10.0. She still has problems getting up on her basking platform. At night she likes to go to the lower level to sleep. I put a ramp in but she still has issues.

Hello,

That is great she has started eating a little bit now. I hope she is feeling better. Yes, most
of the time, excessive meds will cause a marked decrease in appetite.
Have you considered using liquid calcium in case she is having some calcium issues? The tube
bulb should be fine as long as it is mounted within a 6-8 inch distance, unobstructed from her.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie