Parasites

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suikajusu

Hatchling Member
I took Lucy's fecal sample to the vet and they just called and said she has 3 different parasites :cry: she has tapeworm, pinworm, and another parasite I have never heard of. I am taking her in tomorrow for treatment but I'm really anxious and panicky because she has been sleeping and not eating a lot which I blamed on brumation. But now I'm worried that it is actually the parasites causing this. If anyone has advice or any comments I would appreciate it, I've never dealt with parasites before and I'm really nervous. I also have no idea where these parasites could have come from. I get her superworms from PetSmart, and even if it wasn't from there, I'm probably not going to buy them from there anymore.

Lydia
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

The parasites such as coccidia, are usually found in low levels in their system. Sometimes when they go down into brumation, if they have anything left in their system it could cause a build up of bacteria possibly.
I don't think it was caused by the superworms though. What type of bedding/substrate do you keep the superworms on?
Do you have a water dish in the tank with him also?
Don't let them overmedicate him though, that is worse than not medicating sometimes.
I would get some probiotics to give to him while he is on meds to help keep his system in check as antibiotics & other meds cause GI disturbances.
Also, keep him around 80 in the tank overnight to help boost his immune system too.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
 

suikajusu

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
The superworms are in oat-meal (I actually fed her the last of them a few days ago so there are none left now and I'm not planning on getting anymore too soon) I do not keep a water bowl in with Lucy, and she is currently on paper towel while her tiles/ rock is being bleached. I have benebac gel, would that be good to give her? What medications would you recommend? she's 446 grams if that helps. I'm taking her in tomorrow to get her first round of medication. I also just moved a space heater next to her tank to keep her warm at night. She doesn't have much of an appetite, should I keep giving her liquid calcium/ multivitamins? I have Calci-blast that I bought from you before :D thank you for your help, I always appreciate your advice!
 

suikajusu

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Good news! Lucy went to the vet this morning and he said she is in excellent condition and he is not worried about her one bit. He gave her half a dose of Profender (emodepside) and will give her the other half in about two weeks. The third parasite she has is called strongyles. I brought her home and fed her a slushie of pumpkin, applesauce, and greens and she ate it right up. Her appetite hasn't been this good in weeks! She seems pretty happy
77104-6013210332.jpg
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Geez, that IS a picture, isn't it? LOL :D Lucy is very beautiful!
I am glad she is doing so well now.
The strongyles are fairly common, so treatment should get rid of them, too.
It sounds like she is eating a good variety too & has increased appetite also!
I hope she likes the calci-blast & that it worked well for her too.
You can give the calci-blast as a maintenance sure, several times a week. Which vitamins do you have? As an adult, they usually only need vitamins once or so a week.
Oatmeal is fine for superworm bedding.
Absolutely, you can give her the benebac gel to help while she is on her meds, that should help out a lot for her. I am glad you are keeping her warmer overnight, too.

Keep us posted on her.

Tracie
 

npgeorgeuw

Hatchling Member
Sorry to hear that she has some unwanted "friends" but they should be treatable and hopefully she will be bouncing back strongly. A couple of things I would like re-emphasize (Tracie already pointed out one of them), sometimes our vets like to treat with many meds at once and unless it's a choice between life and death it's not generally a good plan to hit a dragon with more than one medicine at a time, doing so will hit them hard.

I would keep her diet supplemented with a higher protein syringe feeding (baby food + carnivore care is great) during that time as you want to keep her fluids high. She might have smaller poops that are watery but that's just do to overhydration. You can gage how much to be feeding her based on her weight during the treatments.

As for the cage, you'll want to get rid of all non-disposable items and/or items that can't be baked or boiled. When they poop get it out, wash them and their bottoms if need be and every night swap/clean items and wipe the vivarium down. It may sound extreme but it's good practice and will guarantee that they don't self-infect.

Do you know if they were planning on treating for the coccidia?
 

npgeorgeuw

Hatchling Member
By the way, that picture has been my life for the last six weeks! usually it's me and the dragon that end up looking like that!!

Absolutely adorable!
 

suikajusu

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I've been syringe feeding her a mix of veggies + either repta boost or benebac gel. been having no problems. Also started monitoring her weight and she seems to be gaining weight, she's also been having regular poops so that's a very good sign. She wasn't actually diagnosed with coccidia, and he gave her a topic de-wormer which is supposed to clear up everything. She's currently living with paper towel and a shoe box in her tank :( but she'll get over it. Thanks for all the advice!

Here's another picture for you to enjoy :D
77104-5479957275.jpg
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

What a cutie pie in that sombrero! Did she like wearing it? LOL She is very photogenic.
I am happy to hear she is doing so well, plus gaining weight too! Hopefully the dewormer is helping her out. Let us know how she is doing!

Tracie
 
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