Worms and Coccida: Treat or Not to Treat?

I am in a difficult position here. I just took Arthur to the vet, and the vet said he has worms and Coccida in his feces. Eggs, at least My vet is not a specialist- he treats other animals in addition to reptiles- but as best I can tell from searching he's my best option for a vet in the state of New Jersey.

Now, here's the thing. The breeder I purchased my dragon from has this on her care sheet states that even in small doses the medication typically used for this purpose causes liver damage, and when used in her operation shortened life expectancy compared to dragons that were not treated. The results of this endeavor were then used as a basis for research. She additionally personally informed me that small amounts of both are a normal part of the gut flora- or rather, fauna, for bearded dragons, and that I should not worry about it.

I should be clear here. My only concern is ensuring Arthur lives as long as possible. What the heck should I do? Both of the people I trust most with my dragon's health are not in agreement on this.

Small amounts of parasites are normal, but did you vet clarify they were above normal?
Keep your eye open for an experienced vet in reptiles specifically.

If the count is high, definitely treat it.
Lack of treatment will slowly deteriorate your dragon's innards, stunt growth, make him unable to absorb nutrients, get sick, etc etc

That's the problem. I don't have a count. All we know is that eggs are present in his feces, and I've thought his belly looks a little puffy, especially when he's standing to attention on just his front legs.

That right there is a clear indication you need a specialized vet they should have known right from the first look if it was in the normal range or heavy.

My vet has never told me the count, just that it's higher than it should be, and prescribed medication

Well, he's happy and energetic and hungry, so at least he's acting healthy. My vet is an exotics and general vet, not a reptile specialist, but he's who the local wildlife rescue uses to treat their snakes and turtles. Problem is, I can't FIND a reptile specialist, or I'm not looking in the right places.

The general reason for treating him is his stomach looked puffy.

It's good he's acting well!
Out of control parasites will eventually lead to malnutrition and death in beardies, but often times there are pretty clear symptoms.

Puffy belly could be parasites, water retention, possibly nothing.

I'm unsure of your location, but I used this site to find a reptile specialist.
http://www.herpvetconnection.com

My first dragon was seen by a local exotics vet, and taking my current dragons to a specialist is vastly different and I would never go back to the exotic vet.

I know that listing... my main reservation is that it appears to not have been updated for nearly a decade.

What's a good way to post pictures to this forum? I would like to post pictures of my beardie for this thread. My family says I am going neurotic with worry, but hey, this is my little scaly baby.

Here's a list of reptile vets : viewtopic.php?f=45&t=234369&p=1803862&hilit=melissa#p1803862

I wouldn 't risk it, I'd sack the current vet and take beardie to one the vets listed and ask for a test and diagnosis and treatment plan if it's warranted.

Need to be fastidious with the viv's hygiene if the beardie is infected , best to remove all porous stuff and lay down either loose floor tiles or paper towels as the substrate , and give the entire viv and everything in it a good thorough sterilization (I recommend using F10sc diluted 1:125 and spraying the viv's surfaces and everything in it and letting the sprayed dilute F10 airdry for at least 30 minutes, this is much more effective than vinegar & water, bleach, ammonia or steam cleaning).

Garrus":2u59r8os said:

What's a good way to post pictures to this forum? I would like to post pictures of my beardie for this thread. My family says I am going neurotic with worry, but hey, this is my little scaly baby.

Click to expand...

I use either TinyPic (which is free) and upload to that , then copy the code
or
Postimage.org (which is free) and upload to that, then take the http... code and drop it between in the post.

Garrus":10o2lt81 said:

What's a good way to post pictures to this forum? I would like to post pictures of my beardie for this thread. My family says I am going neurotic with worry, but hey, this is my little scaly baby.

Click to expand...

I upload to the forum's image hosting
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/

You upload on this page, and when creating a reply, there is an XIMG button after Font Colour along the top of the text box.

kingofnobbys":3e8l1rsq said:

Here's a list of reptile vets : viewtopic.php?f=45&t=234369&p=1803862&hilit=melissa#p1803862
Need to be fastidious with the viv's hygiene if the beardie is infected , best to remove all porous stuff and lay down either loose floor tiles or paper towels as the substrate , and give the entire viv and everything in it a good thorough sterilization (I recommend using F10sc diluted 1:125 and spraying the viv's surfaces and everything in it and letting the sprayed dilute F10 airdry for at least 30 minutes, this is much more effective than vinegar & water, bleach, ammonia or steam cleaning).

Click to expand...

I'm lucky, he never poops in the viv. Ever. He ALWAYS poops in his feeding cage or his bath. Never in the cage. Never heard of F10, what is it? And from that list, focus on the ones with an orange star, yes?

F10 is basically a veterinarian grade soap/disinfectant that you can buy pre-diluted or at full strength and dilute on your own.
https://www.ebay.com/i/162286656123?chn=ps&dispItem=1
https://www.walmart.com/ip/F10-Veterinary-Disinfectant-1-Liter-Ready-to-Use/683038851?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=10283&adid=22222222227078881887&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=191918886923&wl4=pla-301313016890&wl5=9019054&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=117027485&wl11=online&wl12=683038851&wl13=&veh=sem

I have the full strength and dilute 1:250 with water in a spray bottle. It's very handy. I use it daily as I live alone, work full time, and both dragons poop in their enclosures before lunch time.

Well, here is Arthur in all his dragony cuteness and glory. Stomach spots gone today, he had those because he was less than happy about being dragged from his favorite perch for an hour round trip to the vet. These are all post-meal pics.