Too much medicine?

I took my 7 month bearded dragon into the Vet last week because she was diagnosed with coccidia (A fecal sample was done the day before).
She weighs about 250g and was prescribed .02 cc for the first five days and then every other day for 6 weeks.
I heard that 6 weeks seems a little too long.

By the time I took her to the vet, her stool was complete diarrhea and she was very dark-colored. She tried to drink water once and started to throw stuff up.

Was she prescribed it for this long because of the severity? Should I go on for 6 weeks?

Did the vet tell you what the worm count was on the fecal float? If not can you call and ask?

Safe to assume you were prescribed Albon? If not please let us know which antiparasitic you were prescribed.

The usual dosage is 1x a day for 15-30 days (depending on how high the count is) Wait approx 3 weeks after completion of cycle and recheck stool.

Yes, she was prescribed Albon.
They just told me that "we do not keep track of the count of the parasites but just the type".
So I have no way of knowing what the worm count was. :?

Hello,

The dosage looks good for her weight, at .02ml. It is 50mg/kg. However, it is really harsh on the system to keep them on longer than a few weeks, definitely. Usually 10-15 days is long enough for a single cycle, then recheck with a fecal to see if the levels have gone down & then reassess everything.
They do not do counts, that is strange. Was her appetite being affected prior to you taking her in to see the vet? What prompted the vet visit?
Did you give any probiotics during the medication cycle? Try getting some soy yogurt which is non dairy, or acidophiliz which will help settle her tummy & replace the natural gut flora of bacteria that is naturally found in the system to help with digestion.
Is she eating anything?

Tracie

Drache613":7431b said:

Hello,

The dosage looks good for her weight, at .02ml. It is 50mg/kg. However, it is really harsh on the system to keep them on longer than a few weeks, definitely. Usually 10-15 days is long enough for a single cycle, then recheck with a fecal to see if the levels have gone down & then reassess everything.
They do not do counts, that is strange. Was her appetite being affected prior to you taking her in to see the vet? What prompted the vet visit?
Did you give any probiotics during the medication cycle? Try getting some soy yogurt which is non dairy, or acidophiliz which will help settle her tummy & replace the natural gut flora of bacteria that is naturally found in the system to help with digestion.
Is she eating anything?

Tracie

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Her appetite was a little bit less than normal, she was eating a little less than 30 2 wk old crickets a day opposed to the usual (I would say) about 60. Her stool was REALLY runny. It was practically liquid with no solid in it whatsoever. She was very sluggish and lethargic, and her coloring was very dark. If she did not eat it would just be mucus. One day after she drank some water, she started throwing up this pink-ish substance after gagging. This was when I realized it was more than just minor temperature tweaks that maybe needed to be done. Her temperatures were 110 on basking and 95 on the cool side. I thought that this was the original problem. This was measured with a digital temperature probe. I have not given her any probiotics so I will get some soy yogurt. She is eating plenty now. Her coloring is much lighter and better, she is more active. Her stool is solid but a little more moist than usual.

What are your suggestions?

Hello,

Well, if her stools were that bad, then I would go ahead & proceed with the medication, but only for a 10 day cycle for now.
Then, give it a few weeks, & if you can try to get another fecal done to check the levels.
The probiotics will greatly help with her digestion also. At least she is still eating, which is a plus, but if you feel like she is not getting enough food you can make her a nutritional slurry to help her out with food intake. If you can find some bee pollen, that will help her immune system get boosted while she is not feeling 100%. Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie

Thank you very much Dr. Tracie :wink:
I will continue treatment for 5 more days (10 days total).
I will definitely keep you updated!

Again, thank you for all your help, not only to me, but to all the beardies out there!

Hello,

You are welcome, no problem.
Let me know how that works for her & how the stools are looking after that. Great, a 10 day cycle sounds much better & alot safer too.
I try my best, I hope I helped you out.

Tracie

Drache613":419c7 said:

Hello,

You are welcome, no problem.
Let me know how that works for her & how the stools are looking after that. Great, a 10 day cycle sounds much better & a lot safer too.
I try my best, I hope I helped you out.

Tracie

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I gave her the albon for ten days but about 3 days after she started having diarrhea again. For now I am giving some to her every other day (as the vet had suggested) before I figure out what I do next. Her fecal yesterday was solid again. I have an appointment for her next week.
I also have some reptaid that I have yet to open, should I administer that?

She is much more active and looks better than before. She is light and is nooo longer dehydrated.

Hello,

Ok, that is fine. Yes you can go ahead & give the Reptaid along with the Albon. Sometimes, they do need a couple of rounds if their counts were bad enough. Try not to exceed 3 weeks on treatments.
Is she eating pretty well now too?

Tracie

I also have some reptaid that I have yet to open, should I administer that?

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Are you talking about the product sold on this site? If so, NO don't give it with the Albon. If you are talking about the food supplement that is available at petstores then I agree with Tracie.

I think Tracie thinks it's the petstore stuff. The other stuff has antibotic herbs in it and is harsh also.

Drache613":908d2 said:

Hello,

Ok, that is fine. Yes you can go ahead & give the Reptaid along with the Albon. Sometimes, they do need a couple of rounds if their counts were bad enough. Try not to exceed 3 weeks on treatments.
Is she eating pretty well now too?

Tracie

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She is eating a lot! I will not exceed three weeks. Thank you.

Oh and I will not give reptaid to my beardie either.
I am going to get some more soy yogurt as welll!

Hello,

Great the soy yogurt will be awesome to use with the Albon.
Sandy is right, I always "assume" that everyone is talking about the Fluker's reptaid & forget about the new product. I had thought you had said it was the old reptaid. Could you specify which one it is please?

Thanks. How is she doing today?

Tracie

Drache613":89697 said:

Hello,

Great the soy yogurt will be awesome to use with the Albon.
Sandy is right, I always "assume" that everyone is talking about the Fluker's reptaid & forget about the new product. I had thought you had said it was the old reptaid. Could you specify which one it is please?

Thanks. How is she doing today?

Tracie

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Good Evening Tracie,

First of all, it is the *new* Reptaid, but I have not administered any yet. Second of all, I can't find soy yogurt at any local grocery store (which is a shame because I live in Los Angeles).
She had diarrhea again today, and that was her first bm in three days. However for the few before today's they were solid.
I'm confused =/
She has gained weight (fat and muscle) and is looking much much much healthier.
But I am going to continue the every other day regimen for the next week and a half.

Thank you for everything!

Hello,

Ok, IF you do use it, please use it with caution. Thanks for confirming which one you were using for me. I do not think it is a good idea to use them in conjunction with each other as the antibiotic alone is hard on her.
So she had diarrhea again? It is sounding like she was misdiagnosed possibly on the fecal. It is sounding like another fecal should be done as it could be flagelletes, amoebas or Strongyloides possibly. Coccidia can cause diarrhea but not as severe as with the other ailments, usually.
I think another fecal should be done, because I think something was missed. She shouldn't still be having diarrhea.
I am happy to hear though that she has gained a little bit of weight, but it isn't good for her to continue having diarrhea like this though.
Are you giving pedialyte to help with the electrolyte loss?

Tracie