Coccidia gone but still has pinworms

My dragon finished his meds this Monday and I took a sample in yesterday. Today the vet called me and told me that the coccidia is gone but that there was still a pinworm egg or two on the fecal slide they did. While that is an improvement from the "lots" he had weeks ago, I am disappointed, stressed, and ready to give up due to the remaining pinworms. The vet suggested we give more Panacur because although pinworms aren't as terrible as other parasites and some vets choose not to treat, he's of the mindset that we should try to get rid of them especially because the count went down.

As for maintenance, he told me I needed to be good about cleaning up the poop, which I very much am, and that I need to wash his butt, which I do every time. He also suggested that I swab his vent with a diluted antiseptic after washing him. Would betadine work? I have some of that. How diluted should it be?

As for the enclosure, I've been pouring boiling water on the walls and bottom and letting that sit and then steam cleaning it. I change his paper box platforms and puppy pads every day, too. What solution could I use to wash it down? Someone suggested red wine vinegar but I've also seen apple cider vinegar suggested, some F-10 solution, and some "pink" solution from online, too. Which of those could I use? Does anything actually kill the pinworm eggs? Like the steam and boiling water I'm using? Those solutions? Could someone provide a link to the solutions I can buy to disinfect, please?

I am at the end of my rope. I'm also stressed for personal reasons and this is only adding to it. Will the pinworms ever go away? Because if they don't, I'm going to have an aneurysm. I just won't have all the time I do now to clean him up in the near future and I fear the pinworms will only get worse. What else can I do? I don't want to have to give him to a rescue because I don't have the time anymore to clean him up and the like. I know they can live with a low count of pinworms but I don't want that. Any stress he feels, like with the move I'll be making in the near future, and the count could shoot up. Ughhh. I haven't even gotten to enjoy him as a pet because it's meds meds meds then clean clean clean and then rush to work just to barely make it on time. It's draining me.

A low count of pinworms isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's normal for some of them to carry a low level of pinworms without causing an issue. Keep him hydrated and clean up well and see if he can manage the rest on his own. If you do decide to go another round of Panacur, it should be OK as it isn't too harsh.

For cleaning, I spot clean with a spray bottle of vinegar and water. That helps get all of the solid bits up. For disinfecting I suggest using the F10SC as you mentioned. You can also steam clean but I'd use an actual steam cleaner. I have a little 1000w portable steam cleaner that works really well. For tile and wood you can just rinse it and toss it in the oven at 250 for 45 min or so to disinfect. To clean my guy up after a poop (during parasite treatment) I wipe his butt and toss him in a bath for 10 min or so. I put maybe a teaspoon (rough guess) of betadine in the water along with some Dr Bronner's Baby Mild soap. Once he's dried off after his bath he's as good as new. He has a routine set so that he poops on the linoleum floor every morning rather than in his tank which helps a lot too.

I'd say if the Coccidia is gone, the tough part of the battle is done so keep up the good work. Offer some probiotics like Acidophiliz+ or Bene-bac (for birds and reptiles) and he should be a happy camper.

I use a little teapot shaped steamer. I don't know the wattage but apparently it has been working. I was thinking of getting another one. Is there a minimum wattage it should be?

How diluted should the vinegar be and what type of vinegar? He rarely gets anything on the glass, actually--aside from occasionally running through his poop and smearing it, that is.

I also always clean him up right away so he doesn't have a chance to get everything dirty. His routine is to poop about an hour or so after waking up and eating. Because I've had the CHE on since he started his meds, he's very alert and running about, eating, and pooping much sooner than when I didn't have it on because he's already warm. Sometimes he poops twice, though, (and RIGHT AFTER I finish cleaning of course) so I am forced to at least change the puppy pad and wash his butt; I don't re-clean the entire tank at that point. As for the F10SC, is it this one?

F10SC Veterinary Disinfectant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DR25TSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_eitpxbE57NZMQ

The bad thing is that he hates water. My hands are so scratched up because in order to simply wash his butt and get off any poop he might have stuck on there, I have to wrestle with him. It's so frustrating. Giving him a 1 minute bath, as in putting him in a container with water to soak, wouldn't be possible, much less 10 minutes. I've settled for scrubbing him with some soft soap and then swabbing some diluted betadine on his vent and anywhere else he had poop on. That has to work!

I've also been giving him the green Bene Bac gel. I got two big 15 gram syringes. I give him his meds in the morning and at night when I get home from work, I give him a gram of the gel. He loves it.

My main frustration is the stress we are both feeling and the fact that I still can't get him into his 40 gallon breeder with all the cool stuff I bought him because I don't want him infecting that tank. I think I will try Panacur again and see what happens. I'll known at the beginning of June whether it worked when I re-do the fecal. I just want him to be ok and for this nightmare to be over.

Yeah the teapot shaped steamer is what I have. That will work really well for disinfecting. That is the F10SC I use as well. I keep a spray bottle of that on hand and use it on more of a daily basis with the steam cleaner coming into play a couple of times per month if needed.

I use regular white vinegar but red wine vinegar is a good (if not better) choice. I mix it about 50/50 in a spray bottle. It's mainly to help with stink and it works great to pick up the stuck on solid bits. I make sure everything is cleaned really well with that and then disinfect.

If he is stressed by water, don't bother with baths. It's not worth the stress. Some of them like it and others don't. In his case maybe wet a folded square of paper towel and put a bit of betadine on it and give him a good wipe. That should do the trick.

The bene-bac gel is good. I only offer it 1 notch every 3 days though rather than daily. I definitely understand the stress of dealing with a sick dragon (I'm doing the same thing now). As I said though you have the tougher of the two parasites beaten. Another round of the Panacur should do the job. It's a pretty effective medication.

Now that I've had time to think, I'm starting to worry about his getting coccidia again since he's in the same tank. I've steam cleaned it and poured boiling water in it from the beginning, but maybe that isn't enough. That would suck big time. Nothing except steam and heat kills coccidia though right? So there's not much more I can do? Or does the F10SC kill coccidia? Because I heard it doesn't. I just don't want him getting coccidia again.

Ammonia - (Oocide)

Ammonia products are irritating to the skin and to the respiratory tract. Do not mix with bleach as toxic fumes will be released and can harm you and your reptile.

Advantages: effective against Cryptosporidia, coccidia, and mycobacteria.

Disadvantages: causes respiratory irritation, ineffective in the presence of organic material, and has a foul odor.

Dilution and Contact Time: 10% solution, 30 minutes.


http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Disinfectants.html

The steam cleaning should take care of the coccidia. Heat and steam will kill it as will ammonia.

Is it ok to take a fecal sample in a day after he's done with the Panacur or should I wait longer? Would taking it in the day after give inaccurate results?

Hello,

I would give it a week or so before taking in another fecal, just to let the body flush out some before another test.
How is he doing?

Tracie

Appetite is ok and he's active most of the time but there's something wrong with his snout. The scales turned dark and today I found him with an open wound there. I think the blackened scales fell off while he was rubbing his face around to get off the ones he's currently shedding. There's blood, it's a little bit sunken in, and smooth. I've accepted that it's not a good sign and I'm afraid it's fungus. I'll be taking him in on Tuesday.

I can relate to your worry. I recently had my dragon biopsied to test for YF. Test came back negative. As far as your dragon acting off, that can be a residual from the meds he was on. I have two dragons and both at times don't act as "normal" as I think they should. Daisy ( 1 yr) stopped eating and started hiding. Did all the tests and nothing. Ultrasound showed no eggs. Her latest hiding and not eating episode, which lasted a couple of weeks, was a result of pre-shed stress.

Little Dragon was the one I had the biopsy on. Well he is around 7 months and he lays down under his branch pretty much everyday from 1 pm to bedtime. His fecal last week came back clean. Just one of those things.

I believe that as owners provide better care with more enriched environments, we will observe natural behaviors that may seen worrisome to us. In the wild, wouldn't a dragon bask but then during the hottest part of the day seek shelter (i.e. a hide, under a branch, hang out in the cooler side of cage)? However, to us this behavior looks like lethargy and makes us think the dragon is sick when more than likely it is just natural behavior.

Anyway, I don't play around with YF but I agree with AHBD that this doesn't resemble it. I too read about the rapid sheds as being a sign but the literature never says a sign for what age group..it has to be for an adult dragon because young ones can finish a shed and shortly show signs of building up for another one. The exposed skin related to YF happens as the disease progresses and is an ulceration. But there are steps that proceed it. Discolored brown or yellow spot(s), which may or may not have rapid spread, shed with reduction of spot coloration, spots reappear and progress to become crusty, sheds become more frequent, crusty spots partially shed, spots become crustier and crust comes off to reveal ulceration and diseased progresses further in towards organs.I don't see that progression in yours.

It could have been retained shed that was irritated by the peroxide and your dragon could of been rubbing his head on objects to get the shed off and scraped himself.

Now that the skin is exposed on his nose, the honey should really help. My vet uses raw manuka honey and said sometimes it works too fast (depending on if wound needs more time to drain, I suppose). I would continue applying it and give it a few days.

Also, the coccidia and pinworms don't have to be absolutely gone for your dragon to be healthy. My vet treats for coccidia and pinworms once if necessary to get the levels down if too high, not necessarily to eradicate. I use chlorhexidine gluconate 2% diluted to clean vent, tail, and feet when treating for parasites.

Thank you for all that info. I wish I had Manuka honey but I don't. I only have regular raw, unfiltered honey, which I was told was ok for now. Will it be ok for him to bask in that heat with the honey on there?

As for the parasites, yeah, if they don't go away with a second round of meds, I will just leave it be. There were only 1-2 eggs this last time down from dozens and I don't want repeated antibiotic use to harm him more than the pinworms themselves. I just don't like the idea of worms anywhere near him or me--I've read humans can get them lol--but I don't want to harm him either. I use diluted betadine to clean his vent and areas where he gets poop.

That's a good question about basking with the honey. I wouldn't let him bask with an oil based product, like coconut oil. Not sure about the honey. AHBD would know. You can always put the honey on him at night. I think it would be okay to bask while on but check with AHBD. I got my honey from the Vitamin Shoppe but GNC or an independent healthfood store should carry it.

Hello,

I think it would be fine to bask with honey. Yes, the raw, unfiltered honey is just fine. Just be sure you don't have any feeders or insects running around in the tank that would be attracted to the honey. Putting it on at night is always good, too.
That is a very low count which really shouldn't be worrisome at all. As long as he is eating & basking I wouldn't do anymore meds.

Tracie